Managing a team in our remote working age is a multi-faceted endeavour. Indeed, there are many important elements to consider – such as the sense of isolation and loneliness many remote workers feel. To lessen this, managers must make concerted efforts to ensure that employees who are working away from the office feel included, valued and connected to their workplace and their teammates.
Fortunately, a sense of connection when working remotely can be facilitated through the use of digital technology such as video conferencing. Using these types of virtual communication programs enables remote workers to interact with their peers and colleagues via digital means. As a result, the rise of these technologies has caused remote working to become the norm, even during post-COVID-19 isolation periods.
But is remote working the way of the future, and are we likely to continue to use digital technologies to work remotely? Stay with us as we explore this concept further and as we attempt to uncover the best ways to help remote workers and students feel connected, valued and appreciated while working from afar.
The Rise of Working, Studying and Collaborating Remotely
In our remote working age, digital methods of communication and information dissemination have made it easier than ever to work and study remotely. For this reason, often, you are no longer required to commute to a workplace or education facility to carry out professional commitments or complete a tertiary course. This means that you can easily complete a Master of Business Administration online degree from the comfort of your own home, for example. It also means that you can communicate, collaborate and connect with professional colleagues online. As a result of this, there has been a dramatic increase in universities and workplaces offering the option of hybrid and remote working and studying arrangements.
In addition to recent advances in digital technology and communication, of course, our current remote work and study phenomenon can also be attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. During extended periods of intense lockdown, isolation, and mandatory quarantine, remote work and study became the norm. However, following the end of the mandatory lockdown periods, working and studying remotely appear to be here to stay. This is perhaps because many of us have discovered how convenient, cost-effective and time-saving it is to be a remote worker or online student! Indeed, with more advanced digital technologies enabling remote and virtual communication, collaboration and connection, many of us even feel more productive when working or studying from home.
Digital Communication, Collaboration and Connection in our Remote Working Age
With the advancement of digital technologies such as video conferencing, virtual meetings and classrooms, and online task delegation and project management tools, remote work and study are more accessible and convenient than ever before.
As a result, we have become heavily dependent on digital communication tools such as the Zoom application, as well as Microsoft Teams to connect and interact with our peers and colleagues. Undoubtedly, digital collaboration using these types of virtual programs has been central to the rise of the current remote working and studying era. And our dependence on these programs for remote work and study is likely to continue well into the future!
In addition to this, we are also increasingly dependent on the use of digital project management tools to delegate, assign and monitor the progress of tasks to be completed. For example, virtual sites such as Asana, Slack and Monday.com have become essential in many workplaces. This is because projects can be allocated, managed, and also, updated remotely. Digital task notes can be quickly uploaded, and online messages easily exchanged via these types of apps, making virtual communication and collaboration faster and more efficient than ever!
Keeping Remote Workers Engaged, Involved and Connected
Of course, when working or studying remotely, it is common for individuals to feel increasingly socially isolated. Indeed, as social isolation due to remote work arrangements is becoming more and more commonplace, remote workers and students are having to look elsewhere for social connection and human interaction. As a result of this, there is an increasing sense of disconnect and loneliness in the community. This was, of course, exacerbated during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when the boundaries between work and home life became somewhat blurred. Of course, things have improved dramatically for remote workers with the lifting of lockdowns. These new freedoms have meant that remote workers can go out and enjoy social activities in their downtime and days off. However, a sense of loneliness and isolation during work hours is still extremely common when working remotely.
To combat this, workplaces must do more to keep their remote workers feeling engaged, involved and connected. Often, this can simply look like reaching out to remote staff and checking in on them regularly. It can also involve scheduling virtual social events – such as Zoom ‘parties’ – to foster a sense of interaction and camaraderie amongst colleagues. Further, some workplaces have even been known to send thoughtful and carefully considered work-from-home care packs to remote workers. These packs often contain company-branded merchandise, stationery, and other fun treats, such as sweets or chocolate, to help the remote worker’s day go faster! This thoughtful gesture also helps to increase a sense of positive connection, as well as helping the remote worker feel as though they are a valued and appreciated part of the team.
In our digital age, remote work and study are here to stay. Undoubtedly, they are simply more convenient, cost-effective and efficient! Despite this, managers need to be wary that their employees can start to feel isolated when working from home. By taking active steps to make remote workers feel valued, appreciated and included, however, this sense of isolation can be lessened. Importantly, in using the digital technologies that have facilitated virtual communication in the age of remote work, team leaders can also increase a positive sense of connection and camaraderie amongst employees who work remotely.