An expert from the Association for Consulting Expertise responds to a reader’s question about how to keep pace in the new virtual working environment, especially when it comes to the day-to-day, personal interactions of a brick-and-mortar workplace.
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Q: There are many things I’ve learned to like about working remotely, but endless email chains and scheduled Zoom calls to answer simple questions aren’t among them. Even when a virtual meeting is appropriate, I feel like I’m out of step. What’s going on, and how do I fix it?
ACE Advises: In a traditional workplace we pick up information by chance, often without realizing it. We have coffee-room conversations about project work outside of meetings. We pick up other cues that ease interaction. A messy desk signals that someone is busy, so we know to keep it short.
Remote workers feel particularly disconnected. You cannot bump into colleagues two states away. Maine’s Luke Thomas, creator of Friday, a communications app for remote teams, has identified three pain points for remote workers: “Knowing what other people are working on, who they are working with, and how they fit into the big picture.”
The virtual workplace requires us to retune our understanding of what communications methods work for what purposes. “Email is appropriate when the chance of misinterpretation is low,” says Thomas. “Real time interactions build relationships and resolve ambiguity.” Conversely, some meetings should really have been emails. Video boredom is real.
Here are some suggestions for recapturing interpersonal elements missing from virtual meetings:
- Encourage interaction: Start meetings with informal discussions, quick games or check ins. Don’t start right into business.
- Acknowledgment: Pay attention to each person’s personal style and acknowledge their contributions in kind. Think of the difference between horns and balloons. Extroverts like strong affirmations. Introverts like to know that their comments and ideas are valuable to the collaborative whole.
- Learn behaviors: There are tools and assessments that evaluate behavioral styles, motivators, and soft skills and provide the insights you lose in a remote platform.
For more on this topic, see “Remote Work: Tuning in to the Right Channel” at consultexpertise.com/blog/10038960.
Francis Eberle of Price Associates is a leadership and organization advisor, with over 30 years’ experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He can be reached at francis@price-associates.com.
