It's four years now since we were all at home, in the depths of the pandemic's first lockdown, when 7 million of the UK working population who had never worked remotely, were rapidly figuring out how to make virtual working a reality.
Since then, research globally and in the UK is demonstrating that virtual and hybrid work is becoming the norm across many businesses, and it’s about time!. We’ve had 100 years of the office structure, but technology has moved on rapidly, and it’s time to shift with the times. According to TravelPerk…
Just 30% of UK companies are working fully on-site today, as opposed to 57% before the pandemic.
Over 40% of survey respondents claim that their companies have shifted to a hybrid model since the global pandemic.
Fully-remote work has doubled in popularity, jumping from 4% in a prepandemic world to 8% now.
In changing our physical environments though, I wonder if we have also changed our working practices to fit the new world? My experience from my client conversations is not necessarily. Back to back meetings have become the norm, all day, most days with little time is carved out for deep work. Also small talk, that important relationship building chit chat that the office provided, in many cases has disappeared.
At the same time, we know that being connected to our colleagues, building trust based relationships, engaging meaningfully as teams has huge benefits to our well-being, our ability to connect emotionally, influence effectively and develop the psychological safety so vital within our workplaces.
How then can we build connection?
Agree Expectations
These conversations can happen in any direction: upwards, sideways, down to the team or out to suppliers, customers and stakeholders. Discuss with each party: what are your expectations of each other? How do you prefer to communicate? How often should this be? What level of detail do you like? How do you like feedback?
Create the Forums
Creating forums at a team level is particularly key, not just a one to one basis. We assume often as leaders if we are speaking with every team member that’s enough, but our role is to develop the team as well as the individual so meetings both in person and virtually are vital for connection
Discuss with each party: how is it best for us to meet and connect, about what, when and for how long? Agree this with individuals, your team, your key stakeholders and customers – all will be on a different frequency, and potentially about different things.
Make time for Connecting
This is vital both remotely and in person. Too often I see meetings, even 30 minute ones, leave no time for connection. Everyone gets down to business straightaway, talking about facts and information, instead of remembering we are engaging with humans, and they like to connect.
So create space for small talk, connect first as individuals, then get down to business. This will help develop rapport, find common ground, and ultimately enable better outcomes, due to greater levels of trust.
Develop your Emotional Intelligence
95% of our behaviour is driven by our emotions, so making sure we check in with our own, and recognise them in others really helps our connection. Paying attention to how we’re showing up, how stress and pressure influence our behaviours and responses should be a constant for us. Developing our own awareness enables us to manage our emotions more effectively, and recognise them in others. This enables us to adapt more effectively and even influence the other parties.
Value the Strength of your Relationships
Frequently we underestimate the importance of Strength of Relationship as a factor in how successfully we can influence others. We forget that only talking about facts and information doesn’t create a bond or trust, and if this isn’t there, then we’ll find it a struggle to influence others. If you have a difficult stakeholders, just think – do you know their family background, what they value, how they spend their spare time? If not – you need to connect more, as just being able to talk a little about common interests will help you see a shift in how well you work together.
Remember doing business is human, so being intentional around connecting more on that human level can only be a good thing.
Annabel is an Executive and Team Coach, Leadership Facilitator and Coach Supervisor. Contact Annabel via LinkedIn, annabel@successfultraining.co.uk, or visit www.successfultraining.co.uk