How HR Leaders Must Adapt to Support Distributed Teams
Kay Fabella
Inclusive Distributed Work?: Helping Leaders Optimize Global, Remote & Hybrid Teams ?? | Forbes featured Consultant & Podcast Host of #InclusionInProgress???
As HR and People leaders continue to navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, we're now entering what researchers are calling "The Great Detachment," highlighted by Fortune earlier this month:
It’s no surprise that workers’ commitment to their employers is the lowest it’s been in almost a decade. COVID-19, recent AI-related layoffs, and soaring corporate profits amid sluggish wage growth have only further proven that when it comes to crunch time, employees are seen as replaceable. [The Great Detachment] reveals a growing disconnection among both managers and employees, fueled by low morale, rising costs, and burnout. (Source: Fortune, July 2024)
Furthermore, the article found that of those who left their jobs within this past year, 42% said their manager or company could have done something to stop them from quitting.
For those leading and designing workplaces for distributed teams, this presents yet another critical inflection point.
The question isn't just how to maintain productivity, but how to foster genuine engagement and connection across distances, time zones, and cultures to counter The Great Detachment.
(And in case you were wondering, no, that doesn't mean forcing people back into a shared physical office either... ??)
At Inclusion in Progress, we believe The Great Detachment presents another opportunity to reimagine the way we work to be more inclusive, more effective, and more human.
Which is why we're continuing to partner with forward-thinking leaders — who are not just leaning into distributed work — but mapping a way forward for employee engagement, company culture, and inclusion initiatives.
Read on to find out how future-thinking HR and People leaders like you are adapting to support distributed teams in 2024 and beyond.
How HR Leaders Can Center Equity on Distributed Teams
At Inclusion in Progress, we specify that...
By that logic, we were already working on distributed teams long before March 2020.
Not only that — as we shared in last month's newsletter — distributed work is a powerful enabler for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in organizations.
...the emphasis being on equity. #IfYouKnowYouKnow
Equity in a distributed work environment involves solving for the diverse challenges faced by different employee groups — because not all barriers to performance are easily seen, identified, or disclosed.
In addition to mitigating the common biases of hybrid work, the HR and People leaders we partner with are also considering where and how distributed teams are engaging with one another and their organization.
This includes identifying and solving for:
?? Digital employee experience (DEX): Tailoring digital experiences to individual employee needs (i.e., customizing delivery of tools that enhance engagement, productivity and satisfaction in a distributed work environment).
?? Accommodations: Identifying any reasonable accommodations needed to enable effective work (i.e., customized digital tools, flexible schedules, secure VPNs, and accessible online platforms) regardless of a team's location, function, or workplace.
?? Access to information: Ensuring that communication reaches employees wherever they are, on any device, and considering countries of origin and languages present on a distributed team (i.e., multilingual translation to ensure that, regardless of language proficiency, teams have access to critical information).
?? Physical workspace considerations: Ensuring distributed team members have access to adequate physical space, work set-ups, and resources to perform at their best (i.e., stipends for at-home work arrangements or access to local co-working spaces to enhance productivity and comfort).
?? Company culture: Fostering open communication, recognition, and a sense of belonging among employees in a distributed digital environment (i.e., blending in-office and remote work setups to enable team-building that go beyond a standard "hybrid" arrangement).
These are just some of the proactive steps HR and People leaders like you can take to support distributed teams — and counter the effects of The Great Detachment at your organization.
How HR Leaders Can Support Managers of Hybrid or Distributed Teams
Let's face it: middle managers get a lot of flak.
You're no longer a rank-and-file employee and you have more people to answer to — above and below you.
(What's not to love about that?)
Sadly, when we look at most exit interviews for individual contributors, their decision to leave their team or organization was because of their manager.
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So what about when middle managers are the ones become the most likely to leave your organization due to burnout or detachment?
Funnily enough, it’s the managers who have the highest “looking to leave” sentiment (55% compared to 41% of leaders, and 51% of individual contributors), the researchers tell Fortune. These middle managers are likely also experiencing a crunch as they deal with their team’s disenchantment as well as their own. (Source: Fortune)
A middle manager role is a crucial step to future career pathways and advancement at work.
But recent research indicates a growing reluctance among managers and employees alike to pursue middle management roles:
The creator of this viral TikTok, for example, likened the manager role to a "glorified unpaid internship."
With increased pressures and responsibilities placed on middle managers — often without corresponding support or empowerment — it's no wonder that millennial and Gen Z professionals are less inclined to aspire for managerial positions.
To address this increasing stigma towards middle manager roles, HR and People leaders can actively work to ensure that new managers have the resources and support to succeed in their roles.
This can include interventions such as:
? Equip managers with ongoing development to lead virtual teams: Provide adequate resources, learning pathways, and peer groups with fellow managers to enable critical leadership skills for virtual work environments (i.e., conducting effective one-on-ones, recognizing and addressing mental health challenges, identifying high performers on distributed teams).
? Enable managers to gather their teams in person periodically: To boost psychological safety and connectivity for distributed team members, provide managers with a budget to host in-person meetups (i.e., once a year, bi-annually, or quarterly) to strengthen team bonds and enhance collaboration.
? Redesign middle manager roles for sustainability: To reduce the administrative burdens that many middle managers face, utilize technology to streamline decision-making processes, delegate non-essential tasks, and optimize performance in a remote or distributed work environment.
Middle managers are feeling the crunch of flattening corporate hierarchies, their own (valid) desire for work-life integration, and the needs of their team members...
... and they are also crucial to the ongoing development, innovation, and health of your organization.
Rather than losing managers to The Great Detachment, HR and People leaders like you have an opportunity to restructure the manager role to attract and retain talent for these critical positions.
The Role of HR for Distributed Teams Today & Tomorrow
As an HR or People leader, start by identifying what distributed teams and managers need to mitigate their own feelings of detachment and lack of engagement — and use that as the baseline to begin solving for those barriers.
To solve for the Great Detachment on distributed teams as a HR or People leader, consider these questions:
The answers to these questions — when informed by employee and manager input — enables your distributed teams to thrive and excel.
We encourage the companies we work with not to see Inclusive Distributed Work? as a “finished product,” but rather as a work in progress.
(Hence the name of our company: Inclusion in Progress!)
In the same way every new app is launched as a prototype — with improvements and updates that follow based on user feedback — leaders like you have the opportunity to apply the same mindset to troubleshooting for the distributed work model that unlock's your team's potential.
Let's embrace the future of work and ensure it benefits everyone...
No matter where they come from or where they choose to work.
To learn how we can support your organization with building inclusive distributed teams, book your discovery call with our team.
Listen to our monthly podcast for industry insights on our work with clients across EMEA, APAC and the Americas.
Download our e-book, "Your Guide to Distributed Team Success."