Create sustainable remote work rituals

Remote work gives people some freedom in how they do their jobs, so it’s not surprising that an asynchronous work style is one of the side effects of not working from a central location.

But it’s not always good for the employees. In this setup, people often work harder and the meeting culture takes over because colleagues can no longer be seen in the office, which is a natural habitat for collaboration and communication.

And when you talk to people online, it’s often harder to understand each other because you’re less aware of what’s going on in their lives right now. Getting a bond with someone is also not obvious for everyone.

Ultimately, to reduce the number of meetings so employees can focus on other tasks, employees must find new ways to foster a culture of open communication and collaboration, and individuals and teams must establish boundaries and rituals in their day-to-day work. .

The routines people create are negotiated over time, but it’s something we take for granted. Any organization looking to scale can create rituals that engage people in their work and inspire them to be the best they can be.

Structure workflows around people.

Remote work involves hours of video conferencing and employees showing up and not saying a word. People often don’t mute their microphones and many don’t turn on their cameras, leaving the announcer with only a blank screen to speak to.

To make matters worse, important information cannot be discussed in a telephone conversation with many participants. Even a brief five-minute clarifying conversation can sometimes be difficult to negotiate.

Try a Socratic dialogue structure to activate active listening and engage people in a meeting. In this approach, a facilitator asks participants to summarize what the previous speaker said and encourages them to develop the full conversation.

Such conversations contain examples, definitions, sub-questions and assumptions and help people look for arguments that confirm a point rather than confirm their opinion. This is a proven way to spark constructive dialogue and get multiple perspectives on an issue so you can come to common ground. It also shows employees that all perspectives are valuable, fostering an atmosphere of trust.

If there’s an elephant in the room, warn people and reassure them before it becomes a bigger problem. It’s important to remain open and sensitive and accept that other people may disagree with you. Leaders should be role models, ask questions and encourage team members to speak up and take initiative.