Communicating with Your Remote Workforce

Maintaining a global workforce is always a challenge, but in times of strife, your experience in communicating with remote employees is a strength. Now more than ever, your employees, who may be isolated and scared, need to hear from you regularly. Communicating with your remote workforce can take place through multiple formats, from daily email updates to weekly Zoom conferences to one-on-one conversations and texts.

Prepare a Crisis Communication Team

We are living in unprecedented times, and none of us can predict what is going to happen over the next 6-12 months. To better prepare for what may lie ahead, every organization needs to establish a crisis communications team that will determine how you handle the coming months with your international teams.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

You’re already experienced and adept at holding virtual meetings and conferences. In addition to maintaining those group connections, leaders should, as much as possible, reach out individually to people on their teams. Talk to them about the situation in their local communities, since the pandemic’s impact varies from location to location. Assure them that your organization is there to support them. Use all of the communication channels available to you, including social media messaging and website updates.

Demonstrate Leadership

Show your employees that you are practicing social distancing and listening to medical experts while encouraging them to follow local directives. Do not proffer medical advice. Be flexible in terms of work schedules, interruptions by children who are also sharing space with your employees, and slower productivity as you encourage your staff to work from home and stay home. If you haven’t already, cancel in-person events and meetings. Be reassuring and express confidence in your teams’ ability to get through these challenges.

Be Transparent

If your organization is going to be impacted by the pandemic, financially or otherwise, be transparent with your people. Particularly if there will be layoffs or if customers will have a difficult time reaching the company, communicate that information. Let people know what you’re doing to keep them safe – whether it’s moving everything online or providing a regularly scheduled update from your leadership team.

Communication Needs to Be Two-Way

Ensure that you have mechanisms in place – a hotline, a response team, an online form – where your employees can reach out to you and submit questions, comments, and suggestions. Practice social listening, too, by monitoring what is being said about your company or to your company on social media.

No one sat down to develop their 2020 strategy this year anticipating the situation we’re currently in. Take a breath. Take it one day at a time. Listen to the directives for social distancing. Living Abroad will continue to provide you and your global teams with information, communication, and strategy support throughout this crisis.

___

As Managing Director of Living Abroad, Cathy has been involved with the core service, the International Relocation Center, for more than 20 years. Cathy oversaw the successful transition of hard copy to the current online service under the Craighead name. Current clients of Living Abroad are many of the Fortune 1000 and government organizations. Cathy is co-facilitator of the Forum for Expatriate Management New York City Chapter, which brings mobility thought leaders to the corporate community through monthly meetings.

Looking for a solution to help all of your employees develop the cultural intelligence skills they need to be successful on global assignments? Living Abroad’s Culture Coach Online is a powerful learning platform designed to prepare users to understand the impact of culture on business and personal relationships, and to learn how to improve their own cultural agility.

The Culture Coach Online guides users along learning tracks customized for their topical and cultural needs. Users will learn how to better navigate social and business situations in each location, and how to adapt to other cultures with more ease. Most important, users will receive comprehensive insight into their own individual cultural preferences.

Completing the Culture Coach Online program will better equip your employees to deal with individuals who are different from them – whether abroad or at home. Learn more.