A remote worker, a hybrid worker and an office worker “walk” into a virtual meeting… What do you think happens?
When you go to a party, how do you know what is expected of you? There are a few cues: the dress code, the location, the attendees, what is being celebrated… They all help you to understand what’s expected of you. But there’s still no written guide, which for some can create anxiety.
Figuring out how things are done and how people work together can be a similar challenge when you start a new job or change teams. And now those expectations can vary with hybrid and remote teams! These are such different ways of connecting and collaborating that it’s important to set clear expectations, to reduce assumptions and misunderstandings that can lead to conflict within the team. Social contracts are an intentional way to set clear expectations. Then it’s easier (and more likely) you’ll hold yourself and each other accountable.
Before you get started...
This is definitely something the team need to create together. It's not enough for a few people to create it and the team to simply agree to it - they need to create it, own it and hold each other accountable.
Depending on the size of your team, and how detailed you want to be, you’ll need 45-60 minutes.
If you haven't done a social contract before, it might be easier to start with more tangible, specific items, like the list below.
Common things to cover include:
Communication and knowledge sharing
What will you use each channel for? E.g. is SMS only for emergencies?
Emails: are there expectations to reply within a certain timeframe?
Chat – which type will you use? Whats app, Slack, Teams messages…
Storing knowledge – Confluence, shared drives, Sharepoint
Meeting norms
Do you have an agenda?
Who records notes and actions?
What preparation is needed? Is there prework?
Video on / off, mute on / off?
What happens if someone is running late?
Driving, walking etc – is this ok in some meetings?
Do you have asynchronous meetings?
Hours of work / contact out of hours
Expected behaviour around:
Asking for and offering help
Asking for and offering feedback
Breaches of the social contract
Once the team are more comfortable with it, you might want to simplify it down into value statements, which tend to be capture more of a vibe and a general expectation, E.g. “We respect that time is precious.” This covers a range of expectations, like being on time, coming prepared, and paying attention, rather than listing them out individually.
An example for a temporary group
In a recent training workshop, the facilitator set the below "working agreement". With limited time together, he asked for agreement, rather than spending time co-creating a social contract. This is typically ok for groups working together for a very short period ( a day or two) if you really can't spare the time, or ask for contributions as prework.
Some of these terms might be unfamiliar but make sense once explained. E.g. "rabbit ears" is a symbol for going down a rabbit hole, let's get back on track; "Roman voting" is thumbs up/thumbs down for yes and no; "Vegas rules" means the discussion stays in the room.
A few other things to keep in mind.
Accountability. Holding each other accountable sounds simple. But will you speak up if the boss breaks the social contract? At some point, most people are likely to slip. What’s important is acknowledging it and figuring out ways to improve future behaviours.
Continuous improvement. A regular review, something like a fortnightly or monthly “retro”, is a great opportunity to celebrate progress, identify improvements and commit to specific actions.
Changes. When do you review the social contract? Common times are when new staff join, or there are new ways of working, like a compressed 4 day work week.
Want some help creating your first social contract?
We can help. Book a free intro call to get started.
Comments