When people work remotely, most communication is planned. The online environment can feel less natural for developing relationships, so people often find it harder to build connections. Here are eight ideas that work.
1. Get to know your colleagues
Try to get to know your colleagues and build relationships with them, just as you would in an office environment. Do not let we're remote
be an excuse to skip the human side.
2. Participate in virtual team-building
Join virtual coffees, happy hours, brown-bag sessions, and game nights. These low-pressure formats are where relationships actually form.
3. Match your colleagues' communication preferences
Consider your colleagues' preferences for email, chat, calls, and video. Follow up with a short personal meeting when possible, encouraging in-person interactions whenever it makes sense.
4. Schedule one-to-one time
Set time aside to speak one-to-one with your colleagues, about work, but also about personal things and trivia. The "small talk" is where connection compounds.
5. Recognize achievements and contributions
Recognize your colleagues' wins. A short, public thank-you helps build a sense of camaraderie and belonging, and costs you almost nothing.
6. Ask for help early
If you are stuck on a task, ask early. Asking is also relationship-building: it is a vote of confidence in someone else's expertise.
7. Help when you can
The flip side of #6. When you see an opportunity to help, take it. Trust is a two-way ledger.
8. Use a personal virtual background
If company policy allows, use a personal virtual background in Teams or Zoom: something that says something about you. A conversation starter. Change it regularly to keep things fresh.
Hybrid work makes travel more important
When teams meet less often by default, planned face-to-face meetings become more valuable. Business trips, conferences, offsites, and customer visits are opportunities to rebuild the social capital that online work slowly drains. The companies that get the most out of hybrid do not just lean on more video calls; they get deliberate about who they meet, in person, when they are in the same city.
That's the gap apreet fills: when you travel, it surfaces the colleagues, partners, and contacts who'll be nearby, turning a hotel night into a dinner with someone you've been meaning to see. Try apreet for your next trip →
Sources
- Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge. "Building stronger virtual teams: experimental insights on social capital." Experimental evidence on the interactions that build bonds and social capital in distributed teams. bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk
- O'Reilly Media. "Figuring Out Social Capital Is Critical for the Future of Hybrid Work." On strengthening weak ties, building capital in new teams, and onboarding strategically as remote work reshapes networks. oreilly.com
- Deloitte. "2024 Global Human Capital Trends." On how organizations sustain connection, trust, and performance as work becomes more distributed. deloitte.com
- Eurofound. "The hybrid workplace: Ensuring benefits for workers and organisations." EU agency guidance on the flexibility, autonomy, and ground rules that keep hybrid work socially healthy. eurofound.europa.eu
- Putnam, R. D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster, 2000. The defining account of social capital and why rebuilding it takes deliberate effort.
