People have been working virtually (remote working) for years. To be fair, for many organisations, it was the odd few working remotely vs. the majority.
The parent returning from maternity leave or the new hire who lived interstate. Or the odd day working from home when there was a kid home sick with gastro.
Many organisations have dabbled in remote working rather than mastered it.
The issue, when we dabble in anything, we fail to put the effort or strategies in place to ensure success. We’re less likely to set up the systems, technologies and rituals necessary to make working remotely, effective for everyone. Often this leads to remote workers feeling out of the loop, disconnected from the team and employers concluding “this remote working, ain’t for us!”
Suddenly, the world was disrupted and we were all forced to STAY HOME. And so began the largest human experiment, in real-time, of navigating this new working paradigm, worldwide. Whether we wanted to or not.
Recently, we asked our clients, stakeholders and friends “What is your main concern about the ‘human’ aspect of working at home?”. Interestingly enough, the number one concern was overwhelming “The fear of feeling isolated from the team”.
I get it.
When working remotely, your boss and teammates can hear you on calls and see you in video calls, they can talk to you over Slack or e-mail, but they can’t physically see you working. They can’t read your body language and they can’t stop by for a casual chit chat on their way to the kitchen.
It’s natural to start wondering if your boss or teammates will really understand you and the value that you’re adding.
The challenge - how do we possibly maintain the feeling of connection and sense of belonging when we are not seeing each other face to face?
And now here’s the interesting bit. The paradox, even.
This human experiment, has in many instances, led to greater feelings of connectedness than ever before! But how? To me, it’s simply the power of INTENTION. It reminds me of a line from one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs, ‘Living in Sin’:
“You can talk but still say nothing, Stay together, but alone”
(if you don’t know this classic 1988 ballard, check it out here, it’s a ripper)
Working with someone, face to face, in the office does not guarantee a deep connection. Similarly, having meeting after meeting in the office, doesn’t guarantee effective communication.
In fact, sometimes the busyness of the office leads to shallow human interactions and poor communication. We make assumptions and disconnection results.
This experiment has levelled up the playing field.
Suddenly, it’s the norm that everyone is working remotely, not the exception. As such, we’ve been compelled to get intentional about developing unique ways for teams to connect and communicate as a whole.
Working remotely has forced us all to sharpen our connection skills in ways that have been surprisingly good. Here’s how.
We’ve communicated, with more intent. Due to this fear of disconnection, teams and leaders are communicating more intentionally than ever before. Being pro-active about team check in’s, proactive about video call’s, proactive about one on one conversations with direct reports, to check in on work and more importantly, wellbeing.
We’ve interacted, with more compassion. We’re all in this together, worldwide. None of us has the answers, so little wonder, we’re all feeling a little uncertain and even anxious. As such, leaders and teammates alike are showing they care, through kindness and empathy for each other. This, in turn, leads to better understanding and stronger relationships.
We’ve shared, more openly. Not only have we had to open up emotionally, we’ve opened up personally (whether we’ve wanted to or not). For the first time in many cases, we are seeing a glimpse into people’s real lives, their homes, their families, their hobbies. As humans, the more vulnerable we are, the more we trust and the deeper the connection.
We’ve bonded, more creatively and inclusively. Forget optional Friday night drinks as the only way to bond with our teammates. Fun, informal, virtual activities like ‘Behind the team’, ‘Team photo challenges’, ‘Walk n Talk’ meetings, are helping diverse teams get to know each other more deeply, than conventional team building activities that are designed for the extroverts (and a poor introverts worst nightmare). It’s levelled the playing field.
We’ve innovated, more tech-savvy solutions, fast. Organisations and teams have quickly had to look for better, smarter ways to connect and communicate to create clarity, accountability and foster collaboration for their dispersed teams. Much of the tech has been around for a while, but this human experiment has meant that organisations have had to leverage, deploy and embrace these tech tools, quickly. This has and will be a game-changer for the future success of remote working!
… Just wish I’d bought zoom shares back in 2019!
Who would have thought many of us have gone into this human experiment concerned that team connection might suffer and that levels of isolation would increase.
And yet as it turns out, not seeing each other and getting stuck in the day to day grind, and not having physical human interactions with your team can actually lead to us increasing our connection skills and building deeper, more meaningful relationships than ever before.
What have you and your team done to increase the level of connectedness in your team? What can we learn about the power of intentional behaviour and the benefits it can reap?
Stay safe, keep learning,
BLYTHE ROWE & Her Life on Heels.
The founder and director of Human Incite, is widely recognised for her passion, energy and her ability to shake things up. Blythe is brilliant at revving-up productivity and performance in organisations. She is on a mission to rid our workplaces of toxic behaviours, build meaningful relationships, personally and professionally and create workplaces worth belonging. Her enthusiasm simply is infectious!
#2020CHALLENGE: CONNECT WITH INTENT!
The busyness of the office can sometimes lead to shallow human interaction and poor communication. We can make assumptions and disconnection can result.
How can we maintain the feeling of connection and sense of belonging when we are not seeing each other face-to-face?
Download our #2020Challenge and take part in our July Challenge to start communicate intentionally to stay connected with your team today!