Tag: work b

When we were hit with the pandemic in 2020, almost everyone had to adopt remote working. Now as we ease back into living post pandemic, fundamental changes have happened to our ways of living – one of the most prominently affected being work communications. 

Navigating the new ways of communication can be hard so here are some ways you can overcome these challenges:

More digital communication = changing how we communicate face to face 

Companies quickly utilised digital communication tools like Zoom or Teams to facilitate video conferencing alongside various other softwares. Even now as we return to offices, digital communication is the new norm for many people. 

46% of workers found it more challenging to communicate with one another as a result of the pandemic [1]. 

Digital communication tools have blurred communication boundaries and taken the “human” aspect out, impacting how we interact with one another. To overcome this you could:

• Ensure phone calls with clients are quickly handled and directed to the right people within the company by using an integrated phone system like Devyce. 

Teams Plan – Devyce

• Create clear communication guidelines for video conferencing eg. blurred background customary 
• Be considerate of time zone differences when setting up meetings 

Less face to face interaction = feeling less connected 

Many companies have adopted a hybrid working model and remote working is still widely practised. With 45% of professionals noting they see their colleagues less than pre-pandemic, it comes as no surprise that many find it hard to stay connected. 

To help employees combat this, companies can:

• Provide incentives for employees to come into office regularly eg. bring your pet to work day
• Create comfortable working environments that they’d enjoy coming in to eg. create a dedicated area for short breaks 
• Set up regular external team events to encourage team building 
• Create welcoming onboarding experiences for new hires to seamlessly integrate them into teams

Colleagues are sharing less personal information with each other

We don’t always want to know what our colleague had for dinner last night, however it can be healthy for colleagues to have open dialogue on topics like mental health. 14.7% of people experience mental health problems in the workplace [2] and many do not reach out for help. 

Helping employees feel more able to talk to each other about workplace wellbeing helps to create a sense of community and improve team engagement. To do this you can:

• Encourage open dialogue at the workplace about mental health
• Create a safe environment for employees to talk to one another eg. have a designated space they can go to for privacy
• Ensure you regularly check in with colleagues about their workplace wellbeing 
• Invest in education for employees eg. seminars on diversity and inclusion, mental health etc

With the abundance of digital communications tools at hand, workplace communications have become more complex – requiring continual development of new working models. 

We can help you better navigate this! – Head over to our socials to find out more 

References:

[1] https://www.grammarly.com/blog/pandemic-work-communication-trends/

[2] https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/mental-health-work-statistics