How to Run Inclusive Virtual Meetings
All of our lives were upended earlier this year because of COVID-19. Who knew that this global health pandemic was going to change so much of what we do, including how we work. Almost overnight, we shifted from an in-person to a virtual work environment. At first virtual meetings were a learning curve and we humoured our way through unfortunate faux pas. As time went on, we got better at it. But did we? Have we become better at ensuring we hear everyone’s voice in our meetings? That can be a tough nut to crack in an online environment.
The first question you might be asking yourself is why is this important to me? Many studies show that employees who do not feel included or have a sense of belongingness: a) are less productive, b) go on stress leave, or c) leave the company. All of these scenarios cost the company money and give you a headache. You may already be seeing some of these scenarios playing out. But it can be avoided if attention is paid to employee inclusion and belongingness in your meetings.
We take it for granted that employees have online access. While these issues may have been sorted out for your current team, you may have to onboard new team members, some of whom may have a visual or hearing impairment. How prepared are you to deal with someone who needs accommodation or doesn’t have proper internet access? Being aware of your employees needs when it comes to accessing online technology helps you to prepare a plan and ensure they can participate in meetings.
The shift to working from home has meant that portion of the workforce - mainly women – have had to take on additional duties such as child care, elder care and other home duties. Creating a sense of awareness of your employees’ obligations/circumstances and building your empathetic side can help you to schedule your meetings around your employees. This goes a long way in improving employee sense of belongingness.
Have you conducted meetings only to hear from the same people over and over again? I bet this hasn’t changed in a virtual format. You can solicit input from your entire team and improve employee inclusion by making a few tweaks. Sharing your agenda ahead of time allows your team to prepare in advance and provide thoughtful input at your meeting. Furthermore, asking the team for written input on your agenda give less vocal colleagues another avenue to provide input. This matters in an inter-cultural context and at an inter-personal level where people from some cultures may not be as vocal, or some folks are not as comfortable with public speaking.
A few tweaks to how you schedule and conduct your meetings can go a long way towards inclusion and employee belongingness. Want to learn more about running inclusive meetings and become a more inclusive leader? Take the free course and get easy to implement tools and tips. Or contact us to provide live training to your team.