4 Tips for Navigating Social Skills at Work in a Remote-First World
The Social Skills Reset
After years of remote and hybrid work, the unwritten rules of professional interaction have been completely rewritten. How you show up in a Slack message, a video call, or a once-a-quarter in-person meeting matters more than ever — because those touchpoints are fewer and more visible.
Whether you're fully remote, hybrid, or back in an office, these four strategies will help you build stronger professional relationships and stand out for the right reasons.
1. Communicate Expectations Early and Often
The biggest source of workplace friction isn't disagreement — it's misaligned expectations. In a remote-first world, you can't rely on hallway conversations to stay aligned. Be explicit about what you need, when you need it, and how you prefer to communicate.
This isn't being high-maintenance. It's being professional. The people who advance are the ones who make it easy for others to work with them.
2. Model the Behavior You Want to See
If you want your team to be responsive, be responsive. If you want honest feedback, give honest feedback first. If you want people to show up on camera, show up on camera. Leadership isn't about title — it's about setting the standard through your own actions.
3. Build Psychological Safety Into Every Interaction
People do their best work when they feel safe enough to take risks, ask questions, and admit what they don't know. You build psychological safety one interaction at a time — by listening without judgment, acknowledging contributions, and responding to mistakes with curiosity instead of blame.
This is especially critical in remote settings where tone is harder to read and people are more likely to second-guess themselves before speaking up.
4. Invest in Relationship-Building, Not Just Task Completion
It's tempting in a remote world to make every interaction transactional. Don't. The 30 seconds you spend asking a colleague how their weekend was, or the quick Slack message acknowledging someone's good work — that's what builds the trust that makes everything else work.
Your network isn't just who you know. It's who trusts you, who vouches for you, who thinks of you when an opportunity comes up. That's built through consistent, genuine relationship investment.
Your LinkedIn Reflects Your Social Skills
How you engage on LinkedIn — your comments, your posts, how you respond to others — is a direct reflection of your professional social skills. It's not enough to have a great profile. The professionals who get noticed are the ones who show up consistently and add value to conversations.
Not sure if your LinkedIn presence is working for you? Start with an audit from Avery and find out exactly where you stand.