The advancements in technology and dynamic changes in the business world have made remote work a more widespread and inevitable model. Especially with the pandemic in 2020, many companies adopted remote work as a permanent or hybrid model, making it a significant part of our work lives. However, this modern working style brings along some challenges. Remote work, unlike physical office environments, reduces the opportunities for face-to-face interaction among employees, posing a significant challenge in enhancing employee socialization and team bonding.
As Peak on Air, we have embraced remote work since February 2020, gaining diverse experiences. In trying to understand and experience the relationship between remote work and employee socialization, we have taken numerous actions to address both the positive and negative impacts, exploring strategies and solutions to turn the disadvantages into advantages.
Remote Work and Struggling Social Bonds
1. Physical Distance and Communication Challenges
Remote work limits the chance for employees to communicate directly face-to-face. This limitation can lead to a decrease in spontaneous conversations, coffee break chats, and non-work-related interactions. Physical distance can make it challenging to establish and maintain emotional connections. Unlike traditional office environments, where team spirit often arises from working and interacting in shared physical spaces, remote work makes it more challenging to achieve this sense. To mitigate these negative effects, as an agency, we implemented a mandatory bi-weekly office work for all departments and ensured monthly collective activities for the entire agency. Adjusting the frequency based on perceived effectiveness, we witnessed a significant positive impact over time. We also organized various social events outside the office, such as concerts and dining, to strengthen social bonds.
2. Virtual and Physical Social Events and Meetings
In remote work environments, organizing virtual social events is crucial to bring employees together. Non-work-related virtual activities, online games, virtual coffee breaks, or inter-team meetings can foster a sense of closeness within the team. During the peak of the pandemic, we aimed to mitigate the disadvantages of this period by organizing numerous online events, games, and gatherings. As the pandemic’s impact decreased over the last two years, we increased physical events, further strengthening our social bonds.
3. Encouraging Regular Video Conferences
Written communication alone may have limitations in strengthening emotional bonds. Video conferences can make communication more personal by allowing employees to interact face-to-face, providing an effective way to discuss work-related matters and enhance social connections. While many of our work processes involve written communication, we encouraged our colleagues to participate in inter-team online meetings, making it a crucial aspect of our lives since 2020.
4. Effective Use of Virtual Communication Tools
Various virtual communication tools can be used to ensure regular communication among teams. Instant messaging applications, shared documents, and project management tools can facilitate interaction and collaboration among employees. Utilizing Slack as our internal communication tool since 2015, we found it highly effective during the remote work period. In addition, by constantly using management tools such as Wunderlist, Microsoft To Do, Todoist and Asana, which we have used regularly since 2015, we have enabled our colleagues to be much more effective in matters such as work, process and project management.
What are the roles and responsibilities of leaders in remote work?
1. Adopting a Compassionate Leadership Approach
Leaders should not only focus on managing work and processes but also show sensitivity to the social needs of their colleagues, strengthening emotional bonds. Compassionate leadership can create a support network within the team by understanding and addressing personal challenges. All leaders in our team embraced a compassionate leadership approach, organizing several communication and leadership training sessions by experts in the field. This approach positively reflected not only on team members but also on all business processes and communications.
2. Building Team Spirit and Commitment
Leaders can organize regular team meetings to strengthen team spirit and increase commitment. By allocating time in these meetings for non-work-related topics, leaders can encourage employees to feel closer to each other. Following this approach, the team leaders at Peak on Air not only focused on work-related matters but also came together with their teams to develop personal connections and friendships.
While the remote work process has brought significant changes to the business world, there are various methods to enhance employee socialization and team bonding. Leaders improving communication strategies, encouraging virtual and physical activities, and showing sensitivity to employees’ social needs are crucial steps in increasing success in a remote work environment. Strengthening social bonds among employees will not only enhance collaboration but also positively impact individual and team performance.
Conclusion
It is essential to remember that even though many aspects of our professional lives progress digitally, humans are not machines; they are always tangible and real. Being aware of reality and understanding the importance of emotional connections and loyalty will always propel us forward in many areas. Zig Ziglar once said, “The most effective person you can talk to all day is yourself.” Start by talking to yourself and then observe its impact on your surroundings.