What is the biggest complaint remote workers have about remote communication their colleagues? If you guessed too many emails, or being barraged by Slack messages, you’re in the top ten. But when we recently asked people “What’s the thing that drives you craziest about working with remote workers?” the answer was a little surprising. “I hate talking on the phone. I prefer … [Read more...]
Hello, Is Anybody in There? 6 Ways to Elicit Feedback in Web Meetings
One of the most frustrating things about leading virtual meetings is not being able to answer a simple question: are they out there and just listening silently, or are they silent because they aren’t really paying attention? The problem is that they can sound the same to your ears. How do you know the difference? Here are just a few simple ideas to help you get the feedback … [Read more...]
The Old-School Skill All Remote Workers Should Learn
When we think about the skills remote workers need to be successful, a lot of things come to mind: mad web presentation skills, the ability to sail through SharePoint like a swallow at Capistrano, and knowing how to appear on webcam without looking like the shadowy informant on a TV show are among them. But there is one old-school skill that seems to have been forgotten, and it … [Read more...]
How NOT to Drive Everyone Crazy on Slack
Team collaboration tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams are becoming more common for organizations with remote workers. So are complaints. Time that used to be spent cursing email is now spent rolling our eyes every time that little hashtag symbol pops up on our screen. It doesn’t have to be that way. Like every communication tool, there are appropriate ways to use Slack and … [Read more...]
Employee Turnover: How Nine Bucks Could Save You Thousands
During a class the other day, one of our participants said he was thinking of leaving his employer. This was a surprise because it’s a good company that just started letting people work from home and they were bragging about how it’s increased employee satisfaction. So why was this employee so angry he’d leave a sweet gig? The problem was a $9 mouse for his laptop. One of the … [Read more...]