Amid the ongoing efforts to adapt to the virtual workplace, it has become clear that it’s not ideal for every job or every person. But as virtual work becomes a significant adjustment for some organizations, and many individuals, it’s vital to ensure business continuity.
With that being said, it’s now more important than ever to align our teams and solve important problems to help shape the future landscape going forward. There are several things you and your employer can do to adapt to the new working environment, here are a few tips:
1. Providing Support: Managers need to play an active role in helping their employees adapt and transition even though they may not be working in the same, shared physical space as their employees. Virtual employees need to feel connected and supported even though they are working remotely. Long hours of working alone can result in a feeling of disconnection from a bigger entity such as the entire company and team members. When feeling disconnected, we fill the gaps with our thoughts, unconscious bias can set in and misconceptions begin to take hold.
2. Rules set in place can help minimize roadblocks or frustrations: This helps if all employees working remotely follow a straightforward and easily understood process or system. Things like ensuring that all virtual workers are on the same platform, sharing the same folders, applications and software can help align everyone in the department or company. This eliminates confusion and increases productivity.
3. Keeping engagement and collaboration high: Actively guiding discussions in virtual meetings to make sure everyone has equal access and opportunity to be heard is very important. This creates more confidence in the value of the meeting and promotes active participation by all team members. It’s more than simply setting up remote meetings. Working remotely also means ensuring those meetings go beyond a video conference with a shared presentation to create a truly collaborative, human-centred and results-driven experience.
4. Know when it’s time for a change: When working remotely it is important to help individuals recognize when they are losing focus and dropping in levels of productivity. Encourage the team to get up and do something different. This could include anything from removing your phone from the workspace, going for a walk or repositioning yourself away from any other distractions in the home.
In short, leaders and managers need to stay involved and engaged in every virtual employee’s well-being, work, and progress. Adapting to our new normal of remote working requires extra structure, purpose, and care. Remember that some employees may be loving the remoteness of work, while others may be longing for human interaction and struggling to keep engaged in their daily work. Keep connected with your team, even if it is short interactions, this will help everyone remain attached and feel valued.
