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Secrets to Remote Team Retention: Leaders Share Their Strategies

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Secrets to Remote Team Retention: Leaders Share Their Strategies

Philip Portman
Founder & CEO, Textdrip

One effective strategy for overcoming challenges like isolation and disengagement is creating a strong communication framework that includes both scheduled check-ins and informal interaction.

For instance, at Textdrip, we use weekly team huddles to align on goals and track progress, while also holding casual virtual coffee chats where team members can bond on a personal level. Encouraging transparency in communication helps combat the lack of in-person connection, as does leveraging tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for instant feedback and collaboration.

We also implemented an employee buddy system, where team members pair up to support one another. This builds camaraderie and mitigates feelings of isolation, allowing remote teams to still feel connected despite physical distance.

The biggest challenge in any company, including ours at Textdrip, is ensuring high employee retention in a competitive job market.

One practical solution is to focus on creating a clear career development path for each employee. In remote work, it’s easy for team members to feel like they’re stuck in place. We tackle this by holding quarterly one-on-one meetings that focus on career goals and learning opportunities. Employees are encouraged to share their long-term aspirations, and we align projects that help develop those skills.

Sandra Malouf
President, Eurolog Packing Group

Over-communicate: In remote teams, it’s better to over-communicate than assume things are clear. Encourage team members to check in regularly and communicate progress, blockers, and updates.

Multiple Channels for Communication:

  • Use synchronous tools like video calls or instant messaging for real-time discussions.
  • Use asynchronous tools (email, project management tools like Trello, Jira) for tasks that don’t need immediate attention.

Create “Water Cooler” Moments: Implement informal channels (Slack, MS Teams) for casual conversations, memes, or sharing interests. This replicates the spontaneous chats that happen in person and helps break the monotony of task-focused conversations.

Jonathan Ayala
Founder, Hudson Condos

A key strategy for overcoming remote work challenges like isolation and disengagement is fostering clear and open communication. Regularly scheduled virtual meetings, both formal and informal, can help maintain strong connections. I also suggest leveraging collaborative tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to ensure a smooth flow of communication and keep everyone in the loop.

One of the biggest challenges, though, is maintaining a sense of team alignment and purpose. Without physical interaction, it’s easy for team members to feel disconnected from the company’s mission. To counter this, I recommend reinforcing a shared vision through frequent company-wide updates and celebrating small wins together. This helps build a sense of belonging, motivating employees to stay engaged and aligned with the company’s goals.

Yulia Saf
Founder, Miss Tourist

Managing a remote team certainly has its unique challenges. My go-to retention strategy is based on three Cs: Communication, Culture, and Care.

Communication is key. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions help prevent feelings of isolation. We use technologies like Zoom and Slack to create a virtual ‘office’ where everyone can connect and collaborate.

Culture is often overlooked in remote settings. We have virtual team building activities and monthly meetups (covid-allowing) to foster a sense of community. This gives a chance for employees to engage, bond and understand the company’s vision and values on a deeper level.

Lastly, Care. Remember everyone is dealing with different circumstances at home. Be empathetic, flexible and considerate. We’ve found that mental health support, time-flexibility and work-life balance initiatives significantly aid retention.

The biggest challenge? Ensuring everyone feels seen and heard. The solution: actively encouraging everyone to voice their ideas and input.

Lily Wang
HR Director, Relyir

Overcoming the challenges of maintaining a remote team, such as isolation, lack of face-to-face communication, and potential disengagement, requires a strategic and empathetic approach. My go-to retention strategy is focused on three core aspects: connectivity, regular feedback, and personalized growth opportunities.

Firstly, fostering a warm, virtual work-environment utilizing digital platforms to facilitate team bonding is crucial. I am a proponent of regular team meetings and virtual social events to combat the sense of isolation.

Secondly, regular engagement with remote employees, leveraging one-on-one virtual meetings to deliver feedback and address concerns, helps in fostering an open communication channel.

Lastly, a clear path for growth and development is a great motivator. Therefore, I ensure access to relevant online training resources and learning opportunities. The substantial challenge here is maintaining personal connection and engagement. To combat this, I recommend a segment of casual conversation before or after official virtual meetings, a practice that has helped in Relyir’s remote team engagement substantially.

Cache Merrill
Founder, Zibtek

In a fully remote team, disengagement becomes the core problem, which is largely associated with loneliness or lack of physical contact.

What works best for me in this regard is intentional organized communication. That is, people should be encouraged to keep the practice of having recurring meetings not just for the sake of getting work reports but in particular for fostering interactions.

You can create virtual coffees, team-building events, even informal slack discussions concerning interests to replace the cheerful environment its members would enjoy in the office.

As a direct approach to prevent disengagement, I suggest having mentorship programs in place. transforming someone from a regular team member into a mentor or a mentee creates stability, purpose, and support, which diminishes loneliness.

Video calls are also very effective in making people more human, in the sense that one feels that they wish to be in contact with others and knows that each one matters and counts.

By focusing on communication and connection, you can significantly improve engagement and retain top talent in a remote setting.

Andre Kazimierski
CEO, Improovy

In my experience it really does take a little extra work when it comes to making sure your remote employees feel engaged and part of a team.

I’ve found that communication can go a long way toward making sure everyone’s needs are met, along with setting up some casual interactions beyond just work communication.

Having different Slack channels for sharing pet and vacation photos for instance, or having online trivia or “happy hour” nights, can be a fun way to bring your team together.

Otherwise, regularly checking in with employees to see how everyone is doing can help people feel more engaged and less forgotten on a remote team.

Adam Garcia
Founder, The Stock Dork

Overcoming Isolation: Building Relationships within Distributed Teams
Of all the challenges of working remotely, one of the least considered has to be the creeping sense of isolation. In my opinion, staying connected requires a little more than just making it a point to have structured meetings. While weekly video check-ins are important, they must not solely revolve around work. I make sure that during these meetings, the mission of the company is showcased, and there is a reason to celebrate individual and team victories, which greatly helps in keeping employees engaged and aligned toward a common purpose.

Going Ahead: Fostering Informal Social Interactions
Besides professional check-ins, I invest heavily in informal virtual socials: virtual coffee breaks and all sorts of team-building activities. Such informal moments create camaraderie and trust; thus, they are crucial to not have people become disengaged. By personal connection, team members are bonded more strongly than just by the strict framework of project collaboration, fostering a more cohesive and motivated team.

Building Cohesion in a Team
The other factor that contributes to the success of a remotely working team is creating an open culture. I always encourage concerns and challenges from the team members so we can fix issues before they grow bigger. By building a friendly environment, I keep my team active, productive, and committed, thereby reducing employee turnover and burnout.

Tanya Lamont
CEO, Conversational

Creating Connection and Purpose:

I’ve found that the biggest challenge in remote work is overcoming the isolation employees feel. To tackle this, I’ve made it a priority to foster a strong sense of connection.

We schedule regular team check-ins, not just for work but to build relationships. I think it’s important to encourage social chats and one-on-one meetings to create a personal connection.

I also believe in keeping employees aligned with the company’s mission. When people feel their work is purposeful, they’re more motivated to stay.

I ensure that every team member knows how their work contributes to the bigger picture, giving them a sense of belonging.

Building a Culture of Trust:

Another key to retention is trust. I focus on providing autonomy and flexibility. When employees know they’re trusted to get the job done on their terms, they feel more satisfied and loyal to the company.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Navigating the Gig Economy: Expert Advice from Top Leaders

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Navigating the Gig Economy: Expert Advice from Top Leaders

Pratyush Rai
CEO, Merlin AI

As the founder of our AI startup, I see the role of gig workers evolving in our organization as a pivotal part of our strategy.

We definitely plan to utilize gig workers to fulfill our long-term talent needs, especially in creative roles such as content creation and design.

An interesting incident comes to mind when we hired a UGC (User Generated Content) creator for a short-term project.

We were so impressed with their work that we decided to engage them for a longer-term project. Their ability to bring a fresh and authentic perspective to our content really made an impact, and it made us realize the value of tapping into diverse talent through gig workers.

The primary reason for this departure from the traditional employment model is the flexibility and agility gig workers bring to the table.

Being able to access specialized expertise for specific projects and adapting quickly to our evolving needs is a game-changer for us. Integrating gig workers into our long-term talent pool allows us to stay nimble and innovative in a competitive landscape.

Daniel Vasquez
Owner, Dynamic Auto Movers

Using Gig Workers as Route Planners

At Dynamic Auto Movers, gig workers are becoming increasingly significant, particularly in the case of a route planner.

These workers demonstrate high adaptability, efficiently handling tasks such as monitoring weather and traffic patterns, managing the delivery schedule, and determining the best route for our drivers in real time.

This specialized area, which might be challenging to justify a permanent staff for, is effectively managed by gig workers, bringing in the required expertise as and when needed.

Utilizing Gig Workers for Tech Integrations

We have also noticed an increasing dependency on gig workers for projects that are invariably of limited duration, like the installation of new vehicle monitoring systems.

Engaging these tech-proficient freelancers on these projects enables us to quickly and cheaply adopt such new and innovative methods without touching our permanent crew.

This development improves our operational effectiveness relative to the costs incurred.

Garrett Ham
CEO, Weekender Management

As CEO of a property management firm, I rely on gig workers to fill specialized roles and scale key initiatives. For leadership positions, full-time staff provide stability. But for niche, short-term needs, independent contractors offer flexibility and expertise.

Last year, we launched a rebrand targeting high-net-worth clients. Freelance marketers helped optimize digital ads and PR, driving a 37% traffic increase from targets. Their skills allowed us to scale fast while maintaining quality.

We also use gig developers for ambitious software projects with tight deadlines. Recently, freelancers built a custom CRM integration in 3 months that would’ve been otherwise impossible given our bandwidth.

The future of work depends on blending gig workers and FTEs. For leadership, full-time staff are ideal. But for specialized or temporary needs, independent contractors provide agility to accelerate growth.

At my firm, this balanced approach has been key to scaling strategically while upholding standards.

Ashley Smith
Owner, Batana Babe

The role of gig workers in small businesses like ours is pivotal, particularly in marketing and digital aspects. Employing gig workers allows us to tap into a diverse pool of talent with a wide range of skills.

For instance, we collaboratively work with freelance digital marketers to boost our online visibility and reach. These gig workers are vital for our long-term strategy, given the increasing importance of digital presence in the beauty industry.

This departure from the traditional employment model is primarily due to the flexibility it offers, enabling us to adjust our team size as per the project requirements, while also keeping overhead costs in check.

Christopher Falvey
o-Founder, Unique NOLA Tours

We’re a tour company here in New Orleans. Tour guides have been “gig workers” before the term was coined.

We have a culture of guides who do tours for multiple companies, not just ours. This is a long-term plan, and has been for decades.

The pay is very good on a per-tour basis. And there is a reality that every guide is approaching the gig with different career aspirations. Some only do a few tours. Some do 4+ tours per day.

This just works in this industry.

Darian Shimy
Founder & CEO, FutureFund

The evolution of gig workers evolving in our organization: Gig workers are increasingly serving as innovation catalysts at FutureFund.

Their diverse skills and perspectives often spark novel ideas that can push boundaries and take our programs in new directions.

For example, gig designers from different cultural backgrounds recently provided feedback on our membership templates, spurring the development of customizable features allowing schools to represent their diverse communities more authentically.

Looking ahead, we aim to harness this outside perspective even more by incorporating gig worker input across various stages of the product development cycle.

Our plan to use gig workers to fulfill our long-term talent needs: Yes, we do plan to utilize gig workers to fulfill long-term talent needs.

As a platform supporting thousands of schools nationwide, demand for our services fluctuates greatly depending on the time of year and varying fundraising cycles.

While there is a consistent baseline level of work, periods like the beginning of semesters bring surges that require extra hands-on-deck. Rather than scale our permanent workforce up and down erratically, relying on gig workers gives us scalability.

This allows matching labor to workload reliably without over- or under-staffing during different seasons.

A role we intend to fill with a gig worker: One such role is content creator. To best serve schools across diverse regions, we aim to source culturally relevant fundraising ideas and resources tailored to different communities.

However, the periodic nature of content production does not warrant a full-time position. Therefore, we plan to fill this role with contracted gig workers on an as-needed basis according to production schedules. This enables access to specialized expertise without the long-term commitment of permanent employees.

Rose Robinson
Founder & Director, Casia Robinson LTD

Since founding my company in the UK in 2020, we have operated entirely as a remote business. I’ve hired a few gig workers as architects remotely to work on our projects.

For effective collaboration, it’s crucial to use the right platforms, without them, the system wouldn’t function smoothly.

As a micro-company, this setup benefits both us and the gig workers.

They handle their own taxes and benefits, while we keep payroll simple through bank transfers, minimizing administrative tasks, as we do not have enough manpower to do admin scopes.

This arrangement also saves on office rental costs.

I believe this is an efficient model for micro-companies like ours to scale and grow.

Max Williams
Founder & CEO, Herobot

As the Founder and CEO of herobot.app, I see the role of gig workers evolving as a core part of our talent strategy.

While we have a strong internal team, gig workers offer a level of flexibility and specialized expertise that is hard to match in a traditional employment model.

For instance, when we need niche skills for short-term projects—like a UX designer for a website overhaul or a data scientist for a specific AI-driven feature—we turn to gig workers.

Looking ahead, we plan to use gig workers to fill roles in specialized areas, such as AI development and digital marketing. These are fields where the landscape changes rapidly, and having access to on-demand experts allows us to stay agile and innovative.

The primary reason for this shift from traditional employment is the flexibility gig workers offer. It allows us to scale resources based on project demands without the long-term overhead costs, ensuring we remain lean and adaptive to market changes.

This approach also helps us bring fresh perspectives to our work, as gig workers often come with diverse experiences from various industries.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Igniting Innovation from Anywhere: Leaders’ Strategies for Remote Teams

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Igniting Innovation from Anywhere: Leaders' Strategies for Remote Teams

Adrien Kallel
CEO & Co-Founder, Remote People

A simple but effective way to boost innovation in a remote team is to set up regular brainstorming sessions with people from different areas of the company. Get folks from engineering, design, product, and other teams together to focus on specific challenges.

When you bring in different perspectives, you often uncover ideas you wouldn’t find if everyone stuck to their own group.

To make these sessions work, use a straightforward approach like asking focused questions (“How might we…?”) to keep things on track. It’s also important to make sure everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas, no matter how out there they might seem.

Another useful tactic is setting up a space for people to drop ideas anytime, whether that’s a shared Slack channel or a simple online board. This keeps the ideas flowing between meetings and makes sure quieter voices get heard too.

It’s a no-fuss way to keep innovation going remotely.

Kris Flank
Head of Growth, Lunar Links

I’ll be honest, it’s challenging to implement an innovative culture in a remote setting.

Since everyone is working at their own location, establishing the connection is difficult but here’s what I do: I casually talk to my team.

We talk most of the time and let them know of the current situation. With that, they’ll feel more confident in sharing their ideas which can foster collaboration.

As a result, we can come up with more innovative ideas at the same time, they become deeply involved since it’s their ideas that are coming to life.

That’s hitting two birds with one stone 🙂

Peter Hamdy
Co-founder & MD, Auckland & Beyond Tours

When fostering a culture of innovation in a remote work environment, I’ve found that building genuine trust among team members is paramount.

Early on in my experience with Auckland & Beyond Tours, I realized that remote settings can obscure emotional cues and intentions, leading to misunderstandings.

To counter this, I’ve made it a point to regularly schedule informal virtual coffee chats, where the team can discuss innovative ideas without the pressures of a formal meeting setting.

This approach not only encourages open dialogue and creativity but also helps build camaraderie, ultimately leading to more collaborative and innovative solutions.

Trust, bolstered by consistent communication and mutual respect, is the bedrock upon which a thriving innovative culture is built.

Dr. Sarah Porter
Licensed Psychologist & Founder,  Dr. Sarah Porter

Try brainwriting instead of traditional brainstorming.

Before coming together as a group to discuss a problem you need to solve, send your team the question to consider and ask each person to generate ideas on their own.

When you introduce the prompt, encourage quantity over quality – perfectly polished solutions are not necessary at this stage of innovation – and invite “out there” ideas – the zanier, the better. Have your team members put their thoughts into a shared document before you meet.

Plan to then convene as a team twice. Use the first virtual meeting to conduct a group review of the brainwriting results with a focus on coming up with more ideas – those that build on what folks wrote plus those that are wholly original.

After giving team members a few days to reflect, host a second virtual meeting where you decide which idea you’d like to move forward.

This process is time well spent. Research tells us that allowing for ample divergent thinking before converging on a decision leads to more creative solutions – a real win for innovation!

Aurelija Gintaliene
COO & Co-founder, Breezit

Being in an industry where creativity and innovation are a two of the most crucial job requirements, we needed to find a way around remote working and try to make sure that this aspect of the job stays alive and thriving.

A few years post-pandemic, it seems that we have managed quite nicely, despite everything.

One of the ways we try to continuously foster a culture of innovation and creativity is to conduct regular check-ins and provide feedback to individual team members.

At a glance, this may seem counter-productive, but it certainly isn’t. This allows team members to discuss at length the projects that they currently have going on. By giving them feedback, they might gain a different perspective on an issue they may be struggling with, and all they needed was an outside eye to make the aspect work.

This space allows employees to feel comfortable with sharing their thoughts and suggestions without any pushback and criticism. It is important to validate their suggestions and help guide them.

Matt Erhard
Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

It’s been my experience that collaboration often yields some of the most significant innovations, especially when you can bring together teams from a variety of different backgrounds, functions, and departments.

In a remote environment, facilitating this kind of “cross-pollination” between different groups or areas of the organization often requires more effort, but it’s worth putting the time and attention into it because you can get some very innovative ideas as a result.

The first step of this is up to leadership, and that’s creating cross-functional teams that encourage more conversation between people from different areas of your business.

Consider ways that you can adjust team assignments or workflows to bring more diverse individuals, and the ideas they bring with them, together on projects.

Once you have those teams, consider all the possible ways they could work together.

Video conferencing can be a useful tool for this but it’s definitely not the only option, and a Zoom meeting isn’t always the best option.

Sometimes shared documents where multiple team members can edit and add their thoughts can be the better approach, for instance, allowing for asynchronous collaboration that can give team members more time to think about and make use of their colleagues’ input.

Steven Ip
Owner, Cleanzen Boston Cleaning Services

In our team, we start with a virtual meeting where everyone is encouraged to share personal topics or good news, helping to build rapport.

After that, we transition into what we call a ‘Level 10 Meeting.’ In this part, we review the tasks from the previous week, address any current issues, brainstorm, and make sure we are on track.

At the end, we rate the meeting on a scale of 1-10 to determine its effectiveness.

This structure not only promotes open communication and problem-solving but also ensures we continuously improve our meetings.

Soumya Mahapatra
CEO, Essenvia

At the risk of being accused of holding meetings that could have been emails, one of the best tools we have to maintain a culture of innovation–or any culture, for that matter–in a remote environment is holding regular “report” meetings where different individuals, teams, and departments let us know what they’re up to, why they’re doing it, how it’s progressing, and how we can help.

This helps to keep everyone on the same page and lays the groundwork for the kinds of collaborative relationships that make innovation possible.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Beyond the “No”: Communicating with Rejected Candidates

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Beyond the "No": Communicating with Rejected Candidates

Steven Mostyn
Chief Human Resource Officer, Management.org

In our organization, we believe in communicating with all applicants, even those who are rejected. We send a personalized email to each rejected candidate, thanking them for their interest and informing them of our decision.

This approach is rooted in our commitment to maintaining a positive employer brand and treating every candidate with respect.

There are clear advantages to this practice. By providing closure, we help applicants move forward in their job search without uncertainty.

Additionally, candidates who receive a thoughtful rejection often view the company more favorably, which can lead to positive word-of-mouth or future applications.

We’ve found that even rejected candidates may reapply for different roles down the line, having had a respectful and transparent experience.

Skipping this step could damage our employer brand and leave potential future talent with a negative impression.

Marin Cristian-Ovidiu
CEO, Online Games

As the CEO of Online Games, I ensure that we always inform candidates when their job application is rejected.

Although we’re a small team and handle hiring ourselves, we believe in maintaining professionalism and treating applicants with respect. Communicating rejections not only provides closure but also leaves a positive impression of our company, which is crucial in the competitive gaming industry.

This practice has resulted in some candidates expressing appreciation for our transparency, and they’ve even recommended our games or applied for other positions later.

Ignoring applicants, on the other hand, would harm our brand’s reputation and diminish our ability to attract talent in the future.

Ryan Farley
CEO of LawnStarter

I do tend to see a quick follow up informing an applicant of a rejection as the courteous thing to do, so I’ve always made this policy.

However, I tend to make more of a point if I’m rejecting someone after a first interview. It’s less of a priority for people who have only applied, since I think it’s pretty common for no response to be taken as a rejection in those cases.

But, if someone’s put in the time and effort to prepare for an interview, I do think it’s kind and respectful to let them know if they’re no longer being considered.

Andre Kazimierski
CEO, Improovy

Personally I don’t see it being very necessary to send a rejection for every application I put on the “no” pile. For any given position I can receive tens of applications, and I’ll pick just a couple or a few applicants to actually bring in for an interview.

Of course I’ll always send a rejection after an interview, but for someone who’s just turned in an application and resume, I’m not sure it’s necessary.

Shenella Karunaratne
Director of Operations, Online MFT Programs

I do think it’s nice to communicate rejections to applicants.

From what I have found, it can improve the overall impression of your company if you have the respect for someone’s time to send even a simple form rejection.

Otherwise, candidates can experience some stress from waiting to hear, especially if it’s a position they’re excited about.

David Weisselberger
Founding Partner, Erase The Case

We prioritize empathy and respect in our employment process, particularly when dealing with rejected job applications.

Our HR team takes a personalized approach, ensuring that each applicant receives prompt and constructive feedback. We feel that skipping this stage would damage the trust and dignity of people who spent time and effort applying.

Instead, our experienced HR representatives provide thoughtful rejection emails or phone conversations that include detailed reasons for the choice as well as helpful ideas for future growth.

This approach reflects our respect for their interest and commitment to assisting individuals in overcoming adversities, which is a core value mirrored in our objective to clear criminal records.

This ensures a great applicant experience and helps us keep our reputation as sensitive advocates.

Adam Chahl
Founder, Vancouver Home Search

At Vancouver Home Search, we believe in maintaining transparency and respect throughout the hiring process. For me, it’s important to treat applicants the way we’d want to be treated.

So, yes, our HR team does inform rejected applicants. While it’s not always easy to send rejection emails, we do it because it’s a reflection of our company’s values—clear communication and professionalism.

In my experience, informing candidates of a decision builds goodwill and leaves the door open for future opportunities. It also strengthens our brand by showing respect for the time applicants invested.

Sure, it takes some effort, but it’s well worth it. Skipping this step just isn’t in line with how I believe businesses should operate, every interaction counts.

Andrei Kurtuy
CCO & Co-Founder, Novorésumé

At Novorésumé, we prioritize informing all rejected applicants, and here’s why: we see it as an opportunity to build long-term relationships.

Sending a thoughtful rejection email is not just about good manners—it’s a strategic investment in our employer brand. It shows respect for the candidate’s time and effort, which fosters goodwill and leaves the door open for future opportunities.

In a competitive talent market, how you handle rejection can be the difference between someone leaving with a positive view of your company or feeling disregarded.

Many of our applicants have returned to apply for different roles because they appreciate the transparent and respectful rejection process. Some have even referred others to us, boosting our talent pipeline.

Communicating rejections humanizes the hiring process, reminding candidates that, while they weren’t the right fit this time, their efforts are recognized and valued.

Counterview

Carla Niña Pornelos
General Manager, Wardnasse

We believe transparency is key to building a strong reputation. Here’s the truth: we don’t inform rejected applicants.

Why? We don’t believe in softening the truth. If someone doesn’t hear back from us— it means they didn’t make it. In the real world, no one hands out rejection notices, and we want people to be ready for that. It’s a tough reality— but one we think is needed in today’s fast-paced world.

Letting someone know they’ve been turned down just makes them wait for the next chance instead of pushing themselves to get better.

At Wardnasse, we expect applicants to seek feedback and grow, not wait for someone to spell it out. This approach has made us stronger—and we think it’s time more companies followed suit.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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How Leaders Keep Remote Teams Engaged and Thriving

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How Leaders Keep Remote Teams Engaged and Thriving

Alex Johnson
Remote Team Culture Architect, Man and Van Star

Beyond the Basics: Tackling Remote Team Challenges with Ritual Design
A highly unique strategy to address disengagement and isolation in remote teams is the practice of “ritual design”—the intentional creation of shared team rituals to reinforce culture and connection. Unlike traditional team-building exercises, these rituals aren’t about one-off events but are embedded in the fabric of the team’s everyday workflow.

Biggest Challenge: Disengagement from the company’s mission
Disengagement often stems from a lack of connection to the bigger picture. Teams may feel disconnected from the impact of their work when isolated remotely. The solution is to create a ritual of storytelling—encouraging employees to regularly share brief stories about how their work has positively impacted clients or advanced the company’s goals.

Recommended Solution: Incorporate these storytelling moments into regular meetings or Slack channels, focusing on personal wins and collective successes. This ritual builds a strong emotional connection, reminding employees that their work matters. Additionally, small, meaningful rituals like virtual team toasts for project completions or quarterly team playlists can foster a sense of community that goes beyond digital screens.

Insight: Anthropologists argue that shared rituals, even small ones, play a vital role in maintaining cohesion in remote or dispersed communities. This human-centric approach makes ritual design a powerful tool for remote teams, offering a fresh, cultural perspective on engagement and retention

Guy Hadas
Co-founder and CEO, Age Group

Respect their boundaries.

If it’s their day off, don’t call, text, or email them regarding work. If they request time off, grant it without really questioning why, unless there’s an emergency at work that requires their presence, and avoid making them do so much overtime.

Employees are not machines; they can become so easily burned out by excessive work hours, stress, and an unappreciated work environment that it will force them to leave and seek out another place where they are valued as workers.

You should respect their boundaries and allow them to pursue their interests outside of work as long as they are fulfilling their responsibilities, meeting deadlines, and making a significant contribution to the team.

Joosep Seitam
Co-founder, Icecartel

My main strategy for keeping my remote team engaged is focusing on connection and communication. Working from home can feel lonely, so we make sure to have regular video calls where we chat about both work and life. This helps everyone feel included and builds stronger bonds within the team.

We also do fun virtual activities, like online games or casual coffee chats, to keep things light and fun. It’s important to create an environment where everyone feels like they’re part of something, even when they’re far apart.

The hardest part has been making sure no one feels disconnected or unmotivated. To fix this, I always try to recognize and celebrate the team’s hard work. Whether it’s a shout-out during a meeting or a small reward like a gift card, it makes a big difference.

When people feel appreciated, they stay motivated and happy. Keeping the communication open and giving regular feedback also helps everyone feel supported and valued.

Mark Shayani
Managing Partner, Pacific Attorney Group

One of the most significant hurdles I have encountered as a law firm owner about talent retention is a lack of motivation due to burnout. Another nontraditional practice I have learned to be helpful in the organization is the “Rotating Shadow Partner Days.”

Every month, the junior associates and staff will spend a day with partners outside the client engagements, performing firm-wide vital strategic activities, including business development meetings, case strategy sessions, and firm financial planning.

While this practice is definitely out of the ordinary, it means that it takes the monotony out of routine legal work, affords one a vantage point to gain a better understanding of the inner operations of the firm, and allows members of the staff to embrace leadership roles.

Enabling employees to peek into the firm’s life in terms of vision and decisions made does two things: firstly, it eradicates burnout and cements the link between the firm and all the future activities it will be conducting.

Since the implementation of Shadow Partner Days, this is an exciting approach that has shown positive results in both turnover and employee motivation.

Simon Brisk
Co-Founder, Click Intelligence

To handle challenges like these, we focus on creating chances for informal chats. We have set up virtual “watercooler” channels. This allows team members to talk about topics not related to work and recreates the casual, social feel of an office.

We also hold regular virtual happy hours and informal video calls where everyone can unwind and connect. These activities help boost team spirit and build a positive atmosphere.

I also emphasize the importance of 1:1 conversations and video calls over emails. While written messages are useful, personal interactions are better for building relationships and reducing misunderstandings.

The biggest challenge is preventing employee burnout. Burnout is less about working long hours and more about how employees feel about their work.

To address this, it’s important to keep employees engaged and appreciated. We offer flexible work hours, recognize their efforts, and provide support, which can help reduce burnout.

James Oliver
Founder, Oliver

Make unedited videos of yourself doing whatever work you’re delegating to your team.

“I think it’s really important to make unedited videos of yourself doing whatever work you are delegating to remote team members.

The unedited nature of these videos is very important for three reasons:

  • It ensures that you are not delegating a task that is impossible or absurdly difficult (I think this is the number one cause of employee disengagement)
  • It shows your employees exactly how much time and effort they should be spending on each step on a task. That way they don’t get stuck chasing their tail
  • Showing that you can roll up your sleeves and do whatever work you’re delegating yourself shows your staff that you do not see yourself as above them. This helps earn their respect and loyalty.

If your staff get stuck, make a video showing them how to overcome whatever bottleneck they have so you can create a library of common bottlenecks and solutions for every process”

 

James Oliver has been building retail focussed websites for himself and clients since 2014.

Shenella Karunaratne
Director of Operations, Online MFT Programs

I feel that the isolation and disengagement of remote workers is commonly the most challenging aspect of managing these teams. It’s important for leaders to be informed on these topics and to have compassion when addressing them. I have found it helpful to personally reach out to members of my remote teams to check in—not just about work projects and deadlines, but also to touch base and see how they’re feeling, if they feel engaged with their coworkers and leaders, and more. Team building exercises and activities are also important, I think especially on a remote team.

Stephanie Pittman
Communication and Marketing Coach, Improvement Solutions

The biggest advice I give my clients is how to improve retention online to turn their cameras on during virtual meetings.

Having those nonverbals cues from others (like eye contact, smiling and nodding) helps us be more present during these conversations.

Studies have also found that memory recall during video calls improves significantly when eye contact is maintained for at least 30% of the time.

That’s just 20 seconds every minute!

So the next time you’re in a virtual meeting try and remind yourself to make a little extra eye contact.

Tricia Harrison
Remote Work Strategist, The Remote Catalyst

As a VA Niche Specialist and Remote Work Strategist with extensive experience in virtual team dynamics, I’ve found that the cornerstone of overcoming remote work challenges is fostering a culture of intentional connection.

The most significant challenge I’ve observed is combating the sense of isolation and disconnection that can creep into fully remote teams. This issue, if left unaddressed, can lead to decreased engagement and higher turnover rates.

My recommended solution is implementing a structured “Virtual Water Cooler” program.

This involves:

  • Scheduled, informal video chat sessions where team members can drop in for casual conversation.
  • Themed days (e.g., “Wellness Wednesdays” or “Fun Fact Fridays”) to spark non-work discussions.
  • Cross-departmental virtual coffee chats to break down silos and foster broader team connections.

This approach tackles isolation head-on by creating organic opportunities for social interaction. It helps replicate the spontaneous encounters of an office environment, building camaraderie and strengthening team bonds.

By prioritizing these human connections, we not only address the immediate challenges of remote work but also cultivate a sense of belonging that significantly boosts employee retention and overall job satisfaction.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Closing the Loop: The Importance of Communicating with All Candidates

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Closing the Loop: The Importance of Communicating with All Candidates

Ben Sporn
CEO, Joy Wallet

Considering we care about our reputation and we’re always trying to build it up — we inform rejected applicants.

While I completely understand how long and complex the hiring process is and how sometimes it’s easy(er) to overlook this final step, letting applicants know where they stand shows professionalism.

The idea behind this prolonged hiring cycle is that some candidates might not be perfect for the current open role, but they might be for a future one.

So, we don’t burn bridges; instead, we take some time to show respect and ensure our company leaves a positive impression (even when the outcome is not positive at the moment).

I’ve found that applicants appreciate transparency, even if the news isn’t what they hoped for.

They remember how they were treated and are more likely to refer others to the company or apply for future openings.

Ignoring this step may seem like saving time, but in reality, it could mean losing out on talented individuals who would have considered us again later.

Rafi Friedman
President, Coastal Luxury Outdoors

The short answer here is yes.

Anyone who submits a complete application to us is at least going to get a simple rejection email if we turn them down.

The further a candidate gets in the hiring process, the more detail and personal effort we’ll put into this communication.

If someone makes it to the in-person interview stage, especially if they interview well, I’ll usually take the time to call them personally, thank them for applying, and give them some feedback on what went wrong or why they weren’t a good fit.

I see this as a simple way of being polite, as well as a smart move to encourage these applicants to try again in the future.

Jordan Anthony
Certified Nutritionist, Ahara

Job hunting is a challenging, uncertain process. It takes enough mental and emotional labor without being left wondering whether you’re ever going to get hired by this or that employer. It’s also incredibly easy for us to send quick, polite rejection emails to anyone we don’t end up hiring.

So to answer your question, yes, we do inform candidates when we reject them. We don’t always go into detail, especially for openings where we had a lot of applicants, but we always take the time to let someone know that they haven’t made the cut so that they can move on.

Carolina Kazimierski
Co-Owner & President, Sophia’s Cleaning Service

This can vary a bit for me.

My general preference is to let all rejected applicants know, and I’ll just use a generic but heartfelt form message.

However, if I have tons of applicants for a role, sometimes it just isn’t possible and I’ll stick to sending more personalized rejections to candidates I’ve actually interviewed and then decided to reject.

I think overall it’s nice to inform people where you can, but in this day and age I don’t think everyone expects a rejection from every business they submit an application to.

Eliot Vancil
CEO, Fuel Logic LLC

We want to ensure candidates have a good experience. We think that letting applicants know they didn’t get the job is a business courtesy and a great chance to get feedback.

We value their time and effort by letting people know they don’t have the job they want but still need. This method also gives us useful feedback on hiring people and finding ways to improve. Our image with job seekers has improved since we started using it, and some of them have even come back to apply for future jobs.

We know that not all companies tell applicants they didn’t get the job, but we think the pros and cons outweigh the cons. By emphasizing a good candidate experience, we’ve built a strong employer brand and drawn top talent to our company.

Nick Valentino
VP of Market Operations, Bellhop Charlotte Movers

We view communicating rejection as primarily a matter of simple politeness.

We know that job hunting is an uncertain, time-consuming, often demoralizing process, and we want to do as much as we can to make it easier on people.

One area where we do see a direct benefit from communicating rejections is with candidates who didn’t quite make the cut after the final round of interviews.

These are usually people we would gladly hire; we just liked another candidate better.

This means that they can be great leads for future openings, and by communicating well with them throughout the hiring process, we can build the foundation of a useful relationship for the future.

Julia Lozanov
Chief Editor, Verpex

Experience of the candidate is our first priority at Verpex, even for applications that are denied. Every applicant will receive individualized feedback from our HR department, either by phone or email, along with helpful insights and the rationale behind the decision.

We just introduced a novel procedure called “Candidate Care Packages.” Among these digital bundles are:

  • Resources for enhancing one’s abilities
  • Trends and ideas from the industry invitations
  • Upcoming job opportunities .

This strategy, in our opinion, shows how much we value their time and attention. It also demonstrates our dedication to fostering professional development.

By doing this, we uphold our brand’s favorable reputation and cultivate a talent pool for upcoming chances.

Verpex’s reputation as a sympathetic and encouraging employer has been strengthened by this approach, which has led to an increase in good ratings on job boards and social media.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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