Today in a hybrid workplace consisting of people coming into the office and many working from home, holding meetings is not easy. It is easy to forget about the team members connected remotely as the focus remains on the in-person members. This is a classic problem the remote workers face, being an afterthought to the core team(office).
It is a reality that this hybrid work arrangement is likely to continue. Many companies have or planning to make WHF a permanent feature. However, collaboration, coordination activities between team members both on-site and off-site will continue. So how do team leaders ensure that both the team members in the office and working from home feel included and valued?
Elicit opinions from remote members first.
It is easy for team members in the office to be biased and ignore remote workers. Remember that every member is valuable to the team and one should get all the viewpoints before making a decision. To offset the natural bias of focusing on office members, always ask for the opinions of the remote members first. Encourage the remote members to engage over the phone, virtual tools, chats, emails.
Allow remote members to flesh out their ideas with the rest of the team,.during a brainstorming session. When a joint team decision is taken use polling to ensure that everyone is participating. Remind members in the office that remote members are participating by calling them out first for any views/ opinions.
Understand and value introverts and extroverts.
It is particularly more challenging to get introverts on board in a remote meeting. Introverts get overwhelmed by the louder voices that get heard or that monopolise the conversation and normally do not jump into phone calls or rapid emails.
One way to get around this would be to have a periodic review meet once a month or fortnight and ask to review the challenges faced and the job left undone. This creates a space for everyone to speak up. By giving everyone space to think and speak up you can get better insights from the whole group. Meet the team members where they are most comfortable, one-to-one, small group meeting etc. This makes everyone feel more respected and they become more open to sharing and conversations.
Get creative at meetings
Rotate meeting hosts. This makes everyone feel included and valued and makes the meeting more interesting especially the usual monotonous routine weekly meetings.
Encourage the hosts to come up with their creative check-ins. These activities will stimulate the team especially when there are remote members.
As we begin to resume working in an office with the realisation that work from home is here to stay, hybrid meetings are in order and we need to ensure equal participation from both in-person and remote members. making sure you have a space for casual conversation will sustain the friendly atmosphere and teamwork.
Understanding the challenges of remote work is essential for those who interact with remote workers. learning how to include your team members irrespective of location is essential to the wellbeing and survival of a company.
Do Your Remote Employees Feel Included in Meetings?
by Erica Dhawan HBR 2020/12
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