In August, REI announced the sale of their corporate offices in favor of allowing corporate employees to work remotely. Many other companies are following suit by allowing office-bound employees to work from anywhere. Passing a coworker in the hall or chatting over the proverbial water cooler is replaced with Slack or text messages. In-person meetings are replaced with video calls. Lunch-and-learn sessions are falling to the wayside and post-work happy hours are becoming less frequent.
As a result, we must become more aware of our interactions and what the implications are in order to maintain a strong, supportive culture.
Imagine this: It’s 2019 and Mike, an Operations Manager, is in a tense meeting at the corporate office. Jim, the Accounting Manager, recommends something that will certainly result in failure. Mike abruptly responds by shutting down the idea and moving on. Throughout the remainder of the meeting, Mike notices Jim avoiding eye contact and looking out the window whenever Mike speaks. Mike quickly realizes he said something he shouldn’t have. Later, Mike catches up with Jim in the hallway, apologizing for shutting his idea down and they head to the breakroom to discuss other options.
Fast-forward to 2020. The same meeting happens via video conference. Mike commits the same offense. He has no idea he offended Jim and has no opportunity to catch him in the hall afterwards. Jim remembers Mike’s comment and resentment begins to grow. Unfortunately, Mike’s vociferous personality gives him the reputation of being difficult, and he has no chance to recover in the virtual office world.
With virtual communication, the comments we perceive as merely “challenging others” can fester and ultimately chip away at productivity. Think twice before shooting down someone’s idea or challenging coworkers. Perhaps take it offline where you can have a constructive conversation.
It’s 2019 and there’s a 15-person quarterly strategy meeting at the corporate office. Among the attendees are Angie and Kelly. Angie is a fast-thinking, rapid-fire, speak-before-you-think Sales Manager. She has a lot of ideas—most are good but not great. Kelly, the Customer Service Manager is a processor, listening and absorbing information while waiting for the right moment to share ideas. Kelly has great ideas that are often unheard. During breaks in the meeting, Kelly pulls Angie aside and shares her ideas in the hallway. Following the breaks, Angie invariably announces, “I think Kelly has an idea everyone should hear.”
Fast-forward to 2020. The quarterly meeting is virtual. Most participants are remote and video is the best means of collaboration. Only one person can speak at a time and anytime Kelly starts to speak, she’s cut off by someone else. Kelly will acquiesce to the more effusive personalities. The entire meeting is completed, and Kelly’s ideas fall to the wayside.
In the new world of video meetings, effusive participants may need to take time to pause and give the processors an opportunity to speak up. At the same time, the processors may consider using the raise-my-hand feature or chat to let people know they have something to share. It’s important to emphasize employees’ capabilities during video meetings. Internal processors might need more time to think, so make sure the outspoken personalities aren’t the only ones being heard. When harvesting ideas, foster an environment where everyone knows their contributions matter.
Adapting to a remote environment is challenging and it takes work to maintain company culture when normalcy is upended. We must be diligent in understanding employees' learning and communication styles and encourage other team members to do the same. It's always worth the extra time, effort, and care.
