* When only one member of that team is remote, they often suffer a combination of isolation ... and organizational burden ...
And their approach to foster inclusiveness is a great checklist:
* We nominated a site lead ... to be responsible for the overall happiness and productivity of the hub. * We ensure that our leadership regularly visits the hub via Zoom meetings to lead discussions, answer questions, and provide a sense of connection. * We encourage virtual coffee chats to promote a sense of belonging. * We survey the team regularly and review feedback and people data, so that we can understand both the shared needs of our employees and the particular needs of a hub.
Remote doesn't have to mean work from home, and I can attest that having too few remote employees and not enough cultural investment is a recipe for failure.
An ole employer had a satellite office with just a few employees. The main office was in a city in a different state. There were many occasions where we were in the dark about talks that'd happened at HQ, activities, and even some times when the owners would let folks leave early on Friday! Without dedicated leadership and effort to make sure employee are included, even a small satellite office can feel isolated and neglected.
In the end there were just 3 engineers total, all in different teams. I left a year after the company restructured, closing the satellite and everyone was WFH.