As we are well and truly back on the road to the office and it is becoming apparent that we will largely be operating in a hybrid work model, I think it is worthwhile revisiting how we can deliberately create a connected culture while working remotely. Working in a team that is not physically together all the time does come with challenges, but they are not insurmountable. It requires that you are more “present” in the interactions that you do have because it is more annoying when someone is distracted on the phone or video call as it is not as easy to get a sense of what is distracting the other party.
The time that you spend with your team needs to be more structured and focused but that will actually free up more time in your day. To have engaged employees, they need to feel connected to their team, the vision, the company, and their work. Being present, having a clear agenda for meetings, encouraging sharing with all on the call and allowing everyone to build relationships enables connection. This can still be created remotely. It just requires a little innovation and intention. When we remove the “water cooler chats” from our workday, different techniques need to be explored to generate social connection in the team. When the team feels connected, this enables a supportive environment to thrive, happiness in the workplace to rise, and productivity within the team to soar. Not only are happier employees nicer to have around and easier to lead, they are also more productive.
We also need to be aware of video fatigue, determine which interactions will be enhanced by video and if it will not enhance the experience, simply make it a call or an email. The virtual coffee chat is invaluable to replace a water cooler chat, a more casual environment encourages social interaction, and for these, be sure to steer the conversation away from “day to day work” but focus on areas of frustration, positives attributes to the way of working, and ideas on how the team can better engage.
I have had the great pleasure to attend many virtual conferences in the past year and it is truly brilliant in the level of engagement that can be elicited in the format. I consider myself an expert in leading geographically dispersed teams but these conferences have lifted me to a new level. It reinforced to me the importance of being fully present and I learned that being in the same room was irrelevant. It certainly has helped my online facilitation.
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