A remote worker, a hybrid worker and an office worker "walk" into a virtual meeting. What happens next?
When you go to a party, there are cues about what's expected: the dress code, the venue, who's there and what's being celebrated. There's still no written guide, which for some people is where the anxiety starts.
Joining a new team is similar. Everyone else seems to know how things are done, and nobody wrote it down. Add hybrid and remote work, people in different time zones, and new tools arriving every few months, and those unwritten rules multiply. Unspoken assumptions turn into misunderstandings, and misunderstandings turn into friction.
A team agreement (some teams call it a social contract or working agreement) makes the expectations visible. Once they're agreed, it's easier to hold yourself and each other to them.
Before you start
The team needs to create it together. A few people drafting it and everyone else nodding along won't do the job. People hold to what they helped build.
Allow 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the team and how detailed you want to be. If it's your first one, start with concrete, specific items like the ones below. They're easier to agree on than values.
What to cover
Communication and knowledge sharing
- What is each channel for? Is a phone call or text only for urgent things?
- Are there expectations about how quickly people reply to email or chat?
- Which chat tool do you use, and for what?
- Where does shared knowledge live, so people aren't hunting through inboxes?
Meetings
- Is there always an agenda? Who records notes and actions?
- Is there pre-work, and is it actually done?
- Cameras on or off? What happens if someone is running late?
- Is joining while driving or walking ever OK?
- What could be handled without a meeting at all?
AI tools
- What's fine to draft, summarise or analyse with AI, and what isn't?
- When do you say that AI was used?
- What information should never go into an AI tool?
Hours and availability
- Core hours, if any, and how you handle contact out of hours.
How you treat each other
- Asking for and offering help
- Asking for and offering feedback
- What happens when someone breaks the agreement
Once the team is comfortable with it, you can simplify it into a few value statements. "We respect that time is precious" covers being on time, coming prepared and paying attention, without listing each one.
An example for a short-lived group
In one training workshop, the facilitator set the working agreement below. With limited time together, they asked the group to agree to it rather than spending time co-creating one. That's usually fine for a group working together for a day or two. Asking for contributions as pre-work is a good middle ground.
Some of the terms are unfamiliar until explained. "Rabbit ears" means we've gone down a rabbit hole, so let's get back on track. "Roman voting" is thumbs up or down for yes and no. "Vegas rules" means the discussion stays in the room.
Making it stick
Accountability. Holding each other to it sounds simple. But will you speak up when the boss breaks it? Everyone slips at some point. What matters is naming it and working out how to do better.
Regular review. A fortnightly or monthly retro is a good moment to celebrate progress, spot what needs to change and commit to specific actions.
Updates. Revisit the agreement when someone new joins, when the team's way of working changes, or when a new tool changes how work gets done.
Want help creating your team's first agreement? It's one of the things we do in our workshops and team days. Book a call.
