1.
BUILDING CULTURE IN
REMOTE TEAMS
Michael Overell – CEO, RecruitLoop
September, 2016

2.
What You’ll Learn
How world-leading remote teams build
and maintain culture
Practical tips for engaging your remote
employees
The tools we use as a remote team

3.
3
Hi, I’m Michael Overell
CEO & Cofounder of RecruitLoop
Former McKinsey consultant
Married to an HR Director
(we eat culture for dinner)
Australian in the Bay Area
@mboverell
michael@recruitloop.com

4.
Our Distributed Team
25 people
9 countries
1 physical office

5.
Our CommunityOur Global Community

6.
Why Should You Care?

7.
63 million US employees
(43% of the workforce)
will experience remote work
in 2016
– Forrester

8.
San Francisco commuters
wasted 75 hours sitting in
traffic in 2015
– Inrix Traffic Scorecard

9.
Because, talent…

10.
Many companies are getting
this right.
Your competitors?

11.
499 employees in 50 countries
Powering 18% global websites
172K internal messages sent
in the last week (~350 pp)
Wordpress.com

12.
But…
Remote work is easy
to get wrong.

13.
Professional isolation

14.
Communication & Coordination
Timezone issues
Synchronous v
asynchronous
No water cooler
Second-class citizens

15.
Trust & Management Perception
“If I can’t see you, I
don’t know what
you’re working on.”

16.
Design Your Remote
Culture

17.
Step 1: Define the objectives of
your remote culture
We can be more productive and happy
at work, than if we were constrained to
a single office.
We can perform at a higher level, with
stronger talent, than if we were
constrained to a single location.
As individuals
As a team

18.
Values
Processes
Tools
1
2
3
Step 2: Create the foundations to
deliver it

19.
Our remote values
Transparency Bias to transparency, in almost any situation.
Share what you’re working on, where you’re
working from, and how you’re feeling.
Bias to over-communication. This helps with
transparency, and also avoiding silos or
isolation.
Do what you say, get shit done, deliver to
deadlines and goals.
Trust each other, and that we’re all working
towards the same goals.
Communication
Accountability
Trust
1

20.
Our team processes2
Daily Weekly Monthly
Quarterly
Group chat > email
Video > phone call
Shared calendars,
agendas & actions
Daily status updates
Fun & foolery
Team meetings –
sales, product,
marketing, success
1:1s
Project updates
All Hands (recorded)
Strategy sessions
Off-sites & events

21.
GOOD NO GOOD
Asynchronous, open
communication
Internal email
Transparent targets,
activities, focus
Team silos
Local = remote Us vs them
Human connections Faceless coworkers

22.
Our remote ‘stack’3
Communication Collaboration Coordination
Group Chat
Video Calls
Docs
File Sharing
Calendars
Project
Management
Status UpdatesShared Email

23.
Our remote ‘stack’3
Communication Collaboration Coordination

24.
The ‘command center’ –
automated notifications
Group chat
Email killer
Water cooler

25.
5 people on this call are
in the same room

26.
Project management
Task lists
Meeting agendas

27.
Meeting templates
Transparent notes
Actions

28.
3 daily questions:
Today I achieved…
Tomorrow I will...
Any blockers

29.
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Face Time Matters

30.
Learn from other remote ‘Leaders’

31.
31
Questions?
Michael Overell
CEO & Cofounder, RecruitLoop
@mboverell
michael@recruitloop.com