What makes remote work challenging?

Let’s face it: Creating highly collaborative teams is tough even when everyone is in the same room. Add the complexities of remote or hybrid work, and it’s easy to see why some leaders are calling their teams back to the office. But is going back really the best way to move forward?

The truth is, the overwhelming majority of employees love the flexibility of remote work. They’re more productive and enjoy a better work-life balance. Still, without intentional strategies, remote work can leave people feeling isolated and disconnected, which can hurt collaboration and communication.

One big hurdle? Those spontaneous chats that spark great ideas in the office don’t happen as easily online. Miscommunication across time zones or in long email threads when live meetings can’t happen can make things even trickier.

But here’s the good news: There are tools for that! With the right tools and a commitment to fostering connection, your team can overcome these challenges and thrive—no office required.

Building real relationships, even remotely

Everyone needs a work BFF because strong relationships at work make everything better—from productivity to job satisfaction to team retention. Studies like Google’s Project Aristotle show that trust and connection are the foundation of high-performing teams (Neil Pretty, "Google's Data-Driven Insights on High-Performing Teams," aristotleperformance.com, Dec. 2024). A 2020 Cigna report even found that loneliness leads to lower productivity and higher turnover ("Loneliness in the Workplace," 2020).

Remote teams often face several challenges when it comes to building relationships and fostering connections:

• Lack of spontaneous, informal interactions that build rapport. For example, remote teams miss out on casual coffee chats or hallway conversations that often spark creativity and strengthen bonds.

• Difficulty in interpreting tone and intent in text-based communication. A simple email or message can be misread, leading to misunderstandings and unnecessary tension.

• Isolation due to time zone differences. Team members in different parts of the world may struggle to connect in real time, making it harder to feel part of the group.

• Limited opportunities for team bonding outside of work-related conversations. Without shared lunches or team outings, it can be challenging to build personal connections beyond work tasks.

So with challenges working against remote teams, how can remote teams foster meaningful connections? According to Gallup, having a “best friend” at work has never been more important—especially for remote and hybrid employees. The key is creating opportunities for genuine interactions, even when you’re apart.

How Marco Polo helps us stay connected

At Marco Polo, we’ve been remote from the start, so we’re well-versed in the struggle of building relationships in distributed teams. While Marco Polo was created to help family and friends feel close, somewhere along the way, we discovered it actually helped our own team do that too! That’s why we use our own app—designed for video-first, asynchronous communication—to stay close as a team.

Here's why Marco Polo works so well for our distributed team:

• Facial expressions and tone matter: Video lets us see and hear each other, making communication richer and more personal.

• No pressure to reply right away: Marco Polo isn’t our only mode of communication. We have Slack, we use Zoom, and we use Marco Polo. As a team, we’ve clearly articulated when each tool should be used and the expectations for replies. Marco Polo is asynchronous, which means you can  respond when it works best., Individual teams use our tool differently but the core premise is: Marco Polo is not for urgent communication. We use it for in-depth conversations and fostering deeper and more thoughtful connections.

• Frequent, meaningful interactions: We stay connected through regular updates and check-ins, which build trust and camaraderie.

These benefits go beyond just staying connected—they create an environment where team members feel valued, understood, and supported. By integrating Marco Polo into our daily communication, we’ve found a way to make remote work feel more personal and engaging.

The remote team collaboration conundrum

For many teams, collaboration feels harder in a remote environment. The default fix? More meetings. But let’s be honest: endless meetings create their own set of problems, like scheduling headaches and Zoom fatigue.

Remote teams also face other collaboration challenges, such as:

• Difficulty scheduling across multiple time zones. For instance, team members in vastly different regions often struggle to find overlapping hours, leading to delayed decisions and missed opportunities for collaboration.

• Reduced engagement during lengthy virtual meetings. A common example is participants multitasking or zoning out during long calls, resulting in lower productivity and less effective discussions, which usually leads to follow-up meetings or emails/chats to clarify what was discussed or what was decided

• Misunderstandings stemming from text-based communication. For example, a team member might misinterpret a short message as curt or dismissive, creating unnecessary conflict or tension.

• Lack of immediate feedback when working asynchronously. This can lead to delays in project progress, such as when a team member must wait hours for clarification on an urgent task.

Text-based tools like Slack or email can help, but they’re not perfect. Long threads and missed context can lead to frustration and slow progress.

So what’s the solution?

We’ve been fully remote from day one, and we’ve never let distance get in the way of collaboration. Here’s how Marco Polo makes it all work:

• Brainstorming, reimagined: Our video-first approach lets us share ideas and iterate without having to coordinate calendars or endure back-to-back video calls.

• Easy updates with Sharecast: Need to share big news without generating a lot of comments and noise for the larger group? Our leaders use Sharecast to broadcast updates to the whole team. With Sharecast, only the Sharecast creator can send messages to those in the Sharecast.

• Clearer communication: Video captures nuances like tone and facial expressions, reducing misunderstandings and speeding up decisions.

Additional ideas:

• One-to-one meetings without a meeting. Not everything needs to be a meeting but sometimes you do need to connect on one or two important things beyond a text-based communication. Many of our teams now do most of their one-to-one status updates over Marco Polo. This eliminates yet another 15 to 30 minute meeting from your calendar but still allows important, relevant updates to be shared, and for them to be watched when it is best for the receipient.

• Time to process. One of the biggest pluses of Marco Polo that people might not realize until they enjoy the benefit of it:  with asynchronous video messages you get the time you need to process and respond thoughtfully, making collaboration smoother and more inclusive.

Ready to transform your remote team?

You don’t need to sacrifice connection or collaboration to succeed as a remote team. Marco Polo makes it easy to stay close, work together, and thrive—wherever you are.

Ready to take your team to the next level? Start building deeper connections today with Marco Polo. Discover more or sign up for a free trial here.