Even while your team is remote, revisit which meetings and processes remain necessary amidst the change in work.
“People leave bosses, not companies. And people leave environments where friction prevents them from doing their best work.”
Bob Sutton – Stanford University
Dropbox, inspired by removing friction for employees, took a bold step– on one evening, the company deleted all recurring calendar invitations and required managers to recreate any meetings that were necessary. Only ~30% of meetings were rescheduled.
Employees will visit offices less and feel fewer ties to colleagues. The absence of close identity to company and team will raise risk of attrition. Managers are now at the front-line of connection to mission, vision and values. At companies that have restarted office work, employees report feeling no more connected than they did pre-pandemic.
Conduct bonding and onboarding activities that pay explicit attention to need to create (n+1)! relationships (not just 1, not just n) when new people are added.