Here's how you can make remote employees feel included and valued as an internal communicator.

In my experience, making remote employees feel included and valued is all about intentional communication and cultural sensitivity. Regular updates that include local contexts, using inclusive language, and recognizing contributions are key. Virtual meetings should encourage equal participation and reflect cultural nuances. Celebrating local festivals and offering relevant professional development opportunities also help. It's vital to gather feedback and act on it visibly. Lastly, promoting work-life balance and ensuring leadership is visible and approachable can create a more connected and engaged remote workforce.

One of the things that I heard often regarding the “bad” side of remote working is the lack of water cooler moments, ie. Lack of the organic social interactions that we often have at the work place. We can intentionally create those opportunistic moments for people to get together and have conversations in virtual gatherings - in a more controlled group size. Designing virtual gatherings and allowing these conversations is a way to allow for that and it builds teamwork and allows us to know others. We just need to be creative.

As an internal communicator, you can foster inclusion and value for remote employees by prioritizing clear and frequent communication across various channels. This includes virtual team-building activities, showcasing remote employee achievements in company-wide updates, and actively soliciting feedback through surveys or video calls to ensure they feel heard and involved in the bigger picture.

Inclusive Meetings for Remote Employees; Leverage technology to bridge the distance - I once used a virtual whiteboard to brainstorm with a remote team, fostering real-time collaboration. Accommodate time zones to ensure equal participation - Scheduling a meeting at a time that works for everyone can make a world of difference. Actively engage remote team members - I once asked a remote employee to present their project, giving them the spotlight they deserved. Encourage open dialogue - I facilitated a remote discussion where everyone shared their challenges, strengthening our team bond. Foster a sense of belonging - I organized a virtual team-building activity that allowed remote and in-office employees to connect on a personal level.

Including remote employees is not enough. Following can help further: - Include remote employees in 'all' important meetings not just some and invite them to participate actively - Make them part of key projects/priorities to make them feel 'included' and understand key deliverables - Keep flexible in-person meet-ups to break the ice - Keep regular informal meetings as well to connect better with remote team and understand their challenges

To keep in touch with remote team : - Maintain fluid communication - Organize weekly catch-up - More flexibility to get more engagement

My team consists of six employees located in six different locations across multiple time zones. We have grown from two to six over the last two years. Today, Someone on my team commented on the high level of collaboration we have as a team. I asked him why he thought this was true and he responded with a truth leaders of remote teams need to know and embrace - it takes more intentionality to connect with the team as a whole and individuals separately to make cohesion “stick”. One thing we do as a team is we are always communicating with one another- from bouncing ideas around or having an “gif-fest” during a high stress day. As leader- I set the expectation of being open, honest, and transparent. The team holds the team accountable.

Go the extra mile to communicate and know that OVER-COMMUNICATION is not an overkill! Replace hallway nods with regular phone calls, emails, or video chats to acknowledge remote employees. Always include them in relevant meetings. Encourage social interactions and organize virtual team-building activities, wellness challenges, learning sessions, and casual video chat “coffee breaks” to foster connections. Lastly, celebrate your wins together, however big or small they may be.

I believe what is many times forgotten is the promotion of feedback and ideas. In healthcare and higher education the ‘staff’ gets set into a large lump that doesn’t include the faculty or medical team. Yet those doing the day to day to move organizations forward are the mid level employees who are never given the avenue for dialogue. An internal communication expert who recognizes the essential nature of dialogue creation is the one able of changing the status quo.

I recently started using Monday.com as project management tool which really helps connecting the dots between team that are spread across different locations. Giving clear and action oriented feedback on tasks is essential when working with remote teams. For fast everyday communication small chat groups are really useful. Make sure to include only the people who are relevant to the conversation to reduce information overload. Keep emails to minimum. Only use them if you need to share something officially or you need to retain the information for a longer period of time.

A simple survey to staff (Personalized one) to understand their needs and interests can do wonders, you can group people with similar interests together and personalize an event or something to them. You can know their needs and act upon accordingly. Exerting effort in understanding your employees; what they love to see/hear and/or engage at will help a lot in here.

Nothing beats personal touch. Making an employee feel important and valuable should be the top priority of leaders and managers. Helping them contextualize what is going on and how an employee in his/her role can contribute is super critical.