Creating a Sense of Belonging in Remote Teams

Remote work challenge: How do you build a connected culture when teams are miles apart? At Bunny Studio we’ve discovered that intentional connection is the foundation of our remote culture. This means consistently reinforcing our values while creating spaces where every team member feels seen and valued. Four initiatives that have transformed our remote culture: 🔸 Weekly Town Halls where teams showcase their impact, creating visibility across departments. 🔸 Digital Recognition through our dedicated Slack “kudos” channel, celebrating wins both big and small. 🔸 Random Coffee Connections via Donut, pairing colleagues for 15-minute conversations that break down silos. 🔸 Strategic Bonding Events that pull us away from routines to build genuine connections. Beyond these programs, we’ve learned two critical lessons: 1. Hiring people who thrive in collaborative environments is non-negotiable. 2. Avoiding rigid specialization prevents isolation and encourages cross-functional thinking. The strongest organizational cultures aren’t imposed from above—they’re co-created by everyone. In a remote environment, this co-creation requires deliberate, consistent effort. 🤝 What’s working in your remote culture? I’d love to hear your strategies.

Belonging doesn’t happen by accident. You can have a friendly team, a solid project documentation doc, and still end up with a new hire who never quite finds their footing. Because feeling welcome isn’t the same as feeling like you belong. Belonging is about being seen, heard, and safe to show up fully. Belonging means the reciprocal trust of team members to spitball ideas, try things, and fully collaborate. Belonging means you won’t get called a “DEI hire” when you are the only women on the team or called lazy when you have to take your wife to chemo at 3pm. Belonging means you have healthy working relationships with your colleagues, and they give you the benefit of the doubt. If you’re a people leader - it’s your responsibility to create this environment. You set the tone for the culture of belonging on your team from the first day a new team member starts. Here are a few things I do to set the stage for belonging: 1. Make introductions personal. Not just names and roles—share interests, experience, and proud moments from their lives. 2. Share team norms explicitly. Onboarding a new hire is a great opportunity to verbally reinforce the cultural norms that are expected to to everyone. 3. Invite their voice early. Ask their opinion in meetings. Let them see their input matters before they feel “ready.” When people feel like they belong, they don’t just integrate faster—they contribute more confidently, collaborate more openly, and stick around longer. Your team is happier, is more likely to hit goals, and you; you earn the place of amazing leader that built the best team they ever worked on. ❤️

Remote work only works when people feel connected. That’s the hardest and most important part of being a remote manager. I was hired during the pandemic and have now spent four years managing a fully remote technical team. Last year, I brought my team to Muir Woods. We stepped away from screens, walked under redwoods that have stood for centuries, and just… talked. No slide decks. No Slack notifications. Just people, connecting. That day reminded me: 👉 Remote work only works when leaders build connection with intention. Here’s what I’ve learned managing remotely for four years: 🌲 Clarity or chaos. Without crystal-clear OKRs, people drift. 🌲 Hire adults. A senior team that can self-manage is non-negotiable. 🌲 Respect human rhythms. Some work at 6 AM, others at midnight. Flexibility builds trust. 🌲 Norms > assumptions. Define core hours and Slack expectations—or miscommunication will do it for you. 🌲 Meet IRL. Even once or twice a year. No Google Meet call replaces breaking bread or walking trails together. 🌲 1:1s are lifelines. Weekly conversations (and sometimes same-day check-ins) stop issues from festering. 🌲 Recognition matters. A quick shout-out in a virtual call or Slack message makes people feel seen, valued, and motivated. 🌲 Make progress visible. Jira epics, Kanban, monthly reviews. visibility = accountability. And right now, as remote jobs are being cut faster than in-office ones, two things matter more than ever: 💡 Show value. Invisible work too often looks like no work. 💡 Work loud. Share updates. Celebrate wins. Make your contributions known. Remote leadership isn’t easy. But when it’s done right, you don’t just manage a team—you build a resilient, independent group of people who can thrive anywhere.