The meaning of ‘workspace’ has evolved in how employees perceive the word ‘company’. Building a strong company culture becomes especially challenging when teams work in different countries and time zones. However, wherever work equity or company connection may be at risk, there’s also an opportunity—leveraging diversity and inclusion across global teams can create a rich mosaic of perspectives that fuels innovation and growth.
The remote working world only catalyzes diversity and inclusion efforts to be successful on global teams. According to McKinsey, companies that integrate D&I into their remote work environment see higher productivity and retention than those that do not.
Where talent used to remain in one geographic location, those now able to hire and create remote teams have access to talent from all over the world at their fingertips. With such extensive reach also comes a responsibility to ensure that all team members, from all different backgrounds, cultures, and locations, feel valued and respected and have a platform to share their input.
Understanding Diversity and Inclusion in the Remote Context
Before learning to make changes, it’s important to recognize what diversity and inclusion efforts mean for global remote teams.
More Than Just the Standard
Whereas diversity usually includes race and gender, for global remote teams, this includes the following changes:
- Location/time zones
- Culture and communication styles
- Religion and spiritual beliefs
- Education and qualifications
- Country-specific workplace norms
- Technology and availability
- Differences in communication, not being as comfortable with digital platforms, and varied languages
Inclusion in virtual spaces means creating environments where differing perspectives are brought to the forefront and acknowledged, then factored into the decision-making process. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), inclusive cultures are more transformative and flexible.
Specific Challenges of Remote Diversity
There are certain challenges to diversity and inclusion when working in remote environments:
- Unseen Diversity Factors: When people don’t work together in person, diversity isn’t always visible; this can be a dangerous and unfortunate oversight of critical differences in perspective.
- Communication Barriers: This can mean barriers between different languages, cultural forms of communication, or a lack of comfort with digital platforms.
- Proximity Bias: Those who live near the headquarters or in the same timezone as leadership receive better opportunities and visibility.
- Cultural Assumptions: Unless intentionally taught, the team may believe that the dominant culture’s standards and values are the most effective. This cuts out alternative approaches to finishing tasks.
Understanding these challenges also allows for improved diversity and inclusion solutions for a global remote team.
Foundational Strategies for Diverse Remote Teams
Establishing Inclusive Hiring Practices
It all begins with inclusive hiring to build a diverse team:
- Recruit From a Wider Reach: Don’t just seek in traditional areas, but actively seek opportunities to source candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and across the globe.
- Implement Standardized Interviews: Use structured interviewing to evaluate all candidates equally, reducing unconscious bias in decision-making.
- Diversity Among Interviewers: Have people from varied backgrounds evaluate potential candidates.
- Evaluate Job Postings: Review postings for any language that may prevent certain groups from applying.
- Consider Global Time Zones: When interviewing potential candidates, be aware of the locations of all interviewees.
The International Labour Organization reports that diversity and inclusion in the workplace show that companies that hire more inclusively experience 19% more innovation revenue and a 35% increase in productivity related to better decision-making.
Instituting Cross-Cultural Communication Standards
Communication is also critical for any inclusive remote team:
- Set Communication Standards: Create expectations about when people should respond, where specific communications should occur (e.g., Slack for casual conversation, email for important information), and how often and when meetings should be held.
- Document All Communications: Ensure asynchronous access to as much communication as possible, especially for those teams working across time zones and nontraditional schedules.
- Have Translators Available: If your team is global, with Team A speaking French and Team B speaking German, offer translation services or resources for learning a second language.
- Create Multiple Feedback Loops: Team members may prefer different ways of providing suggestions, responses, or feedback. Ensure that avenues welcoming cultural differences are available.
- Practice Cultural Humility: Encourage team members to approach cross-cultural interactions with curiosity rather than judgment.
Creating Inclusive Meeting Practices
Meetings are where diversity and inclusion often fail the most in remote teams. Do the following:
- Vary Meeting Times: Don’t let one geographic location suffer from terrible meeting times.
- Record Meetings: For those who cannot attend, circulate recorded meetings and transcripts.
- Employ Facilitation Strategies: Use either tools or techniques that promote the inclusiveness of voices so that everyone can express themselves.
- Circulate Agendas in Advance: If discussion topics are known in advance, non-native speakers will have time to adjust.
- Test for Understanding: Use round-robin recaps so everyone stays aligned on decisions and next steps.
Offering Guidance for Creating Connection
Sometimes, remote teams need assistance in finding opportunities for connection:
- Virtual Coffee/Lunch Hours: Offer optional times for teammates to connect socially, outside of work-related responsibilities.
- Cultural Initiatives: Allow team members to offer lessons about themselves or their home geographical location, including its history and culture.
- Cross-Cultural Mentorship: Assign mentorship roles that encompass learned skills across cultures.
- Recognition Opportunities: Create opportunities for recognition that are diversely participated in and created.
- Team Traditions: Create team celebrations/traditions that inclusively align or allow for varying cultural practices.
Success Stories of Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Across Cultures
Training and Development Opportunities
Wherever there’s continuous learning, an inclusive atmosphere will take hold:
- Cultural Intelligence Training: Teach effective intercultural communication and the ability to work across cultures.
- Unconscious Bias Training: Teach team members to evaluate themselves and work toward bias mitigation.
- Language Opportunities: Give team members the chance to take language classes to improve communication.
- Inclusive Leadership Training: Teach team managers to manage inclusively with a diverse global remote team.
Companies with above-average ethnic diversity and inclusion on their management teams generated more revenue from innovation than companies with lower-than-average diversity in leadership.
Policy and Benefits Considerations
Policies should note team members regardless of culture and location:
- Holiday Swap Opportunities: Colleagues can swap company holidays for those that are culturally or religiously significant to them.
- Work Schedule Opportunities: Colleagues can work flexible hours based on time zones or personal needs.
- Relevancy of Benefits: Examine suitable and reasonable benefits based on the onsite or local team member’s circumstances.
- Achievements Recognized: Company achievements and those relevant to culture or region should be recognized.
- Opportunities Available: Transparency exists for promotional and advancement opportunities regardless of location.
Success Measurement of Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion efforts must also be measured for success.
Hard Numbers
- Diversity Make-Up: Maintain diversity numbers across geography, language, gender, culture, and ethnicity.
- Inclusion Survey Findings: Assess how people feel about team belonging, psychological safety, and inclusion.
- Participation Equity: Decide who will speak in meetings, present on projects, and receive attribution.
- Promotion and Upward Mobility Stats: Compare access to upward mobility levels between groups.
- Retention Rates: Does one group turnover more than another? Save this information for later.
Qualitative Assessment
- Focus Groups: Select people from specific backgrounds to meet the selection criteria.
- Exit Interviews: When people leave, identify the inclusion challenges they faced.
- Cultural Audits: Conduct quarterly checks to ensure business practices don’t unintentionally favor certain cultures.
- Feedback Opportunities: Give people anonymous and safe feedback channels to share suggestions on inclusion concerns.
Overcoming Major Failures
Despite the best of efforts, organizations fail when it comes to implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Time Zone Challenges
- Meeting Notes: Ensure that people who do not meet synchronously are updated with information passed along.
- Share the Burden: When one department is in a different time zone, rotate meeting times to ensure fairness, rather than treating the situation as a problem.
- Create Time Zone Teams: Work on specific projects in specific geographical time zones.
Gaps in Technology Access
- Technology Audit: Find and fill gaps in access to dependable internet and necessary resources.
- Equipment Stipends: Offer reimbursement so team members can access similar technology tools.
- Low-Bandwidth Options: Include communication options that consider low and no-bandwidth avenues.
Language and Communication Challenges
- Choose a Main Language: Languages spoken should be acknowledged; however, a primary business language must be chosen.
- Translation for Major Meetings: Important calls, meetings, and documents should have a live translation.
- Communication Expectations: People communicate differently; expectations should be adjusted accordingly.
Building truly diverse global remote teams and embracing diversity and inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart business strategy. Companies that practice diversity and inclusion within their remote work settings will hold a competitive advantage in:
- Innovation: Diverse teams solve problems more effectively and bring greater creativity.
- Market Reach: Employees from various backgrounds help to identify what’s genuine in diverse markets.
- Decision-Making: The more voices heard, the better options and challenges are vetted.
- Recruitment: Organizations with inclusive cultures are widely recognized as employers of choice.
- Employee Engagement: Employees bring their full selves to work when they feel valued.
Where we’re going, the companies that will learn the most about best practices for building inclusive global teams will succeed in the new world of work. By using intentional diversity and inclusion policies, companies can enjoy a competitive advantage rather than seeing remote work and physical disconnect as drawbacks.
We’re not there yet for inclusive global remote teams, but this is a step in the right direction. It requires time, flexibility, and a commitment to learning. Organizations that invest in this effort also build stronger teams capable of offering perspective, empathy, and creativity in tackling global market challenges. Contact us at BrightR today for more information.
