WLP234 What's Going On and Flexible Communication
Welcome to our regular update episode, where Pilar and Maya review what’s going on in the world of remote work and in the Virtual not Distant universe, and we’ll also explore an important topic impacting lots of remote teams (both established and intentional ones and new/overnight home workers).
If you like what we do, you can always…
What’s Going On
This topical segment was recorded on May 6th 2020.
A recent article from Workplacesless What Happens to HR When Everyone is Suddenly Remote? takes an in-depth look at the ‘emotional labour’ that people-people carry and how that has changed, on top of the logistical challenges and uncertainties they’re dealing with. It’s a good tie-in with our special ‘Connection and Disconnection’ series underway with ShieldGEO, and we shouldn’t forget that HR professionals are at the forefront of supporting coping with these issues for everyone.
Looking ahead to what the workplace of the future might look like, we start with this one from Buro Happold Social distancing in the workplace: the new norm. We’ve never had an opportunity like this to truly rethink how we want to re-create the workplace we want - where we feel safe and effective and productive.
Mapping the way people move and looking at the tech we use (see also Maya’s recent article about Crestron’s thoughts on this) will help, but there will surely be new stress-producing factors and things to constrain spontaneity. We’re going to have think differently about what face-to-face time means, and consciously make the most of it, whatever tech we use to control the environment. And here’s a prescient article Pilar wrote 4 years ago… proving that it’s always a good time to think holistically and creatively about what your workplace could look like, while considering what unique needs it fulfils for you.
There’s even some research emerging now from Global Workplace Analytics suggesting that many workers do want to continue to work from home post-crisis, and they want flexibility and choice more than they want a fixed spot assigned to them in the office. This article about Tata in India suggests the same, a big corporation already deciding that a growing proportion of their workforce will work regularly from home permanently.
All of these environmental shifts remind us that we’re going to have to change the way we work too, becoming more agile and resilient and flexible as an organisation, perhaps less hierarchical, to cope with the new world of work - and whatever changes are coming our way in future.
Which further connects with the important subject of well-being, and we liked this article by Simon Deeley (do contact him if you want to learn more about his mentoring app) shared with us, about 9 Steps to Maintaining Your Work/life Boundaries - we get hung up on the physical boundaries but there are so many more things to think about, which can make a difference in your life.
And finally, we loved the statement on LinkedIn from Adam Weber from Emplify that as a company they’ve decided they’re not working Fridays in May - to recognise the additional burdens and stresses on their employees. This is one great example of an organisation helping individuals maintain some boundaries.
So now,
39.00 What’s Happening at Virtual not Distant
Hello Anne in Brussels, and Tosca who shared this on Twitter about lack of space for home working (we love to hear from our listeners!), we’d love to hear about your own thoughts for the future of the workspace and what the new normal might look like.
Pilar (who is originally from Madrid but business-wise is a born-again Londoner), has been working with several companies in Spain lately - helping them implement ‘teletrabajo’, and coming up against the cultural differences between Spanish and British work culture, and also the way more hierarchical organisations do strategic planning. The workshops were a lot less interactive and collective than Pilar preferred, due to the meeting platform, and it was interesting to reflect on how the choice of tech also impinges on team dynamics, and constrains the ways we communicate and interact.
And speaking of Spanish, “Thinking Remote: Inspiration for Leaders of Remote Teams” is now available in a Spanish edition - “Plantamientos del liderazgo a distancia” - take a look at our books page for more information.
49.00 mins Flexible Communication
We often talk about the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication, but we feel that the term ‘flexible communication’ is easier to understand and grasp the benefits of.
Flexible communication also embraces the richness and diversity of asynchronous communication - which includes audio, video, text, photos, sketches/annotations… It sounds like it could be overwhelming, but actually it simplifies things, to choose the best tool for each piece of communication and use it well, whether to enhance the work itself, or the social connections within the team. When you capture a thought and share it, that’s an act of generosity, whether it’s a professionally-useful link or a highly-relatable meme, and it helps you stay close, whether or not you’re working in the same space or moment in time.
Of course there will always be a role for synchronous meetings - Pilar did write a whole book ('“Online Meetings that Matter”) about that very thing - but it’s not the only way to work together, and it is both so powerfully effective and disruptive of the other person’s workflow, that face-time should be used with respect. Even as a freelancer Maya has recently had to put more boundaries on her meeting calendar to reduce stress around her house move, and stop people grabbing live time with her, to the detriment of getting deep work done.
And the intentionality goes beyond the synchronous meetings too, a bit of thought along the lines of ‘do we need a new group/channel for this?’, or ‘should I create a thread or reply in-line?’ (those nightmare times when Slack becomes WhatsApp!), ‘who else needs to see this?’. It might also require practice to get over the assumption that written communication, in business at least, has a some formality about it - and get comfortable with ‘chatting’ in text, in a spontaneous and free way. And how permanent is this form of communication anyway..?
Lots to think about, and all potential barriers to the flow of communication - so do carve out a bit of thinking time if you need it, for how you’re going to have different kinds of conversation. The benefits are so important, when you get this right, so it’s well worth making some effort.
And do keep your feedback coming, we really enjoy it - please contact us, or you can tweet Virtual Not Distant, or Pilar and Maya directly, with any of your thoughts and ideas, or if we can help you with our training, coaching, and facilitation services during these challenging times.
If you like the podcast, you'll love our monthly round-up of inspirational content and ideas: