Episode 72 - Kaleem Clarkson | Working Remotely: What You Need to Know to Lead and Manage a Remote Workforce

Are you struggling with navigating work with a distributed or remote workforce? Are you looking for insights on different ways to lead and manage a remote workforce? Do you want to know what the future of work looks like with more remote workers? Our special guest Kaleem Clarkson is here to answer these and many other questions about leading and managing in the realm of remote workforces.

Kaleem is a husband, father, employee experience professional, remote work advocate and speaker. Originally from Bangor, Maine (home of Stephen King) and now from Atlanta, Kaleem is the Chief Operating Officer of Blend Me, Inc. which he co-founded in 2013. Blend Me is a consultancy that helps organizations improve the remote employee experience, from onboarding to offboarding. With nearly 20 years of event planning and strategic operations experience, Kaleem’s passions revolve around helping others create a plan that inspires and motivates their employees to make connections and build meaningful relationships.

Kaleem is also the COO of Remotely One, a members-only community for remote work professionals. Remotely One is committed to ending remote work isolation by connecting people with other location-independent professionals.

Kaleem was also recently named one of the Top 15 Remote Work Advocates and Leaders by All-American Speakers Bureau.

Listen in as Kaleem shares his wisdom and experience on remote working and the remote employee experience.

The Impact Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera, the leadership development eco-system that helps you grow your people, grow your business and grow your life.

Show Notes

Episode highlights…

The difference between a remote workforce and a distributed workforce
Truths about remote working before and after the COVID pandemic
Remote working statistics and data (pre and post COVID)
Beware of judging the remote work experience based solely upon COVID (which is a unique situation / experience)
The pros and cons of remote working and the unique leadership issues based upon people’s unique situations (e.g. people who want to keep working remotely and people who want to get back to working at an office)
Culture is not an adequate reason to require people to work in the office
Market and business shifts regarding the reduced need for office space
Three different types of telework (remote work): 1. Fully distributed / all remote (no centralizes work space); 2. Centralized office with people working remotely (aka hybrid); or 3. Telecommuting (work wherever).
In the future nearly every company will have a telecommuting option
The changing nature of work, teams and offices with distributed workers
Hybrid working is the future of work and business
What it means to focus on the remote employee experience
Team engagement with a remote workforce
Leaders must be intentional about information interactions and social connection
Different approaches to delegation with remote workers
Understanding the importance of building your return on safety with and for your team