Zoom Fatigue? How to Truly Engage Remote Teams
Remote work is no longer a temporary solution—it’s a long-term shift, a norm. From startups to global enterprises, companies are building diverse, multi-location teams, working across time zones to achieve more flexible, cost-efficient operations. But while technology has smoothed out many of the logistical issues, a lot of businesses are still struggling with one core element: team engagement.
It turns out that it’s harder than you might think to keep your people aligned, motivated, and connected when they’re scattered across time zones and only meet each other via screens. We’re working on a solution to that problem—let’s break it down.
The Hidden Challenges of Remote Engagement
For over a decade, we’ve been helping businesses recruit, manage and optimise remote and offshore teams, and along the way, we’ve learned that the inherent challenges of a distributed model aren’t necessarily the ones you might think of first.
Overload
Ironically, remote teams often suffer from too many communication tools. Slack, email, Zoom, Teams, project trackers—it’s easy for messages to get lost or misinterpreted. Important updates go unnoticed, and team members feel out of the loop.
Isolation
Without the casual interactions of an office that help teams bond with each other—lunch breaks, hallway chats, and spontaneous brainstorming—remote workers can feel disconnected. And, over time, this can lead to disengagement or even burnout.
Invisibility
Managers may struggle to understand what their team is working on, while team members lack clarity on priorities. Without day-to-day visibility, it’s harder to offer support, celebrate wins, or offer informal support when it’s needed most.
Inattention
In remote settings, achievements aren’t always seen or acknowledged. For example, an instinctive decision leading to a much-needed solution may go unnoticed simply because no one else was “in the room” to see it.
