We recently had the opportunity to chat with Charlotte Pratt, the Global Marketing Director at Hologenix, who shared her thoughts on how can a fully remote team foster connection and collaboration because the majority of employees experience distractions while working remotely, signs that your remote team lacks productivity and motivation, strategies that can be implemented to keep them motivated virtually, the establishment of the ideal environment for remote work, the most common obstacles faced by remote workers followed by the incentives that will be effective in enhancing work performance.
Charlotte Pratt leads global marketing at Hologenix, a materials science company dedicated to developing products that amplify human potential, where she manages a decentralized team across five time zones. CELLIANT®, its flagship technology, is an infrared ingredient brand that enhances textile-based products with health and wellness benefits across performance, recovery, and sleep. Charlotte comes from over a decade of marketing experience in the global fashion industry.
When did your career begin? How would you describe your experience at Hologenix as a global marketing leader?
My career really began when I was at university when I started working retail to help fund my double major in Clothing & Textiles and Communication Studies. When the company discovered I was pursuing a career in the apparel field, they fast-tracked me into a management position, and what had begun as just a part-time job became the launch pad for my career. By the time I graduated, I had helped open several new stores, train new employees, and learned a great deal about managing and motivating teams of sales advisors while balancing the day-to-day of opening, operating, and closing of a high-volume department store. From this foundation I entered the corporate world of the apparel business after graduating, where I held a series of positions with various global companies, elevating in responsibility and complexity, leading up to my current role leading the marketing team at Hologenix.
My experience at Hologenix has been exciting and enjoyable. Our flagship product, CELLIANT, is a textile-based infrared ingredient brand. While we are a B2B business, our technology also needs to be understood by the B2C audience to whom our brand partners sell their products. So, all things considered, our marketing is nuanced and complex, with many moving parts and simultaneous priorities, which I find to be an energizing environment. The entire team is highly skilled in their fields, and wonderfully
supportive cross-functionally, and I have been impressed with everyone’s drive and passion for helping bring the health and wellness benefits of CELLIANT to the forefront of society.
How can a fully remote team foster connection and collaboration in view of the fact that the majority of employees experience distractions while working remotely?
I would point out that distractions happen not just while working remotely. In an office environment, you may find yourself taking a long lunch with coworkers, getting caught in conversation in the office, or worrying about traffic patterns. Rather than scheduling your time in advance, co-workers are prone to pulling you away from your desk and your focus to collaborate on a more ad-hoc basis which can interrupt productivity. Ultimately, whether you are in an office or working remotely, the more engaged you
feel with your work, your company, and the mission at hand, the fewer power distractions have over you; and, when distractions arise, you understand the responsibility required to remain committed and dedicated to getting the job done regardless.
Our organization has a very camera-on culture as part of our virtual meetings, which encourages professionalism and engagement. This keeps participants accountable for getting distracted. We begin each week with an all-staff meeting in which we debrief our weekends and answer a thought-starter question of the day to help us learn about each other. Thus, we feel like we have connections and the sensation of office chatter even while remote. We are respectful of each other’s calendars and schedule a time to collaborate, as well as host recurring meetings that provide routine and structure to the remote environment. Rather than being a culture of suspicion where productivity is being strictly monitored and surveilled, which can be a pitfall of some organizations operating remotely, we are trusted and encouraged when it comes to completing our work. We believe in a holistic wellness approach, and that when your work life and life outside of work are in balance, you will be better equipped to tackle the challenges of your work day.
What are the signs that your remote team lacks productivity and motivation, and what strategies can be implemented to keep them motivated virtually?
Signs that can be red flags include lack of responsiveness—for example if someone who is typically quick to reply to emails or confirm and execute tasks is taking longer to respond. Similarly, if the quality of the tasks they are executing starts to decline, or they seem to be lacking effort or passion in their work; perhaps more errors or oversights. I also pay a lot of attention to attitude and demeanor. Someone who is on their way out will be a lot more negative, possibly spreading their negativity to other members of the
team, thus creating a toxic environment.
Often when a team member’s motivation seems to decline, it may be because they don’t see the larger purpose or greater value in the work that they are doing, or they don’t feel that their work is being recognized. Ensuring that each team member knows the part they play in the overall mission and that teams come together periodically to contribute ideas and input to the shared mission, is crucial. When everyone understands each other’s contributions, it leads to a shared sense of purpose, support, and value, creating a stronger team and strengthening motivation.
How, in your opinion, can the ideal environment for remote work be established? And how will it contribute to boosting productivity?
Without any limitations, the remote work environment can be endlessly flexible. Developing a degree of structure and consistency ensures that flexibility is not counterproductive. Some flexibility allows employees to work when and how they are best equipped, rather than fitting into a 9 to 5 cubicle-shaped box; too much flexibility leads to the inability to set expectations and hold employees accountable.
Having a stipend for employees to create their ideal work-from-home space with all the amenities of a modern-day office is important in creating that physical environment – not to mention, a fraction of the overhead required for a physical space.
Another tip would be to use project management software to track deadlines and progress toward them. It may be easier to have an idea of who is working on what when you are all in the same location; project management tools take this to the next level and are perfect for a remote workforce. They help manage the flow to ensure there is neither too much nor too little happening, preventing both overwhelming burnout and the underproductive lack of motivation.
What are your thoughts on the most common obstacles faced by remote workers? Can we overcome these difficulties?
With remote work, social connections and team dynamics can be the hardest elements to replicate virtually, so this is something to pay extra attention to. A lack of connection can be detrimental and does not make for strong teams. Overcoming these difficulties takes intentionality. Be sure to encourage time on calls to check in about items not related to work, such as asking about hobbies, families, and more. Hosting a virtual lunch, holiday celebration, activity or game can enhance employee engagement and connectivity.
What are the incentives that will be effective in enhancing work performance? How can they be implemented?
Organizations need to see their employees as human beings and people, not just seats to fill or cogs in the machine. Looking holistically, there are many dimensions of wellness – occupational, financial, physical, intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, and environmental. Offering incentives that relate to each of these dimensions helps address the employee as a whole person and communicates that you not only value who they are at work, but you value their comprehensive wellness both in and outside of the workplace. When a person feels like they matter at work, they will ensure they are doing work that matters, effectively enhancing performance.
A few examples of incentives related to these various dimensions include:
· Robust healthcare offerings that take into account both physical and mental health
· Flexible holidays that employees can take on particular cultural or religious observances individual to their spirituality that may not be observed company-wide
· Allowances for professional development and continued learning opportunities
· Company-sponsored social outings such as interacting as a team with arts and entertainment
· Discounts on fitness services
· Financial planning resources and 401K plans
