May/June 2020

Leading Insight
The Importance of Keeping Connections—at a Distance

THE AUTHOR IN ACTION. “A MONTH AGO, THE IDEA OF TAKING CONFERENCE CALLS AND DOING GROUP DISCUSSIONS FROM MY CLOSET WOULD HAVE BEEN CRAZY—IT SEEMS PRETTY NORMAL NOW,” SHE SAYS. “IT IS, AFTER ALL, THE QUIETEST PLACE IN A HOUSE WITH KIDS HOME ALL DAY!”

Organizations across the United States are navigating a “new normal” as the impact of the novel coronavirus accelerates. With the widespread recommendations of social distancing and many states facing stay-at-home orders, engineering firms have had to shift to a primarily or completely remote workforce. While working remotely is certainly not a new concept, Covid-19 has forced this change to occur so quickly that organizations were left with very little time to plan.

Remote work is ideal in terms of keeping your workforce healthy at this time; however, it comes with challenges. After all, projects must continue to get done. How can firms ensure they are optimizing opportunities to keep staff connected?

Here are five critical components that will make this transition more successful:

1. Communication

First and foremost, communication is the most significant part of connection among staff. When working remotely, it isn’t possible to catch up with someone in the hallway or break room. Staff can’t simply walk over to someone’s desk for a project update. Instead, staff will need to be much more intentional about their communication with others. Get comfortable with using the various means of communication available to you: email, phone, video conferencing, screen share, and chat platforms.

Daily communication should occur within teams that work together directly, and weekly communication may be best suited for department or cross-department meetings. The same is true for leadership staff. Ambiguity and confusion can be mitigated by communicating regularly. Make it a point to communicate at least once per week to staff on organizational updates, projects, changes, etc. Communicate in a supportive and positive tone and focus on “looking forward.” This is a stressful time for everyone. Effective communication can have a tremendous ability to ease that anxiety and, instead, foster continued connection among staff.

2. Identify and use the right tools and resources

There are many tools and resources that make even a sudden shift to remote work an easier transition. Organizations have several options for online platforms that facilitate collaboration, teamwork, and communication so that business continuity can be sustained. Actively share information online and make sure staff are able to access any necessary files or information while working remotely. Platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangouts are set up with various features intended to keep teams connected. Zoom and WebEx are also great tools to stay connected and facilitate ongoing communication. Use technology to create an open forum for communication. This serves as a vital way to keep staff informed, share updates, share resources and tools, and ask questions.

3. Focus on work relationships

As an organization, strong work relationships and comradery are important. Relationships among staff allow organizations to retain their talent and develop their people. Identify ways that leadership and staff can exemplify the organization’s values even while working remotely. Make those actions visible to others and celebrate them as an organization.

Look also for ways to create “water cooler moments.” It’s imperative that staff have an opportunity to connect, to some degree, on a personal level. For example, staff members within my organization recently shared photos of their home workspaces. Regardless of being remote, the photos were hilarious, and we were able to laugh together. Find ways to encourage this type of communication among staff. It strengthens teams and improves morale.

4. Provide flexibility and trust

Remote workers need flexibility. Especially with the current circumstances, give your staff the discretion of working the hours that allow them to manage both their personal responsibilities and work responsibilities. Trust that they will get the work done, and leave it at that.

5. Measure what matters

Remote work has somewhat of a stigma. There’s a misconception that those who work remotely are not as productive working from home as they would be working in the office. Research has proven this notion to be incorrect. According to a two-year study conducted by Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom, working from home resulted in an “astounding productivity boost.” If you have the right staff on board to begin with, they will continue to be the right staff working remotely. Measure performance by true output.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this process. Identify the areas where your organization is already working effectively, and focus on improving the areas that need to be refined. The Covid-19 pandemic is very much a fluid situation, with new information available each and every day. Find assurance in knowing that your ways of connecting staff will also be fluid. Set goals and keep moving forward.

Sarah Meusburger is human resources director for Banner Associates Inc., a multidisciplinary engineering and land surveying firm based in Brookings, South Dakota.