The work patterns are evolving and renewing at a rapid pace in the pandemic atmosphere. The emphasis on the digital work environment and virtual meetings is growing to be the future of every business. And this trend will continue to stay even beyond this crisis, demanding companies to remodel the communication channels to meet with the needs of the business and society.
‘Work from Home’ followed by the opening of the workplace in the ‘New Normal’ lifestyle are significant transformations, as most companies and their employees are not used to the remote working culture or operating with social distancing measures in the workplace.
This requires visionary leaders to reshape their corporate culture and have improved internal communication. A well-coordinated and consistent dialogue with the employees is the key to manage your staff without having to control them all day.
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Reinventing work patterns
There is a need to turn your mindset from working in a traditional corporate world and cultivate it to embrace the digital work lifestyle. There are endless opportunities to reinvent yourself and your career, but for that, you will need to learn to deal with people.
The significant change needed, here, is the acceptance that your employees are adults. They require an independent work environment of self-commitment and accountability. Virtual work settings demand a mature, adult, responsible working environment and era.
Everything is not impersonal in the digital world as you continue to communicate with human beings. But, you will need to reshape the work culture of the company, set specific parameters, understand your boundaries while communicating and managing your team members.
Internal communication and employee engagement programs have a vital role. It lets you delegate responsibility, ensures employees are accountable, engage and motivate staff to work for the company with self-commitment to their job, without you having to control them all the time.
Getting the assistance of a professional business communications provider becomes essential here, as they can help clients with bespoke solutions. Here, it is best to seek the advice from an expert marketing, communications and business solutions firm like 6W Agency that brings several years of experience of their virtual work environment. We can serve clients in setting a proper digital work framework, training the team leaders and the workforce with new norms of communication suited for the virtual world of work.
Transparency in relationship
Staff and management relationship requires enhanced transparency when working in the new normal work set up. If you [an employee and employer] is working from home and meeting through video calls, it does mean you have to be accountable and able to acknowledge clients or team members requirements all the time. However, keeping a relationship balance on your availability to reply to emails and WhatsApp needs to be considered and carefully evaluated in each situation.
Remember this, in a traditional corporate atmosphere, your boss or team members can come to your desk, and talk about the email message, work task and communication is build efficiently. However, now in digital space, maintaining transparency in communication is the way to establish your connection and commitment to work.
Here are some quick minimal tips that 6W AGENCY TEAM can share with you to help you set a transparent and positive relationship:
- Evaluate the situation: You may receive Emails and WhatsApps message at different times and situations. Just review the requirement, and if it is an emergency or you can reply with a quick note such as yes or no, respond to it. It will set a tone of accountability. If it’s not urgent or you do not have a final response to the query, still acknowledge replying, ‘Thank you for your – email or Whatsapp. Well noted. Will action and respond by …. (set a deadline like Sunday, Monday or in an hour), etc.’
This shows that you are not ignoring communications and managing expectations professionally. It makes you accountable to your clients, and the other members’ need. - Commit with a deadline and deliver on that. Your clients and team members are depending on you, and if you don’t live up to your commitment, it becomes challenging to work in harmony.
And, if for any unforeseen reasons [family emergency, sickness or other urgent commitment] you cannot deliver on time, inform your client or team members honestly about the situation. Also, give them a new deadline, so they can adjust, plan and organize accordingly. - No one kind of new normal work formula fits for all types of work or all kinds of people. So, your current digital communication and management practices have to be studied, enhanced, and new method must be set based on the nature of work and the personality of people you are managing and their work lifestyle.
Always remember that you are dealing with people, even in the virtual work environment. And human relationships have the power to build a dynamic and adaptable company culture when their emotional and rational aspects are taken into consideration.
