Level Up Your Remote Game: Top Management Plays From the Inc. 5000

By Marli Guzzetta

In the past four years, no leadership challenge has been more universal than creating a virtual or hybrid workplace culture that works for everyone.

"During the pandemic, when teams and managers had to suddenly figure out how to work remotely, we were all in it together," said Inc. 5000 alum and TellMed Strategies CEO Tara DiMilia at a recent Inc. 5000 event. "Once the pandemic ended and terms were renegotiated, a lot of the mood changed."?

DiMilia's core business isn't HR, but communications. She?founded TellMed to champion companies in the life sciences. But TellMed was fully remote more than a decade before the pandemic--so when Covid-19 sent everyone home, clients began asking DiMilia for advice.?

"Before the pandemic, we were fringe as a virtual workplace," DiMilia said. "Now, we're a go-to resource for a lot of companies."

Recently, DiMilia hosted a session on "Proven Tips for Remote Collaboration" for other Inc. 5000 Masters members. Her fellow honorees weren't shy about the downsides their companies have experienced with remote work.?

"As remote work goes on year after year, my productivity slips," one founder said. "You start running more and more errands. Everyone I talk to, my friends, they're always running errands. And I know the companies they work for are going down. I wonder:?Is remote work really helping?"

For almost every pain point, DiMilia had hard-earned wisdom to share. The bottom line: Engagement software will not do the work for you. To?create?a positive remote work culture, companies and managers have to be much more proactive.?

Maybe not every business can afford to operate this way. But if they can, there's a brave new virtual world, said DiMilia. These are a few of the tips she offered to get there. Read More...

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