Remember When?

Remember when everyone was in the office and people interacted spontaneously? You could see someone in the hall or breakroom and strike up a chat without any preparation. Whether it was about the latest teams and games, the weather, weekend plans or catching up on family situations, those interactions just happened. They connected people without any effort. It was a benefit that we took for granted.

The reason is that humans are essentially social creatures. Everyone has the need to belong to something greater than themselves, including with others. Human exchanges cannot be underestimated in the formula for contentment in the work setting.

The Good Days No Longer

Going forward, spontaneous, in-person connection will be less the case. A recent study concluded that 18% of professional jobs are now fully remote and it is predicted that it will only increase. That means that if people don’t connect to you and your firm, they can easily go elsewhere.

I heard a manager state that she liked her work, but what she really liked was the camaraderie with others—colleagues and clients. Since everything has gone remote, she didn’t realize how important the social element was to her job enjoyment. She basically said that she likes what she does, just not enough to sustain her interest and energy.

Connection Leaders

Effective leaders are not lost on the importance of social connection. Where connecting used to be automatic and spontaneous, now it must be intentional and deliberate. I believe this is a critical leadership effort for the new work environment—how to establish and maintain strong connections, especially remotely.

So, whenever you have meetings, create moments where there is intentional interaction that captures what used to happen naturally.  For instance, schedule short, frequent check-ins with your team individually and collectively. Consistent interactions create an ongoing conversation instead of periodic updates, which tend to be more about reporting than connecting.

Or, at the beginning of a meeting, have people rate their present well-being on a scale of 1-6, along with one factor or reason for the rating. You go first, being honest in your response and give people a chance to know you and you know them. If someone rates a 3 or less, follow up with the question, “How can we help?”

Another team leader told me that they have their chat app open all day and they always have jokes and other funnies flying back and forth, keeping everyone entertained and engaged in the project.

The point is that what used to be spontaneous isn’t any longer. And it affects people’s sense of belonging to your team and the firm. Your leadership opportunity is to make sure your people feel connected and cared for. That’s what good leaders do, and it’s definitely a new leadership effort.