“I’m not sure how this sounds.” “This statement appears off.” There is a lot that you can say through a text that can be misunderstood. A simple attempt at being professional can be perceived as being inconsiderate, or cold while working from home (WFH). We’ve all had our share of experiences, and found our ways of coping with them. I’m here to share mine with you, and the personal methods I adopt and advise everyone, hit with the classic WFH style of communicating. Here are a few simple steps that will hopefully help you in communicating better while working from home.
1. ‘Sound Kind’: I know you already are. We all hopefully belong to a cooperative working space, where we only want what is best for our teammates, but what I really suggest is to make a conscious attempt at being kind. While you’re WFH, the only real interaction is through written means: texts, emails, and the like. These are the only ways where people get a whiff of what makes you, you, especially if you’ve been onboarded during the lockdown. Here’s where you really need to make sure that the kindness you are feeling is reflected in the way you communicate. Use nice adjectives while talking, appreciate things that others do. Praise them when you feel they need to hear it. Use emojis, stickers, gifs, or other fun ways of communicating, that will probably enhance your equation better. (https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/emojis-why-we-love-them-so-much-and-what-they-mean-0)
Source: Google
2. Overcommunicate: “When did you even send this? Oh, I’m sorry. I must have missed that.” Do you have too many things to send off, that are dependent on approvals from your seniors? Since your organisation has facilitated text messaging as the main medium of communication while WFH, there are high chances that your seniors are being loaded with messages and are more than often, missing out. The best thing to do is overcommunicate. Whenever you send across any piece of work to your respective reportees, make sure sure you elaborately explain what it is, as soon as you send across that text. Make sure you mark your managers and other key stakeholders within the first line of the text itself. In this age of virtual connections, overcommunicating may seem like a lot, but they’ll make things much easier for sure.
Source: Google
3. The Power of the ‘Voice’: We’re all busy with a thousand meetings and tasks allocated for the day. In such a time, no one wants to get on additional calls or meetings, and would rather get things resolved through text or email. We have become accustomed to such a setup, and have moreover, encouraged it. However, sometimes nothing can beat the magical power of voice. If you’ve gotten yourself into a dicey situation and you feel like you need to make things right, then, by all means, pick up the phone and do a short call, or set one up. If a call can clear things up better than text can, there’s nothing better. Since I did say that people are sceptical about calls these days, voice notes play the part, just fine. Voice out what you want to say, loud and clear, and see the results for yourself.
Source: Google
4. Do Your Research: If you ever need to confront someone, make sure you have your facts right. You need to do your own research and things should be 100% clear from your end before you can approach someone else. Don’t say anything that you’d regret later, and be very sure of the things you’re already blaming them or bringing to their notice.
Source: Google
5. Bond, bond, bond! Never forget, you have a life outside of work, and how different things would be if you actually met the same people, every day, for the past few months, as opposed to virtually connecting with them. Your workplace buddies are nothing short of your family. Even though you have disagreements and need to work together, you’re also part of the same team, have your own set of inside jokes, and moments that are special to you, and you alone. Don’t let that go away. Take some time to schedule regular chill sessions, exclusive to your team. Get to know them better, talk to them and connect with them on a personal level. There’s a lot you can do together virtually. Make good use of it!
Take a look at my other article based on WFH:
https://holaadulthood.com/index.php/2020/12/01/workfromhome-5-ways-to-find-the-balance/
