FEATURE: Connected Culture in Remote World
Fostering a Connected Culture in a Remote World With 375 employees (including 150 drivers) working across seven separate locations around the country, ReedTMS Logistics was connecting with a remote workforce long before the coronavirus pandemic made it a necessity. Even so, when every employee started working from home due to the pandemic, the company had to take those connections to the next level. “It was a struggle in the beginning,” admits Eileen Dabrowski, Director of Learning and Development at the company. “Our closeknit culture makes Reed unique. Prior to COVID, we took our ability to come together as a team for granted. It’s entirely different now without ‘the glue of HQ.’” Communication To keep in touch, Dabrowski encourages supervisors to schedule regular, virtual meetings with each of their team members. “It is so critical to maintain a pulse on the company and on every employee. Making time to let team members know that they are valued goes a long way toward helping those who are working remotely, over-the-road or in a different location feel connected,” she explains.
She stresses the importance of giving these conversations undivided attention.
complexity to employee training, prompting the team to look for ways to adapt.
“We’re all multi-taskers by nature. People can tell, even over the phone, if you are not giving them your full attention,” she says. “It is easy to not feel valued if the person you are talking to is not actively listening and engaging.”
“When COVID started, we looked at our curriculum and tested it virtually with an external audience,” Dabrowski explains. “We’d ask, ‘Where did I lose you?’”
Like many companies, Reed has invested in technology and resources to support more virtual communication. “One of the positives of COVID is that our communication has improved significantly,” Dabrowski says. A number of platforms help to bring employees together – Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype. “The Teams group chat function has been a game changer, she says. “It allows us to engage in discussions and address issues in real time in a safe way. I suspect we will continue to rely heavily on this technology post-COVID.” Training Working remotely added a new layer of
The exercise helped to identify important opportunities for improvement. For example, the team quickly recognized that virtual training on a complex business intelligence platform or load-tracking software could not be completed in just a few days as it could be in person. They now provide the training through mini-sessions with a different cadence. In addition, they began asking subject matter experts to teach a portion of the curriculum. This helps to provide more perspectives, add variety to the presentation and allow employees to new connections within the company. Dabrowski’s team continually solicits virtual feedback on training initiatives, using Constant Contact, Microsoft Sheets, and micro surveys. To encourage authentic feedback, most feedback can be provided anonymously. The company is
Driven by a global pandemic, ReedTMS and other companies in the transportation space now foster connections with their customers, prospects, and employees through strategies that leverage communication, training, and engagement.
8 REDEFINING THE ROAD Edition 2 | 2021
