You know that expression “my door is always open?” Is it really?
And what does that look like for those who work remotely?
Out of sight can lead to negative assumptions about you not being available, approachable or helpful.
Use technology to make it feel like you’re in the same office.
Ideas:
- Send a quick text or ping when you ‘arrive’ in the morning. “Hi, I’m here if you need me.”
- Send a check-in ping. “Good morning, how’d that big deal phone call go yesterday? I’m here if you’d like to chat about it.”
- Share your schedule with the team. “As you can see on the shared calendar, I’m in meetings most of the day but have a spot open at 1pm if anyone needs me.”
- Let them know when you are free to chat. “I’m taking a short coffee break at 10:30, anyone want to jump on a call and talk about Game of Thrones?”
What do you do to build rapport and maintain your open door policy when you’re remote?