Let’s Gather Again, But Better

The In-person Imperative of a Remote-first Culture

How many times in the past year have you asked yourself—is it safe to travel? Should I travel? Have the rules changed? When it comes to gathering for work, some of us are fully back to our pre-pandemic cadence, some of us are just jumping in, and without a doubt, we are all a bit rusty. 

What used to be a well-worn path of hopping on a plane or gathering in an office to work on a project now feels like a lot of disruption. I find myself wondering if in-person time is even necessary in a healthy remote-first work environment? And yet, the moment I am back in person with my colleagues, the answer is undeniable. Yes. 

Remote-first Does Not Mean Remote-only 

Phase2 found ourselves well-prepared when the pandemic hit as we had been set up for remote work for quite some time. And as tides are changing once again to embody the nuance of excellent remote-first environments, we look to what makes remote-first thrive.

And one thing we know for sure is that remote-first requires periodic in-person gatherings. The work we do is challenging—working with our clients to positively impact the lives of their customers means we have to bring the best of our minds, talents, and hearts. We have to persuade, negotiate, prioritize, and communicate, which can all be taxing to working relationships, especially when it is all done over Zoom. 

"In person, our exercises gain extra depth—we interact with each other as much as we do the information. If we're posting ideas and thoughts to a board in a conference room, everyone has to negotiate for space and the sticky notes and the markers. You see everyone else's stickies as they post them. There is side chatter that couldn't happen on a Zoom. In-person, we get so much more out of the same exercise."  
                                                           —Felicia Haynes, Senior Director of Client Services

In a remote-first environment, in-person gatherings are the critical lifeline that fuels working remotely the majority of the time. Being in physical proximity to one another allows us non-verbal communication cues, creates the opportunity for spontaneous, casual conversation and interaction, and helps us attend to one another without the distractions of a virtual setting.

A purposefully planned, condensed period of time together facilitates connection, creates belonging, and bonds us in shared purpose.

“Belonging cues are behaviors that create safe connections in groups. They include, among others, proximity, eye contact, energy, mimicry, turn taking, attention, body language, vocal pitch, consistency of emphasis, and whether everyone talks to everyone else in the group.” 
                                                           —Daniel Coyle, “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups”

Gather Regularly and with Intention

For Phase2, remote-first is a way of life. It is a commitment we work hard to maintain and evolve. We are skillful wielders of remote working tools and practices, we build intentional, excellent meetings, and we meet in-person regularly. 

A critical backbone of our remote-first culture is our P2Con gathering. We bring everyone together once annually for two days of recalibration around our purpose and vision, teaching each other, and building and renewing our relationships.

A leader in forward thinking hybrid work environments, Canva announced a policy bringing everyone into the office quarterly for their “season openers.” Charlotte Anderson, talent attraction lead, notes, “there is a huge sense of celebration of what has happened in the previous season and also goal setting and looking forward to what is to come.” 

It is easy to forget after three years of working mostly from home, but to be our best, sharpest, most empathetic and effective, being in-person is critical. We gather with each other and with our clients to:

• Workshop new digital products and challenges
• Participate in trainings to learn new skills and stay sharp
• Co-work on shared projects
• Retreat in functional groups for deep planning 
• Socialize and share experiences 

And when we do get together, we do it with purpose and intention. We do in-person what we cannot do apart. In “The Art of Gathering,” Priya Parker notes, “the test for a meaningful reason for coming together: Does it stick its neck out a little bit? Does it take a stand? Is it willing to unsettle some of the guests (or maybe the host)? Does it refuse to be everything to everyone?” 

For 2023, we are deep in planning with our clients for amazing, facilitated in-person meetings, we are gathering as a team for P2Con in Costa Rica, and we are self-organizing on Slack for any opportunity for impromptu regional gatherings.

As we dust off our travel-size toothpaste and check our boarding passes one more time, we also have the opportunity to ask ourselves how we can emerge in a more thoughtful, conscious way. In the new era of business travel, we can prioritize creating incredible experiences, being responsible stewards of the environment in our travel footprint and material use, and treating in-person gatherings as required maintenance for a strong remote-first environment. 

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