11 Ways to Build an Empathetic & Inclusive Remote Work Culture

Over-Communicate & Check In

First things to do are to check in and to over-communicate. Now is a time of uncertainty so it's very important to take inventory of your employees' fears, anxieties & needs. Does everybody have the technology needed to work from home? Does everyone have Wi-Fi? Check in.

With your communication, err on the side of over-communicating. Discuss how processes will now run so talk about things like how the following will be done: hiring, interviewing, employee onboarding, benefits, healthcare, bonuses, meetings, etc. Transparency and consistency is the name of the game here.

Reframe Productivity

It's important to reframe productivity in terms of output versus hours. You do this by being clear about your deliverables and deadlines. Also, there needs to be a discussion about work styles and communication preferences so that micromanagement is minimized. When working with people virtually especially across different time zones, don't judge their work based on your work window. I think it's important to have a conversation with your team, determine their most productive hours (because we all have moments we are more productive than others) and mutually decide on deadlines that work. If you work towards a goal with a deadline and you have regular check ins, your goal is usually met. That should be the focus.

Humanize Your Virtual Meetings

Ahead of each meeting, clarify your purpose and circulate an agenda. Start off each meetings with personal shares. Allow employees and colleagues to discuss whatever is on their minds. After all, these are unprecedented times, so let people express what they need to express before every meeting. Also, make time for questions during your meetings. Since not everyone will feel comfortable asking questions on video, allow for questions to be collected via text or live chat.

Prioritize Team Building

Amp up your team building and bonding activities to include things like film clubs, book clubs, virtual happy hours, guided meditations, talent shows, open mics, etc. If you are looking for internet games to play, try Jackbox Games.

Have Empathy Hours Every Week

Schedule regular empathy hours for your teams. This is an opportunity for everyone on your team to share whatever is on their mind. This is different from the personal shares I discussed earlier as the whole hour is dedicated to helping each other and nothing else. It's about being seen. You want to do this regularly so that you don't miss a beat. At the very minimum, once a week.

Identify & Empower Your SMEs

Identify the subject matter experts (SMEs) within your company and empower them. Training is important now more than ever. Let them create guided learning paths and tutorials for the company.

Create & Foster Interest Groups

Belonging doesn't fall asleep because you're virtual. Create and foster your interest groups, diversity related clubs and/or ERGs using tools like Slack or Facebook Groups. Slack in particular, makes it easy to share files, search for documents, host meetings and track progress.

Celebrate Your Employees

Regularly recognize and reward your employees with a tool like Bonusly. Also, remember birthdays and anniversaries.

Tools For Video Conferencing

Zoom, Skype, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Zapnito, Google Hangouts.

Tools For Team Chatting & Project Management

Team Chat: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype Messenger, Google Hangouts Chat, WhatsApp groups.

Project Management: Asana, Trello, Wrike, Basecamp, Slack, LiquidPlanner.

People Analytics For Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

My favorite company for this is Dandi. They enable companies to create fair and equal workplaces by delivering thousands of data-driven actionable insights, progress tracking & services for their hiring, compensation, promotion & employee retention practices.

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