Intentional Engagement
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many IT units already had long-standing hybrid arrangements where team members worked from home for a day or two each week, with coordinated times in the office. (As far back as the mid-‘90s there were staff in my unit at MIT who had an established schedule of working from home one day a week.) Other schools were already moving toward fully remote work for those whose jobs could be performed off-campus before COVID arrived.
But the pandemic forced us all to go fully remote for an extended time; and for the last few years, campuses have been trying to figure out what it means to return to “normal” work modes. A major component of that consideration is how to build culture and keep employees engaged in a hybrid or remote work environment. This conundrum is especially pertinent for IT teams, who have historically been walled off from the campus community at many institutions—a phenomenon only exacerbated by the pandemic. Hybrid work is here to stay, and most IT units are still finding their groove when it comes to engaging employees across all modes of working.
I have been (and now am) a remote worker myself, and I have managed remote staff at several points during my career. It requires deliberate action on the part of managers and leaders to create and maintain a culture where the remote and the campus-based team members see each other as part of the same unit, understand the role they play in the success of the university, are happy, productive, and accountable in their jobs, and want to stay for the long-term.
One of the “quick takes” from the EDUCAUSE 2024 Top 10 Issues list related to hiring resilience is that “whether work is hybrid, in-person, or remote, all staff must feel welcomed and part of the institutional and organizational community.” The start of a new semester is a good time to be intentional in ensuring staff are engaged with each other and the institution.
Foster a Strong Team Culture
- Set the tone: Be clear about organizational values and expectations, and send the message that all staff are equally valued, and the same level of engagement is expected of remote and on-site staff.
- Engage in university life: We join universities to support students, but sometimes we need to be reminded of that—especially when many IT jobs are behind the scenes. Encourage team members who can come to campus to volunteer to help with move-in days, university-sponsored volunteer activities, or other student-related events. Encourage fully remote employees who can’t come to campus to participate in the growing number of opportunities for virtual engagement in mentoring or other student activities.
- Encourage fun: Form a “social committee” to create and manage opportunities for people to get together. Getting a group together for online gaming, a campus softball league, or lunchtime movies are examples of peer-organized social activities. At my last institution, participation at a weekly virtual happy hour increased after a staff member started hosting trivia contests.
- Celebrate: Publicly acknowledge work anniversaries, special achievements, and project milestone completions on a consistent basis to boost morale and feelings of belonging.
- When possible, get people together in-person: Establishing a regular cadence for full-staff, in-person, meetings (even if it’s just once a semester) can go a long way toward building connections across your team and with the rest of campus. Build a program that includes content related to university-wide issues, IT projects, and professional development, as well as social and informal activities to create a rich experience. Make it worth their time to come to campus.
- Solicit Feedback and Act on It: Conduct surveys or set up a “suggestion box” to gather feedback on what’s working and what isn’t. Use this information to make changes and improvements, and communicate those changes to your team.
Make Sure Expectations Are Clear
- Align work objectives with plans: Many IT jobs are deadline-driven, and staff generally know what is expected of them and by when. Their leaders should ensure they also know how their work supports the university’s mission. Regularly review the university and IT strategic plans and how they support each other.
- Establish protocols for working hours and tools: Staff need to know when they can reach you and each other. Set and document clear norms for your group, and establish what communication tools team members should use to facilitate conversation.
Foster Regular Communication
Keep team members connected, avoid feelings of isolation, and prevent operational silos from building up:
- Hold daily or weekly team check-ins: Use video calls or team meetings to touch base. This helps everyone stay aligned and feel connected. Some units have developed a “cameras on” expectation (unless you are eating your lunch).
- Prioritize one-on-one meetings: Schedule regular individual meetings to address personal goals, challenges, and feedback. Make sure these are a priority on your calendar.
- Encourage cross-team collaboration: Assign individuals to be liaisons to other teams in the unit and across the university, and have them report back to their own teams. This engages individuals and helps to avoid operating in a vacuum.
- Be Available: Encourage open communication and be approachable for any concerns or suggestions. This can be especially hard given the time commitments of a team leader. It may be helpful to establish “open office hours” or a similar mechanism that allows your team members to reach you without setting up a meeting.
Encourage Professional Growth
- Implement a mentoring strategy: How will your new programmer learn the ropes? How will an entry-level consultant learn how to effectively work with faculty? By setting up formal mentor/mentee relationships, with defined timeframes and interactions, staff members can learn from each other and develop new skills. Provide formal training on coaching and mentoring skills. Better yet, make mentoring a pillar of your professional development program.
- Create opportunities to share and learn: Individuals and teams can share new technologies they are working with, new tools they discover, or ideas they have by presenting a “tech talk” to the entire team. This also provides an opportunity to develop presentation skills.
- Provide regular feedback: Offer constructive feedback and recognize achievements to help employees stay motivated and improve. Don’t wait for performance review time—provide feedback throughout the year.
These simple strategies can help leaders create and maintain a culture of engagement when team members aren’t all physically together. Remember that IT staff are some of the most creative, innovative people on campus, so involve them in the process of implementing these strategies!
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This post was authored by Executive Strategic Consultant Cynthia Golden, who advises clients on strategic planning, organizational assessments and development, educational technology planning and assessment, CIO executive advisory services, and IT governance design and implementation.