Manage Smarter

262: Navigating Remote Work Challenges with Marjorie Hook

Sep 23, 2024

21:50

Marjorie Hook is the Vice President of People and Culture for Openly, where she focuses on the employee life cycle and sustaining a world-class remote culture. With over 15

years of experience leading people functions for both large tech companies and

high-growth tech startups, Marjorie brings a wealth of knowledge in managing

remote teams and fostering a cohesive work environment. She joined Openly in

2022 and has been instrumental in implementing innovative strategies to enhance

employee engagement and productivity in a fully remote setting.

Key Takeaways include:

-Building a Remote Culture: Creating a cohesive remote culture requires intentional efforts to

foster connection, trust, and clear communication. Utilize collaboration tools

and establish clear goals and expectations to ensure everyone is aligned and

engaged.

-Handling Difficult Conversations: Managers need to be observant and sensitive when having

difficult conversations over Zoom. It's crucial to create a space that allows

for processing and follow-up, replicating the in-person experience as much as

possible.

-Effective Use of Slack: Establish standards for using Slack to avoid miscommunication and ensure it’s used appropriately for quick information sharing rather than major

decision-making. Managers should step in when conversations become unproductive

or heated.

-Managing Time Zones: For teams spread across different time zones, establish core working hours that overlap and use the end caps of the day for individual work. This ensures

effective communication and collaboration despite geographical differences.

-Addressing Employee Burnout: Remote work can lead to higher levels of burnout and loneliness. Managers should look for signs of stress and provide support and resources to

help employees maintain their mental health and well-being.

“Remote workplace, everything has to be a little bit more explicit, I think. Having written records of what individuals are doing and what teams are doing, really important as well, using

collaboration tools so that you can have both asynchronous and synchronous work

happening at the same time.” – Marjorie Hook

#RemoteWork #Leadership #RemoteTeams #Communication #TeamBuilding #MentalHealth

#RemoteManagement

Connect with Marjorie Hook

openly.com/

https://www.facebook.com/openlyllc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjoriehook/

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