How to Strengthen Trust and Connection in a Remote-First Organization

How to Strengthen Trust and Connection in a Remote-First Organization

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | Scott Marshall, Kaleem Clarkson
Scott Marshall
Play Episode: 3
40 minutes

🎙️ Rebuilding Remote-First Workplace Culture After Crisis

What does it take to rebuild a thriving remote-first workplace culture after a crisis while staying true to a mission that spans the globe?

In this new episode of Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson speaks with Scott Marshall, President & CEO of the Institute for Shipboard Education, home to the iconic Semester at Sea program. Scott shares how his purpose-driven nonprofit rebuilt its global workplace culture around flexibility, trust, and remote collaboration, all while keeping a distributed team connected and engaged.

Recovering from COVID-related revenue loss and the shutdown of voyages wasn’t easy. Rebuilding trust during layoffs and overcoming generational bias toward in-office work made it even more challenging. But as Scott says, “If you want the best people, go national.” That mindset opened the door to a stronger, more resilient team with engagement scores in the high 80s and 90s.

From biannual all-staff retreats to intentional onboarding, Scott reveals practical ways to keep mission-driven global teams connected and thriving.

🎧 Listen now to discover actionable strategies for building culture, connection, and performance in remote-first organizations, no matter the distance!

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