Building Blocks | Edition 15 💌
Stories, reflections and tools from People leaders & change-makers to help navigate the new world of work.
In this issue…
Building Together — Our Events Roundup 🗣️
Retro — Learnings from our Toronto Event ⬅️
Building Voices with Taina Herrmann - From Slack Strangers to a Thriving Remote Team ✨
Resource Hub — Curated Articles Selected by our Ambassadors 💻
Hello, People Builders! 👋
Welcome to this month's edition of our Building Blocks Newsletter! First and foremost, we want to celebrate reaching over 1,000 members in our Community! Wow, what a journey it has been and I just can’t believe there are so many of us future of work pioneers gathered together. Cheers to many more learning moments, co-created solutions and fun socials together!
This month’s newsletter theme is all about remote connection and inclusivity. We’ll recap some of the learning of our Toronto event where we dove deep into this topic and we also have a wonderful section in our Building Voices with Taina Herrmann on how to truly create connected, inclusive and thriving teams when you’ve all only met on Slack!
Let’s get started!
Building Together – Our Events Roundup 🗣️
First up is our exciting roster of events. We can’t wait to see you there and co-create solutions to our shared challenges!
People Builders Picnic - Berlin 🇩🇪 - 16th July: 18:00-20:00 CET
Are you based in Berlin? Join Galia Davimes, our very own People Builders Ambassador and People Operations Partner at Airalo, for our exclusive community picnic & hands-on workshop!
It's a fabulous opportunity to connect with fellow community members, share updates, and tackle challenges together, whilst enjoying a wonderful picnic in the sun - of course! 🥝
We can’t wait to meet you in-person 💚
Community Catch Up - 10th July: 18:00-19:00 CET
And, of course, our next monthly community call! It's your relaxed, no-pressure opportunity to connect with fellow community members, share updates, and tackle challenges together. ⭐ What to Expect?
Casual Catch-Ups
Problem-Solving
Networking
Retro - Toronto Community Breakfast ☕
If you missed our Toronto event last week, don’t worry - our Ambassador Gillian shared her experience hosting with us:
We had our first IRL People Builders Community event in Toronto, hosted in partnership with Bright + Early. It was amazing to meet other like-minded HR practitioners also looking to shape how we do distributed work! We had a great discussion around how this new way of work has affected us as humans, and what to do increase buy-in from leadership around remote work. We also talked about key challenges that teams may encounter with distributed teams such as increasing connection, inclusion, belonging, and equity when it comes to pay programs, and how to address them. Thanks so much to everyone who came out, and looking forward to the next one!
Do you also want to host future events in your local community? Reach out to carmen.amadorbarreiro@oysterhr.com to become an Ambassador!
Building Voices with Taina Herrmann - From Slack Strangers to a Thriving Remote Team ✨
I’m super excited to have the wonderful Taina Herrmann as our guest on Building Voices this month. We were chatting about this recent article from INSEAD, all about how collaboration doesn’t necessarily require physical proximity but rather requires social closeness. I know Taina has been an excellent example of fostering connection and inclusivity in a fully remote team, so I wanted her to share with us how she pioneers this with her own team —
Transitioning from an in-office environment to a remote one can be daunting, but I had the privilege of working with one of the best-socialized and strongest teams, even remotely. Despite, or perhaps because of, being fully remote, this team is the most connected, trusting, and thriving I've ever encountered.
Like many, I came from an office setting with face-to-face meetings, casual coffee chats, quick questions across desks, and holiday parties. Initially, logging in to a Slack full of strangers felt impersonal. So, how do we transform that into a stellar, connected, and thriving team?
Leading or being part of a remote team requires more intentionality and communication, whether synchronous or asynchronous. Here are the pillars I consider crucial for building an authentic successful remote team and coach and grow accordingly :
Setting up a Fostering Environment
People First (Every Individual Matters)
Build Trust & Empathy (Take Time for This)
Transparency and Company/Team Goals
Create Responsibilities & Empowering
Empower and Support
Setting Up a Fostering Environment
Weekly one-on-ones, personal development conversations, and regular team meetings (which are never skipped) ensure all communication is constructive and achievements are celebrated. I set up a team channel for good mornings, questions, anecdotes, humor, and updates. Social calls are encouraged to build a supportive and uplifting team environment.
Building Trust and Putting People First
Getting to know your team members is crucial, especially at the beginning. I spend significant time understanding each person's unique traits and how I can best support them. This continues through weekly one-on-ones, where I check in individually, especially if someone seems quieter than usual or is dealing with personal issues. Being there for them always builds a strong foundation of trust.
Being Transparent
Transparency is key. Whether sharing company news, wins, challenges, or owning up to my mistakes, I ensure clear communication. Setting clear goals aligned with the company's OKRs, and defining the vision and steps to achieve them, provides a clear path forward.
Creating Responsibility and Empowering
Once the baseline is set, giving team members and stakeholders responsibility and trust empowers them to own their roles. Supporting the team in their growth allows them to shine and thrive. This approach transformed our team from Slack strangers to a cohesive unit that plans yearly meet-ups for coworking and socializing across the globe.
Do you have ways that you connect with your employees when everyone is fully remote? Comment below!
Did you enjoy the read and are curious for more?
Resource Hub – Curated feedback articles 💻
Here are some wonderful resources to keep the conversation going on inclusivity and connection in a remote environment. Enjoy!
Collaboration Requires Proximity – But It Doesn’t Have to Be Physical
Isolation to Inclusion: Fostering Meaningful Relationships at Work
If you’ve made it down this far in the newsletter, I want to personally thank you again for coming along the People Builders journey with us - 1,000 members is really something to celebrate! 🎉
I truly hope to see you at our next virtual or in-person events! Here's to building the future together 👯
Carmen Amador Barreiro, Community Lead
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