Virtual, Yet Engaged: Resources for Remote Teams to Foster Connection

It wasn’t that long ago that it was rare to work from home. We grabbed breakfast while running out the door. We tackled the traffic on our way into the office. We met with our colleagues in person, not on Zoom screens. For many, our workdays have changed and while remote work has advantages, it can be challenging to create connection in a virtual world.

Members of the UW Medicine Retention Strategy Committee and the Patient Experience team joined forces to work on this challenge and created a toolkit to help foster connection across virtual teams.

Working environments have changed

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work across many industries, including here at UW Medicine. A 2023 study from the Pew Research Center showed that a growing number of workers with a teleworkable job — 41% — are working a hybrid schedule while those fully remote comprise 35%. That’s true for nearly 30% of UW Medicine employees who work remotely, hybrid or occasionally remotely. Remote and hybrid work creates new opportunities and challenges for managers and employees alike.

Why it’s important to foster connection amidst virtual teams

While remote work can offer flexibility and increased productivity, for some it can also lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Regular interaction with colleagues can mitigate these feelings. You may not be able to meet your co-worker over the water cooler, but there are ways in a remote working environment that interactions can be meaningful.

UW Medicine’s approach

In 2022, members of a workgroup under the Retention Strategy Committee were charged with developing a toolkit for managers of remote teams. Lili Levy, director, Strategic Projects and Operations, worked with Michael Yaitanes, senior director, Contact Center and Kristine Wegener, director, ITS Human Resources & Administration to conceptualize the toolkit. The content was developed into an intranet site to support managers of remote teams with virtual work best practices.

“I’ve led a remote team for six years, well before the pandemic,” says Levy. “A big part of the learning curve in managing remote teams for the first time is understanding where to start. The principles help build on knowledge that managers already have, showing them how they can use those same tools in a remote landscape.” 

Levy worked with Cloe Donovan, project manager, Patient Experience, to put together the Remote Team Engagement website. The website is brimming with tools to help not just managers, but any facilitator of remote teams or meetings to collaborate productively.

Engaging remote teams and colleagues

The Remote Team Engagement website offers many resources for building team connections and to get started on building your own team’s remote toolkit. Here’s how.

Community

Create community by setting clear team goals and objectives and leading with trust and flexibility:

• Setting clear team goals and objectives and reporting progress helps set clear expectations.
• Allow teams to share ideas and opinions openly and build solutions collaboratively. This builds team trust.
• Understand that remote work requires flexibility with respect to when and where work is done as well as a commitment to being available for team collaboration and communication.

Connection

Connection helps foster a positive work environment and promotes employee well-being. Create connection with virtual team building events, such as:

• Consider a lunch-and-learn virtual tour of the Smithsonian Museum.
• Zoom into a co-worker’s kitchen and learn how to make one of their favorite recipes.
• Celebrate successes on Teams channels with acknowledgments and reactions.

Collaboration

Microsoft Teams is a great communication tool, allowing teams to chat, make voice or video calls, and collaborate on projects and documents in one application versus many. The Remote Engagement Team website has tips on optimizing your Teams page, including:

• Create channels that align with specific projects.
• Pin important channels to allow easy access for team members.
• Use @mentions and reactions to engage.
• Conduct team quizzes and polls using Microsoft Forms.

Intention and focus can create strong connections

By using some of the above tips and leveraging the Remote Team Engagement website for more, remote work teams can stay engaged, connected and productive.

“Managers can create a similar team connection over Zoom or Microsoft Teams than they can over coffee or in a meeting room,” says Levy. “It only takes a little creative thinking and intention.”