Virtual. Remote. Distributed. Pick your label. This style of organization is becoming wildly more in demand and popular among many agencies and organizations. It saves the cost of office space, allows for hiring the best talent possible regardless of location, can be a huge bonus to employees who require flexibility in their schedules, and saves everyone time in commuting assuming they don’t go to a shared work space. You can even wear what you want (being mindful of video chats, of course).

The flipside? While many folks have gone remote, some people find the experience quite isolating and disconnected. Does remote work make people happier? Does it make them more productive? From my experience running a remote-only agency, the answer is not really. Going for days not seeing another human in person can be extremely isolating and demotivating. And while it seems as though you’d have more time at your computer, and therefore would be more productive, often the opposite is true: it can often be harder to have focused time to work on tasks if you are at home with multiple screens. And even worse if you are distracted by anything at home (deliveries at your door, that laundry in the corner, etc).

It can also be physically damaging: the human body is not designed to sit at a desk for long periods of time, and there’s less incentive to get up and move if you don’t have to move more than a few feet to your computer.

I know I’ve experienced all those issues. So I feel everyone’s pain. Literally.

The main reason Kanopi Studios exists is to support humans in every way: we support our clients by giving them great work so they can be successful online, but additionally Kanopi serves to support its employees so they are successful in both their work and home lives. We want our people to always be happy, fulfilled, and constantly evolving in a positive way. So it’s critical that we create an environment and culture that fosters practices that provide meaning, collaboration, and happiness regardless of location. It’s also critical that employees feel empowered to speak up if they are feeling the negative repercussions of remote work.

As CEO, it’s my job to give my staff the right tools and systems so that they are as happy and healthy as possible, and to create connectivity in Kanopi’s culture. Building and sustaining strong relationships requires a unique approach that makes use of a variety of tools to create the right work culture to combat the isolation.

There’s a session I give on this very topic, and the DrupalCon video is linked below. I cover how to be the best remote employee, as well as how to support your team if you are a leader of a remote team. I give key tactics to keep you (and all other staff) inspired, creative, productive and most importantly, happy! I hope you find it helpful in making your own work environment as connected and collaborative as possible, no matter where you are.