A Study of 1,100 Employees Found That Remote Workers Feel Shunned and Left Out

New research shows that remote employees are more likely to feel left out and ganged up on than their on-site colleagues. Specifically, they worry that coworkers say bad things behind their backs, make changes to projects without telling them in advance, lobby against them, and don’t fight for their priorities. Managers may be tempted to cancel remote work programs and get everyone back in the office, but instead they should change their own behavior. There are seven skills that the study showed help managers make their remote employee feel included and cared for, including: checking in with distant colleagues regularly and frequently; insisting on some face time (even if it’s on video conference); making expectations explicit; and being available to remote colleagues through a variety of channels.