What’s the most difficult aspect of managing a remote workforce?
Building social equity. Those informal bonds and connects that happen over corridor conversations, cups of coffee, shared looks of empathy at a tough meeting, high fives after getting the job done – they build trust and empathy. Finding substitutes for those, at scale, in remote working, is hard.
How do you keep morale of your employees high during these tough times?
Assure them that their safety and well-being is top priority. And walk the talk on that. Reward and recognize the fantastic effort that they are making to ensure things are on track. Call out the small things and the big – every smile counts!
How do you sustain and even build a company culture when almost everything is remote?
It’s hard! Especially for the new people who’ve come in this year. But open and transparent communication is key – both through formal cadences like town halls and weekly notes and via informal channels. And yes, by listening and responding. It’s more important than ever to have a finger on the pulse of the organization – through surveys, through one-one conversations. We’ve also launched a Values Reboot. It helps to be reminded of what hold us together as a Company
To read from the drawing board with Suresh Shankar, click here
