This document summarizes a webinar about keeping remote teams engaged and productive during the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar focused on the current challenges leaders are facing with remote teams, including decreased productivity, fragmented communication, and weakened connections. It outlined the top concerns leaders have and provided simple steps to improve communication, connection, and productivity through increased visibility, sharing strategy and goals, outcomes-based measurement, establishing daily routines, and setting SMART goals. The webinar emphasized that engaged teams are more resilient and better able to adapt to changing circumstances.

1. KEEPING REMOTE TEAMS
ENGAGED & PRODUCTIVE
8 Sept. Webinar

2. Alyson Doering
Business Engagement Manager
Today’s Facilitator
Stefan Wissenbach
Founder & Chief Engagement Officer
Today’s Speaker

3. HOUSEKEEPING

4. The recovery
has not been
linear…

5. The Covid Trap is real
Average scores are varying
more widely than usual
Outside influences impact the
workplace in a real way,
adding to the day to day
challenges leaders must
address
The pandemic
Redundancies & layoffs
US elections
Civic unrest
Covid drove temporary increases in employee engagement…
Average Engagement Scores During COVID
50
58.75
67.5
76.25
85
M
ar.
A
pr.
M
ay
Jun.
Jul.
A
ug.
Sep.
80
75

6. “It’s dawning on leaders and teams that the lockdown phase
was in fact just the acute part of the crisis. Now they need to
engage with more profound and adaptive challenges in
their businesses and the way they lead.”
Recovery presents new challenges
Leaders need to get it right - but how?
Leading Into The Post Covid Recovery, HBR 2020

7. TODAY’S AGENDA:
The current situation leaders are facing
Top concerns leaders have with remote teams
Getting to the underlying causes of the challenges
Simple ways you can make improvements that improve
team performance

8. How these forces show up in our teams
Employees are less productive, encounter distractions at home, don’t
manage their time well and struggle to prioritize work correctly
Communications are fragmented, spontaneity is lost and people are
left out of the loop
Connection between the company and employees weakens, company
culture erodes, relationships suffer, inculcating new employees into the
team is difficult
The top concerns leaders have with remote workers:

9. These are big issues, but there is good news
Focus on improving
Communication and
Connection first
They are the keys to not just
Productivity, but also true
employee engagement
They’re all connected

10. Simple steps to improving
Communication & Connection
&

11. COMMUNICATION

12. Improving communications
Be visible
Communicate confidently & consistently
…involves adjusting personally to remote leadership
“We’re in a phase of over-communicating with our
employees and our customers, to try to keep
everybody up to speed on where we’re headed and to
make sure we’re addressing concerns.”
Nancy McKinstry, CEO of Welters Kluwer,
in “Emerging From the Crisis,” Harvard Business Review

13. A visible leader is present & known to all
Use video to be visually present for
meetings
Plan for more meetings, not fewer, to keep
up relationships
Don’t let 1:1 meetings slip
Add short, informal meetings to stay in
touch beyond your direct reports
Have virtual coffee together
Get moving with a joint walking
meeting
Set “office hours” during which you’ll be
available to anyone, for any reason

14. “People want to see leaders being human. I’ve reiterated
to our team: This is a time for leadership, not
management. Be calm, have realistic optimism, and show
up and be visible.
Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems, in Emerging From the
Crisis, Harvard Business Review

15. CONNECTION

16. Developing connection
Share the big picture with the team
Adopt outcomes-based measurement
Create a Purpose for your business that resonates
Connect employees to the business, and each other
“I firmly believe that now, more than ever, it’s time to trust your team
to do the right thing and deliver to their
pre-agreed outcomes.”
- Stefan Wissenbach

17. Share the big-picture strategy
Create a consistent cadence of Quarterly Business Reviews shared
with the whole company
Celebrate wins and reinforce employees’ contributions to success
Break down silos and create more transparency between
departments
Get everyone on the same page regarding strategy and goals
And create unity around common goals with the entire team

18. Adopt outcomes-driven measurement
Re-calibrate key performance indicators by measuring outcomes,
not inputs.
Change the definition of what good looks like: it’s not busywork
done, it’s results achieved.
Creates essential connection between employees and business
results.
“That which gets measured gets done.”

19. Create a Purpose that unites & motivates
The audience for your company’s
purpose are your employees
Think of Purpose as the banner under
which the team can unite, rally and
believe
A well-written purpose gives
employees a “why” for showing up
every day
Focus the team on an inspiring purpose
ENGAGED
PURPOSE

20. “This moment in history provides an opportunity, and a
spur, for all organizations to ground themselves in their
purpose — that is, to focus intensely on the core
questions: Why do we exist? Why are we here? Whose
needs are we here to meet?
In a Crisis, Companies Must Know Their Purpose - PwC

21. Improving Productivity
Where Communication & Connection overlap

22. Keys to improving productivity:
Create daily and weekly structure to keep teams focused and
on-track
Daily meetings connect people and create accountability for
tasks
Meetings on Monday and Friday set (and review) goals for
the week
Ensure roles & responsibilities are up to date and clear
Set SMART goals to define what success looks like, especially for
the short term

23. The Morning Energizer & Daily Wrap
Morning Energizer - a short “stand up” to start the day
Start with what each person is feeling great about that day
Share three goals for the day
Insight round out - quick exchange of any new insights
Daily Wrap - a signal to end the day
Each person shares their wins for the day
Another insight round out - and that’s it
Two simple meetings ensure lines of communication are wide open

24. Role clarity
Ensure employees have role clarity, especially if your company has
weathered significant change due to Covid-19.
Have employee’s jobs or responsibilities changed?
Do their goals and incentives reward the right things?
How have timelines been impacted?
Ensure alignment with recent changes

25. SMART goals
SMART goals will help employees prioritize correctly and stay focused
Clearly define what success looks like
Especially useful for uncertain or temporary circumstances
Will give employees clear direction
Provide managers with an aid for guidance and measurement
Sustainable | Measurable | Achievable | Relevant | Time-bound

26. Engaged teams are RESILIENT teams
The single thing that will get your company through this chaotic
time is an engaged team.
Engaged employees are focused, motivated and seize initiative
“Plan for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

27. ENGAGEMENT MULTIPLIER DASHBOARD

28. Survey your team and begin improving
engagement & productivity - free.
Watch your email for:
Links to this deck and webinar
replay
Our new ebook, “Keeping Remote
Teams Engaged & Productive” - to
be sent out next week
https://signup.engagementmultiplier.com/productive/

29. THANK YOU!