How to thrive in the virtual workplace
The pandemic as a whole may seem like doomsday to organizations and individuals around the world, but thriving is still possible. With our "new normal", where work-from-home arrangements are here to stay, our work-life is being weaved into our personal space.
With that being said, how can we move from “survival mode” and go into “thrive mode”? From Calm Collective’s recent talk with Anita Sadasivan (Psychologist, MindFi), Joyce Lim (People Operations, Grab Financial Group) and Vinod Nair (CEO, Money Smart), here are three tips to help your team thrive while working remotely.
#1 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
The common theme that was brought up by our three panellists was the importance of communication. Vinod shared that during the pandemic, with everyone working from home, his team stepped up the frequency of their communication to make up for the lack of face-to-face interactions.
Joyce agreed by saying that in such times of uncertainty, we might want to over-communicate and “put information out there” regarding future plans and the resources that are available for the team to tap on. Even if they don’t need such resources now, it may be useful knowledge for the future.
#2 Understanding yourself and your team
Since the beginning of the WFH era, most workers have been complaining about how work and personal life are bleeding together. The lack of boundaries can leave us feeling exhausted and burned out.
Joyce openly shared that mindfulness has helped her and her team understand their mental and physical energy. This has proven helpful for them because as they became more aware of each others’ emotions, they found comfort in the shared experience which also aided in keeping up motivation.
Vinod and his team found out that despite the high count of virtual work meetings, many of them felt that there was a lost sense of connection between the team. Through various trials and tribulations, they have since then successfully made up for the loss of connection with an initiative to link up members from different departments every month to replace“water-cooler chats” that can no longer occur organically during these times.
#3 Having a psychologically safe environment
Anita expressed that a big part of thriving in the virtual workplace is having psychological safety. That is when people feel comfortable speaking to their managers and sharing their thoughts with the team.
When there’s a clear and open line of communication, it becomes easier for employees to verbalize their thoughts and concerns. Anita also reminds us that while everyone has a sense of responsibility for their job, they also have their personal weights that they are carrying on their shoulders. When it is made easy for employees to verbalize their limitations and set boundaries, it becomes part of them to make sure that the company’s needs are met as well.
Joyce suggested that building trust is essential for psychological safety, and to do so, team leaders could learn to be vulnerable and authentic. However, she emphasizes that being vulnerable does not mean sharing all the bad news that the company is going through (e.g. financial difficulties). Rather, it is to authentically share the human side of yourself.
--
While there is no perfect way to overcome every challenge thrown at you while working virtually, there are many ways to form healthy habits and create an environment that is conducive for you and your team despite being apart.
This talk was held in partnership with MindFi, a mental well-being platform for modern workplaces - providing well-being solutions for both employers and employees.