Working remotely doesn't need to mean reducing the frequency or quality of your All Hands meetings. Here are some best practices for hosting an effective virtual workforce gathering.
All Hands meetings are a must-have for any organization, providing time for the entire workforce to gather and receive important company-wide updates. At the same time, it also gives employees a chance to air out their concerns or throw in questions to senior management.
With more businesses moving to a remote work setup, it's now becoming common practice to host All Hands meetings virtually. With staff dispersed across various locations, these sessions hold more importance than ever in streamlining communications, boosting transparency and trust, and strengthening company culture. Here are four tips to improve your All Hands meeting and ensure an effective virtual session for your remote employees.
Remote employees need to have a human connection to feel that they belong to a community even when working remotely. Using the video call can help bridge the distance during your virtual All Hands, helping replicate the experience of having an on-site gathering digitally. Make sure that you use a platform that is accessible to everyone and is available in various devices such as mobile and desktop.
Most especially crucial to companies with teams spread across the globe, it's vital that you get everyone in the All Hands meeting, so no one misses any new information or updates. With that, you have to make sure that you schedule your session during the time that is most convenient for everyone. Once you have decided on the time and date, send a company-wide announcement to let everyone know, and create a calendar invite with a link to your virtual All Hands, so they know where to go during that day.
While this is an opportunity for you to give company updates, an All Hands meeting is also an avenue for your employees to express their concerns or ask you questions. Before your scheduled meet-up, you can ask your remote employees to send in their issues using a dedicated discussion hub. You can also utilize Q & A with polls wherein people can send in their questions, and the rest can vote if they also have the same thoughts or questions. During the course of the session, ask your employees if they have any questions. Open the floor for their clarifications or queries and encourage the use of the chat functionality in the call to avoid multiple speakers overlapping each other.
As with all meetings, it is essential to send out a recap every after a session—the same goes with your virtual All Hands. At the end of your online company gathering, ensure that you send all top discussion points, including answers to the questions asked during the session. You can also keep all the recap notes in a centralized e-library for your remote employees to check at any time. Doing so can help the entire organization keep an eye on the things talked about, and keep everyone accountable in terms of the progress of discussions and plans brought up during the meeting.
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