Keeping the Connection Alive in Remote Work: A Personal Reckoning

It’s interesting how the afterglow of an in-person meeting lingers.

Over the past few weeks, I attended Sales Kickoff Meetings for various regions in our commercial organization.

For someone who works remotely, these moments are more than just another entry in the calendar.

They are a much-needed disruption and a reminder of the energy that human connection brings.

It’s easy to underestimate just how much we lose in remote work until you’re sitting across from someone, exchanging ideas without a screen as a buffer.

A quick fist bump, a shared laugh over a beer…these interactions aren’t just social pleasantries.

They are the invisible threads that weave a team together.

And if I’m being honest, these past few weeks made me realize something uncomfortable.

I haven’t done a good enough job of truly getting to know the people I train.

In many cases, I only interact with them a few times a year.

I spend more time engaging with their managers and directors, shaping programs that ultimately impact them, but I don’t always get the chance to understand them as individuals.

I know their roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics, but I don’t necessarily know them.

And that’s a problem.

Because if I don’t know what really drives them, how can I expect them to connect with what I’m teaching?

Simon Sinek’s name came up often during the plenary sessions, especially his idea that “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

This makes perfect sense for a room full of salespeople.

But the same logic applies to learning.

If we want people to engage with training, not just check the box, we need to connect it to something that matters to them.

And we cannot do that unless we know their why.

Are they trying to hit their targets so they can earn a bonus?

Are they pushing for a promotion so they can move somewhere with a better quality of life?

Are they grinding to afford their kid’s college tuition?

Maybe they are new to the company and just trying to keep their head above water.

Or maybe they are seasoned professionals who have been through countless trainings and are wondering if this one will actually make a difference.

When I truly understand their why, something shifts.

They are no longer just names on a training roster or faces on a screen.

They become people I want to help.

Because their success is not just about hitting metrics, it is about helping them achieve something real.

If we do not know why they care, training is just another task.

But when we do, it can be constructed to actually help them grow.

The Human Element Behind the KPIs

Corporate life loves a metric.

We track engagement rates, completion percentages, deals won and lost, and productivity scores like they’re gospel.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: numbers rarely capture the full story.

If raw data dictated behaviour, we’d all be exercising daily, sleeping exactly eight hours a night, and reading a book a week.

But we don’t.

Because real change isn’t driven by statistics, it’s driven by connection.

The Research Backs This Up

According to Gallup's 2023 research, employees who develop strong personal connections with their colleagues can be up to 50% more productive.

The Harvard Business Review reports that teams with strong personal bonds outperform others by 20% in efficiency and innovation.

A Google study on team effectiveness found that psychological safety, the ability to be real without fear of judgment, was the single biggest predictor of high-performing teams.

Why?

Because when people feel a sense of belonging, they show up differently.

They take more ownership, they engage more deeply, and they go the extra mile, not because they have to, but because they want to.

During the SKOs, I experienced this firsthand.

The shift from seeing a name on a Teams call to sitting down with someone and learning about their family, their ambitions, and the things that get them out of bed in the morning.

That level of understanding changes everything.

And it made me realize: I need to create more of these moments throughout the year, not just when we happen to be in the same room.

The Challenge of Remote Work

Remote work is a paradox.

It gives you autonomy, focus, and flexibility, but it also strips away the friction that makes human connection effortless.

A Gallup study found that 25% of remote workers report loneliness as a major struggle.

And that’s just the people who are willing to admit it.

I remember logging back into Teams after returning home.

The in-person buzz was still fresh in my mind, but within minutes, the conversation had shifted back to work.

There was no warm-up, no real human connection…just action items and deliverables.

This is the silent tax of remote work: efficiency comes at the cost of camaraderie.

Unless, of course, you build systems that keep the human element alive.

How Do We Build Systems That Keep the Human Element Alive?

Remote work removes the natural, unstructured moments where real relationships are built.

There are no chance run-ins in the hallway.

No spontaneous lunch conversations.

Everything is planned, everything is efficient, and while that is great for productivity, it is terrible for genuine connection.

So how do we fix that?

How do we go beyond transactional interactions and make remote work feel more human?

The key is intentionality. 

Connection does not just happen.

We have to create systems that make it a natural part of the way we work.

Move Beyond Surface-Level Interactions

Most remote interactions are strictly about work.

We show up to meetings, talk about objectives, and then move on to the next task.

But that is not how relationships are built.

What We Tend to Do:

• Keep calls focused on training and deliverables

  
  

• Stick to the agenda to stay efficient

  
  

• Assume that if people need something, they will ask

What We Need to Do Instead:

• Go Beyond Small Talk: Before meetings, take a moment to check-in.

  
  

  Ask, “What’s something interesting you learned this week?” or “What’s one thing you’re excited about outside of work?”

  
  

  Small moments like these make a difference.

  
  

• Office Hours That Aren’t Just About Training: A 30-minute open session each month where people can drop in, chat, and connect—no agenda, no pressure.

When we move beyond just work mode, we create space for real relationships.

Leverage Storytelling to Make Training Personal

People do not connect with slides.

They connect with stories.

The best way to get someone to engage in training is to help them see themselves in it.

What We Tend to Do:

• Focus on why the training matters from a business perspective

  
  

• Jump straight into content

  
  

• Expect people to engage because they "should"

What We Need to Do Instead:

• Make It Personal First: Instead of opening with “Here’s why this training matters,” start with, “Here’s a challenge I faced early in my career and how I overcame it.”

• Encourage Participants to Share Their Own Stories: Research suggests that linking personal experiences to training content can significantly boost retention and engagement.

  
  

  Various studies in adult learning and experiential learning have shown that when individuals relate training material to their own lives, they tend to remember and apply the information more effectively.

When we frame training in a way that feels relevant and real, engagement stops being an obligation and starts being a choice.

Build Rituals That Reinforce Connection

Connection is not a one-time thing.

It is built over time through consistent interactions.

What We Tend to Do:

• Rely on formal meetings to create engagement

  
  

• Assume that people will reach out if they need help

  
  

• Focus more on group discussions than one-on-one relationships

What We Need to Do Instead:

• Quarterly One-on-One Check-Ins with Key Learners: Not just with their managers, but with them directly. A simple 15-minute chat to understand their challenges, their goals, and what they need from training.

  
  

• A Dedicated Slack or Teams Space for Non-Work Conversations: A place for people to share wins, struggles, or just interesting things they are learning outside of work.

A simple rule to follow: For every structured work interaction, create an unstructured human interaction.

Lead with Authenticity

People do not follow job titles.

They follow leaders who are real.

If we want to build stronger relationships, we need to show up as people first.

What We Tend to Do:

• Keep things professional and focused

  
  

• Present solutions instead of sharing struggles

  
  

• Recognize only outcomes, not the effort behind them

What We Need to Do Instead:

• Be Open About Our Own Challenges: Instead of just presenting solutions, share the struggles and mistakes that led to those solutions.

  
  

  Vulnerability builds trust faster than expertise.

  
  

• Celebrate Effort, Not Just Results: Recognize team members not just for hitting KPIs, but for the work they put in to get there—especially when things do not go as planned.

The more real we are, the more people feel safe to do the same.

And that is what creates connection.

What’s In It for Us?

If you are a remote worker, a trainer, or a leader, ask yourself:

• Do we truly know the people we work with, beyond their job titles?

  
  

• Have we built systems that make connection easy, or are we hoping it happens on its own?

  
  

• Are we creating a space where people feel comfortable being themselves?

  
  

Remote work is not a barrier to connection.

It is a test of how intentional we are willing to be.

I know I can do better.

Can you?

— G