INVEST IN THE NECESSARY TOOLS
This can be as simple as moving from a desktop
software to cloud-based tools so employees
can collaborate in real time, no matter where
they are.
It may also be more involved: Equipping office
conference rooms with video conferencing
equipment or switching your business
accounting software to the cloud as well.
Whatever the tool, it should be easy to use, meet
your business needs and fit within your budget,
Wright says.
“There is no one-size-fits-all,” Wright says. “It
comes down to understanding what your team
needs and what your organization is doing.”
CREATE COMMUNITY ONLINE
Watercooler talk is an oft-cited benefit of being in
the office. You gather informally, talk about your
weekend or the show you’re watching, and in the
process form bonds with your teammates. That
can still happen online if you create space for it.
Lessonly uses Slack to help build community
among a distributed workforce. It has a “Mama
Llamas” channel for parents to connect, a
Peloton channel where people share their
favorite instructors and classes, a channel for
book lovers and a channel for cat lovers.
It also has a designated channel for shoutouts
— an online space to mimic the more casual in-
person acknowledgment of work well done.
“When you’re in person, you just have more
opportunities to see someone in the hallway
and in the moment tell them, ‘Wow, great job,’”
Jarvis says. “We were missing that.”