Hi there,
Remote work can feel isolating.
Almost 40% of workers admit that they often feel lonely at work! 🙋
Loneliness negatively impacts everything from productivity to belonging to psychological safety.
Today’s strategy will focus on the positive impact of building authentic relationships… and you only need 0.6% of your monthly working hours.
⚡ Supercharge of the Week
Remote Octopus recommends setting up monthly, 15-minute 1:1 relationship-building conversations with your top four cross-functional collaborators.
Dedicating time to authentic relationship-building can increase your own and your colleagues’ sense of belonging. In turn, this sense of belonging can increase job performance by 56%... plus up to a 167% increase in employer net promoter score!
A big impact for 0.6% of your monthly working hours.
FIRST
Identify the four cross-functional collaborators that you work with the most frequently. Depending on your role and company size:
These top four collaborators might change based on specific projects. If this is the case, plan out your first quarter of conversations. Then make a note to schedule your next set for Q2 at the end of March.
Some of these top four collaborators might instead be on your larger team and not a separate cross-functional team.
You might also consider scheduling these 1:1 conversations with your manager or direct report(s). Remote Octopus recommends scheduling those in addition to and separate from these four cross-functional, relationship-building conversations.
NEXT
Determine the logistics of these conversations. One hour of four, 15-minute conversations is simply a benchmark. Be mindful of packed calendars and avoid over-scheduling conversations with a high level of frequency.
Consider:
How many total cross-functional 1:1s will you conduct?
How often will you conduct these conversations? Monthly, quarterly?
If not 15-minutes, then how long will each conversation be?
What will be the format of these 1:1s? Zoom video, Slack huddle, phone call, something else?
Will you re-evaluate these conversations quarterly or on a different cadence? And if so, how will you note this need to re-evaluate & schedule future conversations?
THEN
Reach out 1:1 to share your excitement! Leverage we language. Message each cross-functional collaborator & propose:
How often you’d like to connect.
How long each conversation would be.
Which format you anticipate using [Zoom, etc.].
Which days or times might work well.
Collaborate together to ensure buy-in, including the cadence, format, and day/time preferences. Once scheduled, this conversation should feel light and easy!
Example in Action
Hi Naomi – We’ve been collaborating so frequently that it would be awesome to get to know each other a bit better. How about we do quick 15-minute chat every month on Zoom? No prep needed, we can chat about anything top of mind. If we’re lucky, my dog Effie might make an unscheduled appearance! If you’re up for it, let me know if there’s a specific day or time that might work well for you & I can get us scheduled.
If a collaborator shares that their calendar is too full to connect or that they’re focused on a huge deliverable, consider:
Thanking them for sharing.
Asking if they might be open to you circling back in three months.
Wishing them luck!
FINALLY
Send calendar invites. After you confirm buy-in from your collaborators, schedule & send a repeating calendar invite. Remember to consider your colleagues’ day/time preferences and also check their calendar availability before sending. The invite should extend through when you plan to re-evaluate the effectiveness or shift these conversations, such as 3-6 months.
A clear title can go a long way: Claire <> Naomi Coffee Chat
Ready to supercharge your authentic relationships? Set aside 30 minutes to go through the launch steps above… and you’re off!
🚀 Remote Octopus Resource of the Week
Some of your project roles and responsibilities might feel as clear as mud – especially if you’re working cross-functionally or building quickly. Despite some octopuses who love mud, Remote Octopus advocates for project roles and responsibilities to be mud-free.
Role confusion can lead to company time wasted on negotiation of responsibilities, duplication of work, and even reactive protection of turf. Research shows that “employees who experience role clarity are 53% more efficient and 27% more effective.”
Check out The R&R Template!
Looking for additional Remote Octopus resources? Explore here.
📬 Can’t get enough Remote Octopus? Read our past newsletters here.
👋 Want to connect? Find us on LinkedIn.
📚 Read the Remote Octopus Disclaimer.
