The TroopHR Podcast Ep 38. Designing Connection in Remote Teams with Jessica Zwaan and Jared Kleiner
Aug 18, 2025
In this lively discussion, Jessica Zwaan, COO of Talentful, and Jared Kleiner, CEO of Offsite, dive into the art of fostering connection in remote teams. They share compelling strategies to enhance trust and creativity, emphasizing the importance of intentional interactions. Jessica reveals Talentful's unique 'Belly Full' dinners for top performers, while Jared emphasizes maximizing ROI from offsites to prevent burnout. Together, they highlight the evolving role of HR leaders in crafting meaningful experiences that strengthen team dynamics.
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Reward Top Performers With Shared Experiences
- Do create intentional experiences to reward and connect high performers, like a quarterly shared dinner.
- Jessica Zwaan describes flying top performers together for a Michelin tasting to build bonds and memories.
Use Daily Async Check-Ins
- Implement programmatic daily rhythms like async check-ins to surface status and celebrate wins.
- Jared Kleinert recommends GeekBot in Slack for optional daily prompts that boost visibility and accountability.
Publish Strategy And Metrics Publicly
- Make company strategy transparent by storing scorecards and OKRs in a shared space like Notion.
- Jared Kleinert urges open access to metrics, vision, and goals so anyone can align and contribute.