When shifting to remote work , a common trap is increasing the number of meetings to replace in-person office interactions
● Visible norms : Making implicit company norms explicit helps new employees navigate the culture .
For instance , I share my breaks , daily struggles and offline moments during calls with employees and candidates . This openness helps create an environment where disconnecting and balancing work with personal life is encouraged .
Managers set the example , but everyone shares the responsibility . For new employees , making implicit norms visible helps them feel safer and better able to navigate the company .
Investing in both online and offline
Creating genuine connections between employees is more challenging in a fully remote company . To address this , we invest in both online and offline activities . Our goal is to provide spaces where people can get to know each other , interact , and , most importantly , feel like they are part of something bigger .
Online : we organise remote workshops and monthly game sessions – we call them ‘ Chill Alts ’ – where we can share our more personal side .
Offline : we host in-person activities like dinners or events where everyone ( we have more than 11 nationalities on the team ) flies to Portugal to spend a week together at a workcation .
Asynchronous and synchronous communication
Technology is vital for remote work , but how we use it matters more . We combine both asynchronous and synchronous communication , using Slack for quick messages and Notion for detailed documentation . When shifting to remote work , a common trap is increasing the number of online meetings to replace in-person office interactions . To reduce the risk of screen fatigue , we steer clear of this . Instead , we use Geekbot for asynchronous standups .
Another concern with remote work is the lack of context . In person , we have social cues that help us understand words in context . Besides , often the person who speaks louder in the office has more influence . As an extrovert myself , I know this firsthand . Remote levels the playing field between different styles of communication and personality , but it also requires everyone to improve their communication skills . In virtual meetings emojis , punctuation , facial expressions and tone matter even more .
We know that people communicate differently , so it ’ s important to always assume
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