Today in San Francisco, where I live, all COVID-related restrictions have been lifted and seemingly it's back to business as usual. As we re-emerge from 15 months of lockdown and restrictions on gathering and working, how we gather and how we communicate is top of mind for just about everybody I talk to.
Last week I shared the first in a month-long series of tips for how to lead and communicate in a new hybrid remote/in-person work world.
This week I'm focusing on informal interactions -- those serendipitous run-ins, casual interactions that are so much of how work actually gets done at work and how relationships actually evolve.
How we gather and communicate is just as much about structures and formal policies as it is about informal interactions, and….just the way we come across to others. As we move into a world with more virtual meetings and more in-person interactions, how do you make sure you master both and don't get left our or behind?
___
TIP 4: INFORMAL INTERACTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS MATTER: The pandemic meant replacing any and all informal, unplanned, casual conversations with a scheduled, dedicated time to talk by video or phone. The informal has become much more formal -- and in many cases it became nothing.
Think about all of the informal questions, conversations, and collaborating that just didn't happen because of the barrier created by having to coordinate and schedule time to talk. Lots of relationship-building, lots of collaborating just didn't happen or happen nearly as smoothly.
In a fully remote way of working, those conversations either happened or didn't, but everyone was one the same playing field. In a hybrid work environment, it's likely that they will happen with much more varying degree and -- and that some people will be left out of them.
People may be left out of those informal quick chats about work -- often where decisions get made -- if they are at home that day or have chosen not to work in an office. And worse, it's likely that being left out of these conversations can be an unintended consequence of biases -- either rooted in bias, perpetuating bias, or both.
So for every one of us the work is:
What are the habits and norms you can establish around what types of conversations are best had with everyone present?
Set norms for how decisions are made and communicated out to everybody.
How can you create a standing regular check-in conversation with the right people or teams that allows in-person and virtual participation?
Make time for the informal interactions and conversations. Even if it means occasionally extending a standing 30-minute meeting to 45 minutes to allow the time to connect.
My favorite tip for mastering actually having casual conversations, if you don’t like to have them: Ask a question. What are your two or three questions that you like to ask people? Simply checking in on someone and asking how they are, if there's anything they need, is the best way to create a connection -- especially when you really listen to the answer.
___
TIP 5: BE ACCESSIBLE WHEN REMOTE: If you are working remotely, whether permanently or just a couple days a week, it's important to make sure you're engaged and people know you're available. You want to avoid becoming "out of sight, out of mind."
This means not just being seen as "online" but may mean being a bit more proactive about setting up times to talk and meet with people who are in an office, and using the days you're in the office to develop and cultivate relationships and connections with people.
Make sure to stop by people's desks, have lunches or coffees or in-person conversations whenever you can -- so that people continue the habit of connecting with you and keep collaborating with you. When you are remote, make sure to try to speak up in meetings, use your video, and try to go the extra step of making sure people see you and can hear you.
___
If culture is the sum total of everyone's behavior and how a system works, these informal interactions and relationships are just as important as any structure, agenda, written mission statement or branded t-shirt.
As I shared last week, two truths are clear, even as company cultures and the economy as a whole are undergoing a massive shift right now:
First, the world of hybrid working is here to stay.
Second, communication and empathy are the way to effectively manage this major shift. The tips especially around informal interactions and thinking about how you show up and engage when some people are remote and others aren't is how you build your empathy muscle.
___
I want to hear what you're thinking about and what you want tips on. Let me know what's on your mind. Navigating the new ways of communicating and and leading at work takes everybody's ideas and experiences, and I want to share the best of them with you.