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4 Small Ways to Show Your Remote Team You Appreciate Them

Just because your team works remotely doesn’t mean you can skip out on employee appreciation. When working as a distributed or hybrid team, it’s important to develop a variety of avenues where you can publicly show your team how much you value their contributions. Research has continually shown that teams who feel valued and appreciated are more engaged, confident that they will be treated well in the future, and are less likely to quit.

Establish A Culture of Communication

If your team is fully remote,  it is unlikely that you will have the opportunity to walk down the hall and say hello or good morning to everyone. Because of this physical separation, make a point to check in occasionally about things outside of work with different members of your team. Offering your team members this point of unstructured regular contact with you can help them feel supported. This can also be a great time to offer up positive feedback. If you noticed something they did well recently, these small moments are great for offering up those pieces of feedback.

HBR reports that it’s best to offer positive and constructive feedback as soon as possible, but not together. So when you have positive nuggets to share – make sure you share them! 

Create Opportunities for Wider Recognition and Appreciation

While it’s important to give praise one-on-one, it’s also important to do things for your entire team to show them you care.

Do you have weekly or monthly all-hands or other team meetings? Have different members showcase accomplishments, successes, or promotions within the team. Get multiple people involved in the announcement and make a point to recognize contributions from all corners of the business. Making sure people feel seen for their individual contributions and for the impact they have on the team as a whole. These small celebrations are also a great way to remind everyone what you’re working towards and that their contributions are important to the entire team’s success. Two great options our team recommends are TinyPulse and Achievers.

Send Care Packages People Actually Want to Receive

In a remote work environment, throwing a pizza party or bringing in donuts isn’t something you can easily do, and introductory swag boxes are more often than not seldom used by new members for long. Instead, send your team something that they would actually love and use. 

Every team is different, so it may even help to send out a survey every year or during your onboarding process to help you get a sense of what your team members would love to receive. Packages could be something to accompany a remote event or activity or be just by themselves. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Team sweatshirts 
  • Wine tasting or mixology box for a team happy hour or activity
  • A nice meal for their family, like steaks or sustainable seafood (no shellfish!)
  • A box of candy or cupcakes for their birthday
  • A house plant or flowers for the holidays
  • A card or gift card for those welcoming a baby
  • A gift card to order lunch during the team all hands
  • A craft box for a team activity

Remember when sending food or consumption-based activities that you are aware of any dietary restrictions or allergies team members may have. No one wants to receive a care package they can’t enjoy!

Be Flexible

The idea of offering more flexibility to employees in our current remote-forward age is not new, but it does bear repeating! Many note that being given the opportunity to flex working hours is a huge sign of trust and recognition of a job well done from management. Consider if there are times of the day you could offer as flex-time to your team. Flex-time refers to an arrangement where employees can adjust the start or end times of their work days as long as they are still working their agreed upon hours.

There are a variety of ways to approach flex time such as allowing 8-10 am or 3-5 pm as a flex block or by implementing meeting-free afternoons on certain days where employees can choose to flex if needed. These options provide the flexibility to go to the gym, schedule appointments, or drop off and pick up kids from school. Having the freedom for employees to manage their responsibilities in a way that works best for them allows you to show them they are valued and that you respect and trust them enough to get their work done, even if they choose to do so outside of conventional hours. 

Boost remote employee engagement with our free Virtual Office Manager e-book! Click to download now.

To support such freedom and flexibility, your team also needs to be supported by the best possible tools. Frameable Spaces offers one of the best ways to keep your remote and distributed teams connected wherever they are. A virtual office where you can easily see who is online allows everyone to make the best use of their time and creates space for those serendipitous interactions we know and love from the office. Check out how you can set your team up for success with Frameable Spaces.

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A Guide to Establish a Professional Look for Your Next Video Meeting

It’s no surprise to anyone that the post-pandemic world operates in a vastly different way than it did prior to March 2020. We should all pat ourselves on the back for facing and overcoming what, at the time, felt like a mountain-like virtual learning curve. Email attachments used to be the most technically complex part of many of our jobs and now look at us — we’re doing live webcasts, wrestling with VPN access settings, and connecting from almost anywhere with hotspots. What was unimaginable to most of us in 2020 is now a daily reality in 2023.

However rightly deserved, these congratulations for adapting to the new virtual sphere must be short-lived. Advancements in virtual operations are racing forward and being adopted with lightning speed. Simply being able to tune in to a virtual meeting with a functioning camera and microphone is now the minimum expectation for virtual meeting and event participants. With so many industries embracing remote operations, a new set of skills are necessary to stay competitive: it’s time to shift your attention to polishing your virtual presence.

How to Craft a Polished Virtual Presence

Your virtual presence is the way you show up on camera, but it’s not just about the way you look. It’s a combination of all of the things that factor into the way you present yourself and the impression you ultimately give to those on the other side of the screen. Just as in the real world, how you conduct and present yourself in meetings has real consequences in how colleagues, audiences, or interviewers perceive you.

Here are some tips to help you establish a polished, professional virtual presence.

Familiarize Yourself With Your Video Platform

We’re all probably now familiar with the hot-under-the-collar feeling of searching frantically for a microphone button to unmute ourselves while a group of onlookers wait patiently for your response. It’s an understandable predicament, given the number of virtual meeting platforms used across different industries, but definitely something you’ll want to avoid. As mentioned earlier, advancements are happening at lightning speed — no one can know every new product out there.

The key here is preparation. When getting ready for a meeting on a new platform, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the location of necessary tools, make sure you can connect your camera and microphone properly, and have any new software or updates installed. “Although it might feel awkward, it’s important for you to practice out loud, record yourself during your test run — and then watch it” says career coach Dr. Dawn Graham. This is going to give you a good opportunity to not only test that everything is working as it should but also how you’re presenting on camera.

Get the Visuals Right

Eye contact and camera position, lighting, your attire, and your space are all important aspects of your visual presentation to keep in mind.

Eye contact and camera position

Eye contact and camera position are closely related. Placing your computer camera at eye level, directly in front of you, will give the impression that you are maintaining eye contact with your audience or colleagues throughout the meeting. With this one adjustment, you both look attentive and are in turn, more engaging to speak with.

Looking at my other monitor without the camera in a dual screen setup versus making eye contact with the camera. The second photo shows someone much more engaged in the conversation.

Visually, having your computer at eye level with about two feet of space between you and the camera, should place you directly in the center of your screen which will create a more appealing visual experience for those viewing your feed (please, please — avoid the under chin, up-the-nose shot, for everybody’s sake!)

Camera position is almost equally as important as eye contact! Observe the difference between the three photos above:

1. Setting up a laptop flat on a desk and looking at another screen gives the impression that I am sitting back and observing a meeting rather than participating.
2. I’m making eye contact and am closer to the camera, which makes me look much more engaged. However, the angle makes it look as if I am peering down at everyone in the room and, with one wrong move, you’d be able to see directly up my nose!
3. I’m centered in the frame, closer to the computer, and making ‘eye contact’ with the camera set at eye level, giving the impression that we’re speaking face-to-face.

Lighting

Perfecting your lighting is just as important as having your camera positioned correctly. Without proper lighting, you may not be seen at all! There are a plethora of professional lights and setups you can invest in to get great lighting, but it’s not necessary for most of us. We certainly don’t disparage those who do this because they look good when all set up, but it’s a nice-to-have. Most of us will want to start with what we have, by setting a bright (read: not harsh —industrial shop lights are not necessary) lamp behind your computer so that the light falls on and highlights your face as an easy first step. 


To set your lighting, open your virtual meeting platform and observe yourself on screen to determine what light placement looks the best on your face. Depending on the light source, you may need to boost it up with a few books or try a couple of different angles behind the computer. Avoid direct overhead lighting as it can create harsh shadows underneath the eyes, nose, and chin that can cause you to look haggard.

These four photos show different lighting techniques in the same spot in my basement office.

1. Don’t just rely on the existing lighting in your space – this photo was taken with just my overhead lights on behind and beside me.
2. Avoid direct overhead lighting as it can cast unflattering shadows on your face and make your features a little more difficult to see.
3. When setting up lighting augmentations, avoid super bright lights! Too bright of light and your whole image will appear washed out.
4. This is my lighting with my overhead lights behind and beside me on and two lamps with standard soft white bulbs posted slightly behind and to the side of my laptop.

If you’re meeting during the day, setting up in front of a window so that the natural light illuminates your face is a great option for lighting — just make sure that you are facing the window instead of having your back turned to it. Being back-lit will make you appear completely in shadow on screen.

The difference between:

1. Artificial light from my computer screen, ceiling lights, and lamps on either side of my computer.
2. Natural light, facing a window with one lamp beside my computer.

If your desk is set up with your back facing the window, consider relocating for important meetings or putting blinds down and relying on artificial lighting. A bright light behind you will cause you to be backlit with your face in shadow.

Your Attire and Your Space

Expressing your style through your fashion and decorating choices are never something that we’re going to argue against. For the purpose of this guide, we will make some suggestions for things to avoid since they can be disproportionately distracting over video.

For clothing: 

Striped patterns can produce a moving/ strobing effect on camera, depending on your computer settings. Since you can’t control the setting on other people’s computers, best to avoid stripes and tight patterns on clothing altogether.
This red scarf reflects color onto my face, which a cooler more muted tone does not. Depending on the brightness of your lighting, the red ‘glow’ produced from hot colors can be very distracting.
My dark hair mixes with the background on the left, making me look like a floating head. The white shirt, white background combo produces a similar effect and looks bland on camera.
  • Jewelry that shimmers or jingles can come across as very loud or bright on camera.

For your space:

  • Tidy, neutral spaces are best. A cluttered or messy room can give the impression that you are disorganized. Take a few minutes to clear away any distracting piles that fall into your camera’s view and avoid showing artwork that may not be appropriate for professional settings.
  • When possible, minimize activity in your background (you want the focus to stay on you- Fido sitting behind you will most certainly be a distraction).
for keeping the focus on you during important meetings. Looking at the two images above and be honest – where is your attention drawn to in the first photo and where is it in the second?
  • Virtual backgrounds can be glitchy and are not the cleanest look but sometimes cannot be avoided. If you do opt for a virtual background, go for a neutral image or color that shows you in the sharpest relief possible. If you’re in a dark room, sitting against a wall or hanging a sheet behind you it makes a huge difference in how natural a virtual background looks. 
While this background is certified groovy, it is definitely distracting compared to the neutral ones shown to the right. The following pictures show the difference in using a virtual background without a sheet behind me and with one. The line between my hair and the virtual background looks much more natural when a light sheet creates a contrasting color difference between me and the background.

Perfect Your Audio and Adjust Your Communication

While visuals are important, nailing your audio setup is vital. After all, what is the point of a call if you can’t hear or speak to the person you’re trying to connect with?  ‘Can you repeat that?, You cut out’ or ‘Do you have a fan on in the background?’ are the new phrase equivalents of ‘speak up, we can’t hear you in the back!’ There’s nothing quite like these jarring interruptions to completely throw you off your roll when talking in a meeting.

Use an external microphone

Laptop microphones have come a long way over the past few years but they pale in comparison even to the microphones built into headphones we now usually get with our smartphones. Not only is the microphone closer to your mouth, they’re also designed to sort out background noises to make your voice stand out even more clearly. If you’re seriously committed to top notch sound, there are plenty of USB microphones on the market to choose from that fit all price ranges (several people in our office use this one and love it!). There is also something to be said for the attention grabbing power of a smooth, radio-quality voice!

Tweak your communication style to fit the format 

Once you have your microphone and speaker settings optimized, it’s important to think about how communicating through video calls and chat can be different than talking in-person and how to adjust your speaking style to fit this new interactive format. 


You can control your own sound quality but not your audience’s speaker level or hearing abilities. When talking, make sure to speak directly into your microphone and pay attention to your communication speed and enunciation. What you’re saying is important – make sure everyone hears every word! A nice extra benefit of speaking in a clear, measured tone is that you will seem confident in your words. 

Though it may seem counterintuitive, nonverbal communication can sometimes be more helpful and less disruptive in video format than a constant stream of verbal contributions. Practice actively listening by looking at the person who is speaking, nodding your head, and smiling in encouragement when possible instead of unmuting to give running affirmations. This will help to keep the airwaves ‘clear’ for the speaker’s words to reach other meeting attendees unimpeded.  
Finally, take your time and leave room in the conversation to allow other people to speak. Since some people mute themselves automatically to keep their environmental noises minimized, it now may take a few extra seconds to unmute to respond to something you’ve said. Take a small pause between talking points. This small adjustment will create space for higher quality interactions in your meetings and again gives you the bonus of sounding more confident in your speech.

The Perfect Complement to a Polished Virtual Presence — Frameable Spaces

Now that we’re all familiar and hopefully more comfortable with virtual work, the next step in professional evolution is to develop a strong virtual presence. Using the guidelines listed above will help you establish a polished reputation and highlight you as a competitive candidate in remote work. 
It also helps to use a platform with useful features you can rely on. Frameable Spaces can help take your remote work to the next level with virtual backgrounds, noise cancellation, and a variety of other collaboration features. Book a demo to see how Frameable Spaces can give your distributed teams all the benefits of working together, no matter where they are.

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Frameable Announces Partner Program

Frameable announces Partner Program

Today, Frameable is announcing the launch of our Partner Program, which will enable the Microsoft partner ecosystem to sell our revolutionary Microsoft-integrated products to their existing and future customers. Our integrations provide clients with a multitude of new and innovative features that enhance their existing Microsoft Teams environment. Improve upon current Teams workflows by unlocking access to a greater level of visibility across your organization.

The program supports partners who want to incorporate Frameable’s innovative solutions. Our team is ready to enable and support partners and help them grow their businesses with a complementary recurring revenue stream.

By joining our program, partners will be able to unlock benefits such as:

  • Presales / co-selling support to acquire new customers
  • Consulting services to design customer solutions
  • Marketing support to build sales funnel 
  • Participate in rapidly growing product sales

At Frameable, we believe in building strong and lasting relationships with our partners. That’s why we make it easy and flexible to work with us. Frameable requires the purchase of Spaces through a channel partner, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that complements the customer’s existing Microsoft Teams license commitment. 

Our integration provides partners with a more comprehensive platform for collaboration and communication. Take advantage of the Frameable Partner Program and sign up today to create an unparalleled digital work experience for your customers.

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Frameable Announces New Integration with Microsoft Teams

We’re excited to announce the release of our Microsoft Teams integration for our virtual office product, Spaces. Our new integration is available to any team that uses Microsoft Teams for remote and in-office collaboration.

With more than six times the number of people working from home today compared to 2019, according to WFH Research, a data-collection project, distributed work is not going anywhere. Microsoft Teams is utilized by more than one million companies and has seen explosive growth as users increased from 145 million in 2021 to 270 million in 2022. This integration highlights our commitment to provide our customers with the best and most comprehensive remote work experiences. We are excited to continue to expand and improve our offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers.

With this integration, organizations can access Spaces within their existing Microsoft Teams environment. Spaces greatly improves your existing Microsoft Teams infrastructure, adding everything you need to interact more naturally with your colleagues. With this integration:

  • Meetings and statuses sync from Outlook in real-time, providing a birds-eye view of office activity.
  • Rely on persistent project spaces, offices, and war rooms to meet and collaborate, store documents, files, and links.
  • View ongoing Teams calls and increase visibility across the entire organization or department.
  • Review actionable engagement metrics including aggregate and individual meeting time, talk time, and average meeting size.

In the future, Frameable has plans to make the Spaces application available for download in the Microsoft Teams App Store. Learn more about how our integration can enhance your Microsoft Teams video calls and book a demo to get started today!

Enhance your Microsoft Teams video calls

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6 Smart Ways to Ensure Remote Workers Find Work-life Balance and Prevent Burnout

Many remote workers have brought attention to their work-life balance as the separation between work and home has become smaller than ever. A 2022 Conference Board survey found that 47% of remote workers in the US are concerned about the blurred boundaries between their jobs and personal lives. While remote work can lead to a desirable work-life balance for some, it can be even more difficult to unplug and set clear boundaries for others. As the remote work workforce continues to grow, employers should focus on creating a culture of healthy work-life balance and ensuring remote employees prevent burnout. 

Read on for six ideas on how to maintain work-life balance and avoid employee burnout.

Encourage breaks

About 20% of workers say they don’t take lunch breaks because they’re worried about feeling guilty or judged when they step away from work at midday. It turns out that while these employees may have had positive intentions, they are actually doing a disservice to both themselves and the company. 94% of employees feel happier when they can take a lunch break during the workday and agree that taking a break gives them a chance to return to their work with a new perspective. These employees exhibit higher productivity levels and are more likely to stay at a company where bosses encourage employees to take breaks.

If you manage remote employees, encourage them to take full advantage of their lunch break by taking at least 30 minutes to step away from their work and from all notifications. Encourage them to go outside, take a walk, grab a bite to eat, or do something that will help them to recharge and refocus. Remind them that taking the time to refresh and reset will allow them to be more productive and successful in the afternoon.

Establish boundaries

During the virtual onboarding process, make sure that remote managers and employees discuss expectations and boundaries. 

Managers should prepare a list of guidelines regarding the following:

  • Working hours: What are the expected hours of availability, breaks, and overtime expectations?
  • Job responsibilities: Who will assign tasks, and how are deadlines communicated?
  • Communication standards: How does the organization use different communication methods? 

Employees should consider what their idea of a healthy work-life balance means and communicate any concerns.

Recognize achievements

Research has indicated that insufficient recognition can lead to burnout, with a 48% increase in employers reporting burnout when they don’t receive recognition. There are both informal and formal ways to recognize the achievements of your employees. Organizations should use a combination of the two to ensure that employees feel appreciated and motivated to continue to perform at a high level.

Informal forms of recognition are exactly that—informal. Informal recognitions are spontaneous and unplanned, and can be as simple as verbal praise, a thank you note, a celebratory team lunch, or positive feedback. These types of recognition help employees with immediate feedback and helps to build a positive company culture.

On the other hand, formal recognition is a structured program with defined processes. This type of recognition includes awards, bonuses, certificates, or promotions. It is important to note that you should save formal recognition for the most exceptional employees, and the company should clearly define—and communicate—the criteria. When employers do formal recognition correctly, it can be a powerful motivator for employees and show them that their hard work is appreciated and valued.

Look into employee recognition software such as Achievers and TINYpulse as tools to heighten employee engagement and ensure your employees are receiving the recognition they deserve. Programs like these can eliminate administrative time and effort while ensuring employees are recognized, rewarded, and heard.

Offer flex time

Flex time allows employees to work outside of the traditional 9 to 5. This can mean adjusting your day’s start and end times, or taking an extended break during the middle of the day for personal obligations. People can use flex time to accommodate different lifestyles, such as parents needing to pick up children from school, or to simply allow employees to take advantage of when they are more productive. Flex time allows employees to adapt their work schedules to their personal needs and preferences. This flexibility can help prevent burnout by enabling employees to take breaks when they need them, work when they are most productive, and manage their workloads more effectively. Clearly communicate your flex time policy in the hiring and onboarding process so that employees and potential employees can know what to expect.

Provide support

Providing support to employees can come in many forms, such as mentorship, coaching, and feedback. Mentoring programs can allow employees to develop their skills, receive guidance from experienced colleagues, and build relationships with other team members. Coaching sessions can provide more personalized support, allowing employees to discuss goals, challenges, and possible solutions in a constructive and supportive environment. Regular feedback is also important, as it enables employees to receive insights into their work performance, and gives them an opportunity to reflect on their behavior. Consider hosting virtual networking sessions within your organization or pairing new hires with current employees to establish mentorship opportunities. All these support forms can help employees feel valued, develop their skills, and contribute to a positive and productive work environment.

Invest in technology

There are many ways technology can help organizations prevent burnout. While there are obvious opportunities, such as using task management software, automating routine tasks, and streamlining processes, consider other ways your organization can use technology to improve work-life balance. Providing employees with fitness trackers or watches can remind employees to stand up, stretch, and make sure they are getting steps in throughout the day. Online wellness programs or access to virtual therapy and counseling may be another helpful resource for employees to manage stress and increase overall wellbeing.

Increase organization visibility with Frameable

We know that it can be challenging to separate your work from your personal life while working remotely. Managers must recognize burnout and make conscious efforts to ensure employees can have a work-life balance. 

Frameable Spaces takes virtual meeting software to the next level, creating a persistent virtual space where coworkers can easily see what others are working on and invite each other to collaborate outside of scheduled meetings. Our software is optimized for teams with flexible working schedules, ensuring users can communicate their availability and create a culture of shared values and mutual support. Learn more about Spaces and try it for free today.

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4 Tips for Welcoming and Engaging New Remote Team Members to Your Virtual Office

Are you doing enough to ensure remote team members are set up for success?

Quickly and effectively onboarding remote team members is a lot easier said than done. It can be hard to make sure they feel welcomed, comfortable, and ready to hit the ground running when your first meet-and-greet is through a screen. But it can be done! Here’s how our fully remote team has learned to run the most effective onboardings into our virtual office and workstyle.

Share Common Verbiage, Workflows, and Meetings

The first day of joining a new team is scary enough without the added stress of learning new phrases, workflows, products, and projects. Sharing a document with common company lingo, meeting styles, and key project names right away will set your new hire up for a successful first few days. It will also make their transition into your team smoother by eliminating the need to ask others to define every term they hear. This will also aid in their feeling of inclusion from day one.

A recent McKinsey report found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing employees’ sense of inclusion in the workplace has become A recent McKinsey report found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing employees’ sense of inclusion in the workplace has become more and more crucial to maintaining a productive work environment for all — especially with so many now working a remote or hybrid schedule. Giving new employees a leg up on day one by laying out as much of the shared knowledge as possible is one of the most straightforward ways to ensure all new hires, regardless of location, feel included in their new team.

Initiate Relationship Building on Day 1

Make a point to have your new team member meet 1-on-1 with colleagues they will be working closely with. For smaller organizations, schedule time with all the employees! These meetings will be key to helping new team members get to know their coworkers and understand how their role fits into the bigger picture of your organization. Pre-scheduling these conversations makes joining a new team less daunting in addition to encouraging a culture of relationship building throughout your entire organization.

While using a virtual office for your hybrid or remote team comes with many benefits, oftentimes, teammates will navigate and use a virtual office differently. Having your team reach out to set up 10-15 minute meetings will provide the new hire with greater context to workflows and help them get acquainted with their new role. These quick meetings will also be a great introduction to how different hybrid or remote employees use your remote office and tools.

Encourage Engagement Throughout the Virtual Office

On a recent episode of McKinsey Global Institute’s Forward Thinking podcast, Nicholas Bloom discussed how integral a sense of connection with colleagues is to creating a successful remote or hybrid work environment. It can be difficult for hybrid and remote new hires to know how to go about engaging with their new colleagues within a virtual office space. Modeling how your team uses your virtual office before sending off your new hire to do so on their own can accelerate their learning curve and invite more opportunities for them to engage with their new colleagues.

One of the main benefits of a virtual office is the visibility and reachability of your teammates. Encourage new hires to occupy a virtual office or desk, venture to different virtual “locations”, and use statuses to convey their availability. Share how different team members use the space’s functionalities and tools and encourage new colleagues to try out the various aspects of your virtual workspace to identify their preferences.

Pair Your New Hire With A Buddy for a Day

The first few days of a new job are typically filled with onboarding and administrative tasks. Once your new hire has completed these, pair them up with another colleague who shares similar responsibilities for a day. Encourage the pair to attend the same meetings, discuss their tasks, and frequently debrief throughout the day. Depending on the size of your organization, this can help speed up collaboration between two crucial team members, or give your new hire an established team member to reference when it comes to producing great work within your organization.

Boost remote employee engagement with our free Virtual Office Manager e-book! Click to download now.

Setting your remote team members up for success does not have to be overly complicated. Learn how upgrading to Frameable Spaces can transform your virtual office and employee experience.

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9 Future of Work Conferences to Attend in 2023

Explore our 2024 roundup here.

This post was updated on July 21, 2023 to include more conferences leading into 2024.

As technology continues to evolve and shape the way we work, it’s essential to stay informed on the latest trends and advancements in the world of work. Attending conferences on the future of work can be a valuable investment to meet talented leaders, identify innovative solutions, and in some cases, even showcasing your own! With so many options to choose from in 2023, we are helping you stay ahead of the curve by identifying the top nine future of work conferences you should attend.

Future of Work Expo

February 14-17, 2023 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

The Future of Work Expo 2023 in Fort Lauderdale is a conference program dedicated to helping companies navigate today’s hybrid workplace. The program will explore the intersection of technology and the human element, providing guidance on how to strike a balance between automation of work and processes and maintaining employee engagement. The conference’s goal is to help attendees reimagine their company’s workplace transformation, including implementing powerful new technologies.

Featuring keynote speakers from top companies such as Dell and EY, attendees will gain insight into how to develop and manage a successful hybrid workplace. At a lower cost than many other conferences, the Future of Work Expo is a great choice for those looking to improve productivity in the ever-evolving workforce and provide a better customer experience.

WorkX

February 21 – 23, 2023 in NYC and August 8-11, San Diego, CA

Formally known as Future Offices, the WorkX Conference brings together all things related to work experience. The 2023 conference will specifically explore the intersection of the future of work and workplace transformation. By offering two different tracks, attendees can explore content and presentations that are most meaningful to them. While the Future of Work track will examine challenges and issues related to most of the “people” issues, the Workplace Transformation track will look at how organizations are repurposing or utilizing their space to provide the best employee experience.

If you are looking for a multi-track conference opportunity with options to attend on each coast, this could be a great choice for you!

SHRMTech 2023

March 7-8, 2023 in San Francisco, CA

SHRM is a leading voice in the HR professional community and continues to shape how employers and employees work together. At SHRMTech, attendees will learn from and engage with HR pioneers and tech innovators who are transforming the world of work. Topics include workplace innovation, future-ready HR, disruptive technologies, ethical AI, and more.

For professionals looking to expand their HR tech knowledge and stay ahead of the curve, this conference will provide learnings, networking opportunities, and outcome-focused practices and solutions. Attendance is expected to be high as this is SHRMTech’s first U.S. event! If you are currently a SHRM credential holder, this event is also a valuable opportunity to earn Professional Development Credits towards your renewal. 

IDC Future of Work Conference

March 15, 2023 in London

International Data Corporation (IDC) is a global provider of analysis and insights, helping professionals take a data-driven approach to selecting technologies and formulating business plans. The conference aims to provide attendees with industry insights, recommendations, and valuable experiences from speakers, complete with networking opportunities. The main topics discussed will include ESG targets, democratized innovation, employee performance, and employee retention.

With a focus on data gathered from IDC’s Future of Work European Employee Survey, this conference focuses on why work is changing, from a data-driven perspective, highly focused on European trends.

WSJ Future of Everything

May 2-4, 2023 in NYC

Each year, the newsroom at the Wall Street Journal identifies who and what is changing the future to compile their Future of Everything conference. While the conference isn’t solely focused on the future of work, given the influx of news on the topic, there are dedicated sections for both technology and work. 

Hear from featured speaker T.S. Anil, CEO of Monzo, a British online bank, as he breaks down why company culture matters as much as the bottom line and what Monzo’s recent U.S. launch means for the future of online banking.

With a broader focus than other conferences listed, attendees will be able to receive a birds-eye view of, quite literally, the future of everything. 

Reworked CONNECT

May 10-12, 2023 in Austin, TX

The Reworked CONNECT conference is produced by Simpler Media Group, the parent brand of the Reworked and CMSWire professional communities. As a result, this conference is highly focused on employee experience and workplace leadership. Attendees will have the opportunity to see inside today’s most productive workplaces and make new connections within the Reworked community. 

The conference features five different tracks: 

  1. Leadership & the Modern Organization
  2. Employee Experience: Design, Build, Listen & Optimize
  3. The Digital Workplace: Intranets, Collaboration & Killer Apps
  4. Future of Work: Intelligence, Automation & Virtual
  5. Talent Development & Enterprise Learning 

The array of tracks is perfect for mid-to-senior level employees to learn how to better adapt employee experiences within their organization. 

Gartner Digital Workplace Summit

May 15-16, 2023 in London, June 12-13, 2023 in San Diego, CA, and August 29-30, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan

The Gartner Digital Workplace Summit focuses on two digital workplace trends: distributing work and enhancing the digital employee experience. The conference provides an ideal mix of insights and research-based talks to allow participants to better understand these topics and find strategies to improve their outcomes.

Attendees have the options to choose from four different tracks:

  1. Lead and Execute a Digital Workplace Strategy
  2. Optimize Technology to Get Work Done
  3. Construct Solid Infrastructure and Operations Foundations
  4. Power a Connected Digital Employee Experience

If you are an IT executive or digital workplace leader, this conference is for you! With three locations and multiple tracks to choose from, this summit will allow attendees to join peers to build their network, learn, and meet experts in the digital workplace.

Future of Work USA

June 6-7, 2023 in Chicago, IL

The Future of Work USA event launched in 2019 with the goal of focusing on the latest trends and strategies surrounding senior executives. With a smaller focus on tech, the Future of Work conference is perfect for those within the HR, communication, or employee experience realm of business. Future of Work will also host conferences in Canada, APAC, Europe throughout 2023. Attendees will have the opportunity to view panels and presentations, network, and participate in discussion groups. 

Attendees of Future of Work USA will receive great value at a competitive price, with speakers from top companies such as Coca-Cola, BP, Starbucks, and Walmart.

Forbes Future Of Work Summit

June 8, 2023 in NYC

The Forbes Future of Work Summit, hosted both in-person and virtually, centers around how to manage an increasingly distributed workforce, offering solutions for a more sustainable, profitable, and inclusive way of working.

Recently, Forbes has begun to highlight executives, organizations, and thought leaders shaping the office of tomorrow in an annual Forbes Future of Work 50 list. Expect some of these top contributors to be involved in this year’s summit.

While the agenda and speakers have not yet been announced for the 2023 summit, interested attendees can take a look at the 2022 agenda, speakers, and sponsors to get a better idea of the conference offerings and key findings.

Whether you have already embraced flexible workplaces, or you need a bit more convincing, these nine conferences are sure to provide expert insight on the future of work and help you stay ahead of the competition.

CIO’s Future of Work Summit

September 30, 2023 – Virtual

CIO’s Future of Work Summit will focus on sharing expert tips for managing a remote workforce and maintaining top talent amid a rapidly changing landscape.

Previous topics from their February summit touched on:

  • How to retain valuable team members is the face of rising inflation
  • How to approach and discuss employee monitoring
  • Ways to maximize the benefits of in-office collaboration time
  • The best and latest collaboration tools

If you are a CIO or innovative leader, you won’t be disappointed by joining this virtual summit. Previous summits have featured top leaders from Forbes, Adobe, Qualtrics, Zscaler, and more.

Future of Work Expo

February 14-15, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Get ready for an electrifying glimpse into the future of work! The Future of Work Expo is where cutting-edge technologies, employee experiences, and ground-breaking ideas collide. This Future of Work Expo is all about empowering technology leaders, influencers, and decision-makers with game-changing strategies to maximize workplace productivity and help them to keep delivering an amazing customer experiences.

With networking events, giveaways, and an onsite start up pitch showcase, there is no shortage of exciting opportunities to interact with the leaders and future change-makers across the technology industry.

Gartner Digital Workplace Summit

March 18-19 2024 in Grapevine, TX

The Gartner Digital Workplace Summit is centered around the new and significant challenges that have evolved out of the changing work landscape. The summit’s goal is to provide workplace leaders with the tools and support as they navigate redefining their workplace culture, connectivity, and creativity in the here-to-stay world of hybrid and remote work.

At their previous summit these were the top discussion and presentation points where leaders learned how to:

  • Create a Digital Employee Experience
  • Champion Digital Skills
  • Connect Everything to Value
  • Develop Workforce Digital Dexterity
  • Focus on talent to drive the Future of Work

Previously, the conference has offered a variety of different tracks based on attendee interests and roles in their respective organizations.

The Future of Software in the Evolving Workplace

The flexible workspace will continue to be an important driver of employee satisfaction and productivity. In order to ensure success, it is essential that the software organizations use enables both remote and hybrid models.

While some executives are set on returning to the office, the reasons they’ve given for their push may not be backed by data. Developed to help with the needs of modern remote work, MultiShare offers remote and distributed teams the long-desired ability to share their screens simultaneously in a Microsoft Teams call. Discover more about what your team can do in Frameable Spaces and advance into the future of work today.

Add simultaneous screen sharing to Microsoft Teams

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remote work

Countering 7 Return to the Physical Office Benefits Myths

modern office conference room with computers and cups on the work table, but no people

Every few days, there seems to be a media frenzy around another large company’s CEO calling their workers back to their physical offices. The reasons they’ve cited include everything from productivity losses to remote work being unsuitable for inspiring creativity and innovation. 

But as someone who has worked fully remotely for the past six years—and worked from home weekly in my decade at a Fortune 500 company—something didn’t ring true. So I took a look at the data. And guess what? The data tells a different story about some of the most commonly cited reasons about the benefits of working in the physical office.

Read on for some of the most frequent reasons companies are recalling their workforce into the office and recent research that provides a different perspective.

Myth 1: Working in the office is necessary to enable collaboration and foster teamwork.

Scientific American’s review of research found that the larger the in-person group, the fewer novel ideas each person has—but the opposite is the case for electronic brainstorming. The more people included in your virtual brainstorming session, the larger number of novel ideas per person. Now that the majority of workers have access to digital collaboration tools, according to the Gartner, Inc. Digital Worker Experience Survey, there’s little reason to get the team together in person for many collaborative tasks. Still not convinced? Consider the sustained success of fully remote companies such as GitLab, Automattic, and InVision.

Myth 2: You can’t build a cohesive company culture without everyone in the office together.

SHRM’s Organizational Culture toolkit mentions numerous factors that go into creating a cohesive culture, but—spoiler alert—having your entire workforce in the same physical space isn’t one of them. Similarly, McKinsey’s research into the factors influencing last year’s Great Resignation found employees seek greater connection with leaders and aspire to be part of a cohesive team. But that didn’t mean they wanted to come into the office. To retain employees, organizations need to evolve their approach to building community, cohesion, and a sense of belonging at work. 

Myth 3: Workers are more productive in the physical office than working remotely.

Gallup research indicates that remote workers are more productive than on-site workers. That’s because workers with the opportunity to work from home are more engaged, which has been shown to improve productivity and lead to the best business outcomes. The WFH project’s ongoing research similarly found that nearly six out of 10 workers reported being more productive working from home than they expected to be, compared with 14 percent who said they got less done. On average, respondents’ productivity at home was 7 percent higher than they expected.

Myth 4: Remote workers have low morale and feel isolated.

A survey by the mental health research website Tracking Happiness found that the ability to work remotely is positively correlated with employee happiness. Those fully remote workers reported a happiness level about  20% higher than full-time office workers. A study from the ADP Research Institute — titled People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View — agreed with those findings, finding remote employees to be more optimistic (89%) than their on-premises coworkers (77%) and have more job satisfaction (90%) compared to those that commute to the office (82%). Additionally, a mid-2020 McKinsey study found a 55% increase in job satisfaction for remote workers. So while some employees may have felt isolated or had low morale in the early days of the pandemic when Covid restrictions replaced much of their daily routines with being stuck in their homes 24/7, that doesn’t appear to have persisted.

Myth 5: Workers need to be in the office to access specific resources and equipment that is only available in the office.

Not every job lends itself to working from home. For example, if you are a machinist, you need to be on the shop floor where the machine you’re employed to run is physically located.  But many jobs—even blue-collar jobs typically associated with being on-site only—have found ways to be remote-friendly. McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey found 58 percent of Americans who have the opportunity to work from home do so at least one day a week. Further, 35 percent of respondents report having the option to work from home five days a week. If you’re thinking they must have just surveyed coastal knowledge workers, think again. Their respondents work in a wide range of jobs across the country and include workers in jobs commonly thought of as “blue collar” positions requiring on-site work.

Myth 6: Digital work makes it harder to protect sensitive information and data.

A recent article in CPO magazine suggests that a home office might be as safe, if not more secure, than an office cubicle. Why? They hypothesized that perceived trust in physical office settings makes them less secure than many remote working environments. For example, unencrypted network protocols are extremely common on a corporate network, while most home networks have firewalls and password encryption. Then there’s the physical data theft aspect. While someone can easily tailgate employees into the company HQ and access computers or data on thumb drives, that’s pretty unlikely to happen at someone’s home office. And, if working from home was truly more of a security risk than being in the office, you’d expect to see at least one of the most significant data security incidents from 2022 in this report to have mentioned being caused by a remote worker.

Myth 7: It costs businesses more to subsidize workers working at home.

Some company leaders have said it’s costly to support allowing people to work remotely. But, in most cases, few employers are paying for much, if any, of the home office costs. So that argument may not hold much water. Also, starting in 2021, The WSJ reported companies expect to reap millions of dollars in savings in the years ahead as they scale back on office space. Global Workplace Analytics estimates companies could save over $500 billion a year in real estate, electricity, absenteeism, turnover, and productivity. And let’s not forget that those huge physical company HQs also required that companies pay for utilities, janitorial services, security, maintenance, office supplies, coffee and water service, parking spaces, transit subsidies, ADA compliance, and furniture, to name a few recurring expenses.

It doesn’t take a physical office to give your people a sense of being part of a cohesive team. But it is important to bring your remote workers together in a virtual space that inspires collaboration and interaction. See how Frameable Spaces can give your distributed teams all the benefits of working together, no matter where they are.

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remote work

How A Virtual Office Manager Can Support Your Remote or Hybrid Team

black woman working on laptop in a modern office

After three years of remote work, more than 80% of employees agree that their overall wellbeing has improved because of remote and hybrid working arrangements, and 64% would even look for a new job if their employer made it mandatory to return to the workplace full-time. 

But as many teams have learned the hard way, simply allowing employees to work remotely does not mean you are providing a great work experience. Just as with the physical office, your virtual workspace needs someone charged with making your company a great place to work. 

In this blog post, we explore a new essential company role: the virtual office manager. Read on to learn about which organizations may benefit from hiring this position, what a virtual office manager’s day-to-day job entails, and what to include in your job description to attract the right candidate to your remote team.

Who Needs A Virtual Office Manager

If you are a team of two or three, a virtual assistant may be a better role to add than a virtual office manager. But, if you have five or more remote workers using one or more digital technologies to collaborate, it’s worth evaluating if a virtual office manager makes sense. Ask yourself these questions to decide if a virtual office manager is a good fit for your team:

  • Do our executives spend significant portions of their day on administrative tasks? 
  • Is our company growing quickly? 
  • Are we disorganized in our processes and systems?
  • Do we make it a priority to address our employees’ needs quickly and effectively?
  • Is our general company email inbox overflowing?
  • Can we bring on a new team member, given our financial situation?

If you answered no to any of these, it might be beneficial to spend some time developing your remote work policy—we share five steps to get you started here. On the other hand, if you answered yes to all the above questions, read on to uncover your path to hiring the right virtual office manager. 

What Does a Virtual Office Manager Job Entail?

Virtual office managers can complete many tasks to free up your executive team’s time and support your remote employee needs.

A virtual office manager job will greatly vary company by company. But a few things a virtual office manager can do include:

  • Handle all internal communications
  • Plan and manage company events
  • Support finance teams with billing and payroll 
  • Onboard new employees
  • Assist with tech setup and support
  • Research new office software tools and solutions
  • Coordinate the use of software tools across teams
  • Arrange executive travel
  • Book appointments and meeting spaces
  • Field and manage any inbound emails from prospective clients
  • Create guides and how-to docs to improve the employee experience

An office manager was previously seen as a luxury for smaller offices. However, one of the many benefits of remote work is it allows companies to find the right full or part-time office manager, without any geographic restrictions, to fit their budget. This makes it significantly easier to justify adding this much-needed support to your team. 

Before you bring on a virtual office manager, you need to understand how they will help your team. Align your cross-departmental leadership to understand what you’re looking for in a virtual office manager. What is your goal for hiring a virtual office manager? Will they support your executive, HR, and finance teams? What specific tasks does the team need them to handle?

Document the various responsibilities you envision for your virtual office manager and identify who they will report to. This background will help you to prepare your job posting. 

Key Elements of a Virtual Office Manager Job Description

Most of the current virtual office manager job openings are positioned as an office manager that works remotely. That works, but there’s room for the job to evolve and reflect its unique role in the future of work.

We recommend you include these elements in your virtual office manager job description: 

  • Your company description: What does your brand do, and what do you seek to accomplish? A compelling company description can help candidates understand if they connect with your company’s mission and purpose. 
  • Time commitment: Is this position full-time or part-time? When will your office manager be expected to work, and in what time zone? Be specific in this section so candidates can decide whether the time requirements are right for them. 
  • Key responsibilities: What do you expect the office manager to do? Provide as many details as possible, including possible day-to-day and recurring duties. For example, if several departments will share your virtual office manager, it could help to disclose what portion of their job will be spent on specific needs (such as 25% on executive support, 25% on HR administrative tasks, and 50% on general office management). 
  • Soft and hard skills: What are the required skills for the job? Consider both hard and soft skills, such as prior experience in your field or familiarity with specific programs, as well as ideal behavioral traits like an eagerness to learn and being a problem solver. 
  • Virtual office tools: What tools power your remote office? List any platforms the virtual office manager will need to use or champion—but remember that an ideal candidate can quickly learn how to use your tools, regardless of prior experience. 
  • Expected salary or pay rate: Some states require you to post a salary range with any published job listing. Even if a state does not require this, your candidates will appreciate it, and it can help filter out candidates seeking higher compensation. 

Give Your Team a More Engaging Virtual Workspace

The virtual and hybrid remote experience will increasingly become a competitive differentiator for brands, but there’s one team hire that could give you a serious advantage—a virtual office manager.

Virtual office managers play an integral role in orchestrating your remote work experience and ensuring your employees can thrive. The job varies across companies, and a virtual office manager can help with everything from administrative work to key culture activities that strengthen your team morale.

Having the right team for remote work is essential for protecting your business, but you can’t forget about the tools you use to connect.

We’ve built Frameable Spaces to provide online spaces for modern remote work, empowering teams to self-organize and interact just as they would in the physical office. Learn more about what your team can do in Frameable Spaces and try it for free today: https://frameable.com/spaces

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remote work

Cutting Through the Metaverse Hype to Find the Real Future of Work

white desk with hands all around it holding various work tools including notebooks and laptops

Over the past few months, I’ve watched the business press come full circle on the Metaverse. First, there was the hype about how virtual reality and augmented reality were the future of everything. Now, it’s a ballad of disappointment about how lackluster Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the Metaverse is turning out to be so far.

It’s important to note, however, these articles aren’t saying that workers don’t want to work remotely and don’t need a virtual environment — just that Meta’s version of the Metaverse isn’t the virtual workspace anyone’s looking for. So let’s take a look at the most shared and commented-on articles to gain insight into what people actually want in a virtual workspace.

The Metaverse in 2040 (Pew Research)

As with the rest of Pew’s research portfolio, this research provides a balanced view of the Metaverse and its pros and cons. The 624 technology experts they interviewed expect to see ‘extended’ reality become part of our daily lives by 2040. But they also foresee augmented-reality and mixed-reality tools gaining traction, vs. the more-fully-immersive virtual reality worlds currently synonymous for many with the Metaverse.

This article also has some pretty on-the-nose criticisms, including this one, which delves into the motivations behind some of our biggest ad-tech companies being the pioneers of the Metaverse:

“The term metaverse was coined to describe a corporate, dystopian hellscape where a completely financialized world is stripped of any culture and value. Advocates of the metaverse are currently trying to bring that vision into reality in the hopes of creating new digital surfaces that can be covered in new advertising and made as addictive as possible. As the physical world encounters saturation of existing advertising surfaces and data collection, augmented reality is the new frontier of surveillance capitalism. If it does come to fruition, it will be as terrible as social media is today.”
— Justin Reich, associate professor of digital media at MIT and director of the Teaching Systems Lab.

Reich has a good point, even if you aren’t a social media naysayer. We’ve seen the unintended negative consequences of how platforms like Facebook have monetized their users’ data for the benefit of advertisers. Imagine what could happen if those companies who couldn’t handle your personal data already had access to your workplace’s intellectual property and private information.

Meta Quest Pro: A $1,500 Virtual-Reality Headset for Working in the Metaverse (WSJ)

While Google Cardboard is an affordable way of accessing the Metaverse’s VR worlds, no one wants to strap cardboard against their face for hours of meetings. It’s designed for occasional use for a leisure activity—not for wearing all day in a work environment.

While Facebook already had a $400 headset in the market, it wasn’t meant for prolonged use at the office. So they introduced a $1,500 virtual reality headset that’s more comfortable, has improved controls, and can track your eye and facial movements and sync them with your Metaverse avatar. Presumably, the buyers of this state-of-the-art headset are, as the WSJ surmises, architects, engineers, and designers, plus tech early adopters.

Unfortunately, the article notes, the new headset’s charge only lasts for 1-2 hours, depending on what you’re doing while wearing it. It then needs to recharge for two hours before you’re ready for your next meeting. I guess that could work for those who have chosen the 4-hour workday. But for busy professionals who can have days of back-to-back meetings and collaboration sessions, it’s problematic on many levels.

As the author quips in closing, “I just think we’re going to need something a little cooler than avatars gathered around three-dimensional Excel sheets for this whole metaverse thing to take off.”

The Metaverse Doesn’t have a Leg to Stand on (Literally)

While there were dozens—if not hundreds—of articles making fun of the floating bottomless avatars populating the Metaverse, these two stood out for their approach to covering the announcement from the Meta team that legs were in the works for their floating avatars.

Presumably, the developers who are surprised by the general public’s lack of enthusiasm for this news may also be unaware that MMORPGs like the World of Warcraft have had 3-D avatars with legs for almost two decades. And to be fair—we’re not controlling those avatars with our body movements. But the fact is—no one cares if it’s going to be hard to do. The current offering just doesn’t meet modern consumers’ expectations.

Legs are finally coming to Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse, Vox

“The fact that now Zuckerberg is prioritizing legs in the metaverse shows how much public perception of the metaverse matters, and that the toughest challenge to Meta succeeding may be solving the technology’s seemingly simple (although technically complex) visual problems. Meta needs to show that it’s in touch with reality, even as it builds an alternate universe.”

(Vox)

Legs are coming to the Metaverse and everyone is…underwhelmed, Mashable

This Mashable article rounds up Tweeted reactions to the addition of legs to the Metaverse, including these:

“Unsurprisingly, people are underwhelmed by the update, just as they seem to be about the metaverse. The same can be said for Meta’s employees, apparently.”

(Mashable)

So What Do People Want From a Virtual Office?

One recurring theme across these pieces, and other metaverse coverage, is people want a reason to log in to these virtual spaces to work. Not a mandate from the C-suite that they have to use these tools. They want these spaces to have unique persistent tools, resources, and frameworks that help them work better together.  Novelty is not enough!

While remote work has freed many people from the office, it hasn’t changed their desire or need to collaborate and have face-to-face time with their colleagues and managers—even if it is virtual. It’s our job to do our best work, and that means working together in many cases.  As one of the companies committed to making these virtual worlds of work inclusive and accessible to all, we know that in the end, the work is only as good as the people who can and do put their shoulders into it. VR headsets should not be required.

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