A reader writes:
I manage a team of lovely people. We are all fully remote and relatively new hires. I onboarded 100% virtually and I understand the struggle of getting to know people virtually. To combat this, my team members schedule time each week checking in with each other about their lives, etc., spending time discussing non-work related topics. I think this is great if they’d like to do it, but one of the things I love about working remotely is not having to participate in the idle office chat. Our jobs are really busy with long hours and any time spent chatting makes my day longer.
As their manager, how important is fostering team-building in a virtual environment and what are my responsibilities to do so? Is it okay to just let them connect together on their own schedules or am I responsible for helping build the camaraderie of this virtual team?
This question — along with two others — is answered over at Inc., revisiting letters from the archives and in some cases with updated and expanded answers. You can read it here.
Other questions addressed in that column include:
- Employee wants bereavement leave for her dog
- Friend asking for free work
