Six tips ensure human connection in the virtual workplace.

Are you working on  your plan to transition your workplace to a virtual ore remote workplace? Here are six tips to ensure that you maintain human connection.

 6 tips for remote working. 

According to News.com.au ” Authorities are advising that all non-essential organised events of more than 500 people not go ahead from Monday. As the number of coronavirus cases in Australia nears 200, authorities have announced a range of significant measures to combat the outbreak.

As government and health organisations focus on managing the spread and symptoms of COVID-19, many organisations, businesses and schools are facing into the very real possibility of a workforce that will need to work remotely, at least for a short period.

For some, this will be an extension of existing flexible work practices. But for many, it will be a new proposition. Ensuring human connection for a remote workforce can be tricky. Beyond the technical ‘rules’, how do people truly connect in the virtual space?

Many organisations have ready access to intuitive collaboration tools that have not yet been used fully to our advantage. Leveraging these technologies, people can come together for a productive, virtual experience, anywhere, on any device. Thankfully YouTube has a plethora of ‘how to use’ videos to get workplaces started using Slack, or Teams, Zoom or good old Skype.

Today, I guarantee that there will be many managers in meetings brainstorming and working on how to reduce the impact on business as usual.

With that in mind, here are a few things to consider. 

1. If your organisation has a remote working policy, now is the time to dust it off, review it, update it and share it widely and share it often. Think good OHS, appropriate home working space, information security, expected deliverable and output. Be mindful of employees mental health and well being. In the absence of information and engagement, you should expect a spike of heightened emotions and reactions.
2. What is your virtual team social contract? How teams work together, with agreed behaviors that are grounded in trust, extends to the virtual work environment and supports distributed teams to remain productive and connected.
3. Simple Simon – is everyone clear on basic zoom/skype/video and teleconference etiquette (e.g.: use the mute button, consider what appears in the background, remove visual distractions such as pets/kids etc).  We all remember the news report and the gorgeous child strutting into the interview. Create a cheat sheet or infographic detailing video conference etiquette. Be sure to include how to use functions such as the online whiteboard, or voting buttons, to help keep engagement high.
4. If you are planning for employees to use their own devices or data, double-check that the associated reimbursement process is streamlined, or if leveraging your supply chain to ensure the provision of technology and the internet. Don’t assume that your workers have these or can afford to increase their use at short notice. This is particularly true in instances where there may be multiple people working or studying at home at short notice. Consider additional provision to ensure equity and inclusion, as well as connectivity and productivity.
5. Stay connected. Determine ways to simulate ‘drop by for a chat at your desk’ chats. This could be a video chat or messenger. Be mindful that people are social beasts, and some will struggle with being socially isolated. Consider hosting virtual coffee, or morning tea. Send a care package (coffee/tea/hot chocolate mix and doughnuts or pastries or crackers and cheese) and connect and share virtually over food. Brainstorm with your team for more ideas.
6. Increase your communication by at least 20%. Communication is the lifeblood of an effective team and workplace. In the absence of active communication, people will fill in the gaps with their own data, regardless of it is pertinent or not. Communicate, communicate some more, then communicate again. And again.
7. Bonus tip, when technology doesn’t work, when in doubt, turn it off and restart!

Retaining human connection in the virtual work environment is critical to business success, even more so in the current environment. This might seem like common sense, but, we get busy and we forget. A timely, gentle reminder is a good thing. Take some time out to write birthday cards, and celebrate team achievements.  A surprise via snail mail will help keep the engagement going.

So, what are you doing in your organisation to stay connected in the virtual and remote work environment?

What tips and insights can you share to assist in the transition – be it permanent or short term? Let us know in the comments below.

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About the author: Colleen Condon

Colleen likes to keep things creative in all that she does, often using marshmallows as a source of inspiration.

Everyone knows that ongoing learning is essential for both personal and professional success and yet, for many, this means hours of attending dead boring training or completing’ losing the will to live’ eLearning modules. Colleen’s mission is to end tedious professional development while ensuring targeted outcomes for learners and businesses.

Colleen has honed her skills over the last 20 years across multiple industries and locations. Her previous role saw her overseeing the training and development needs of over 60, 000 employees across 13 countries in the APAC region.  This enabled her to hone skills that celebrated diversity and understanding human commonality through learning, and that in the absence of a common language, flip charts and coloured markers helped her to overcome most challenging situations.

After taking a ‘go away package’, in 2019, Colleen founded her own business, Facilitated Training, harnessing her global learning experiences and sharing them through ready to use learning resources, specializing in leadership, mentoring, guest speaking, creative problem solving, filling the gap of high quality, customisable training resources and tools.