Many studies show that the transition of work to the online environment has changed the nature of social capital (the sum of contacts we can use effectively because we know each other). On the one hand, employees report more meetings than ever before, but on the other hand, they report greater isolation due to "less" connections with others, which makes them uneasy and changes their behavior.
Radka Loja conducted a survey of opinions on social networks. Public comments had a rather positive touch, some people were very comfortable with the possibility of planning their own time. "During the lockdown, I organized my time better and got more in shape. I lost ten pounds, I finally started eating and exercising healthily. I practiced in the morning, but of course I didn't watch TV in the evening, but sat down at the computer and finished my work until midnight. "
In the private messeges, it started frankly. I learned, for example: "We will be fired, a lot of work has been transferred to the online form. As a result, people don't act fairly, tactically, withhold information, and make themselves indispensable so they don't throw it out. "" When colleagues don't see each other every day, some need to make themselves known. They present their ego, which is at the expense of relationships. I often feel that people are still talking and talking in online meetings and it doesn't have much of a head or a heel. In addition, our field is now in decline, so there are inflating problems that would not normally be solved. "" Someone is afraid that if they are not present, they will be forgotten. For example, he sends meaningless e-mails to everyone in a copy to make it look like he is working hard and that the company cannot do without it. "
The basic building block of the effective functioning of work teams is TRUST. This means that people are not afraid to express their opinions authentically, they are empathetic and respect each other.
We can perceive AUTHENTICITY in the sense of expressing who we really are. Be careful, we don't have to be "honest" at all costs. The point is not to consciously put on the perfect mask right after coming to work and not behave exactly according to what we think is "politically correct." This is not sustainable in the long run and will certainly not make us happy. In addition, people around us usually feel it very quickly. They perceive something is wrong. Often they can't name it exactly, but they will definitely not trust us and possibly want to cooperate with us.
EMPATHY and RESPECT are other big topics. Empathy can be perceived as the ability to look through the eyes of another. People very often struggle with the fact that when they disagree with something, they start judging, evaluating, convincing others of the correctness of their own opinion. But empathy is not about who is right or better. Empathy is about understanding the other and respecting their opinions, feelings and needs. Empathy is also related to the ability to appreciate the other. His efforts and what he was able to do, sometimes regardless of the quality of the result.
For most people, just like a daily to-do list, a work culture of kindness, humor, and cooperation is important. Talking a bit informally with colleagues and going to lunch together, for example, is part of the job. These informal relationships support employee connectivity and are a breeding ground that increases productivity and grows innovations and new ideas.
It is likely that many organizations will not return to 100% office work. Partial work from home will become the new standard. Just as the home office used to be a welcome benefit, now employees may appreciate the opportunity to be in the office and enjoy the physical presence of their colleagues.
The author of the article is a psychologist, lecturer and coach Radek Loja, whom you can meet at our Personal Development or Presentation Skills courses:
Psychologist, lecturer, author and coach
She leads comprehensive personal development courses, coaches, provides counseling in the field of psychology, writes articles. She is the author and co-author of the books:
- Emotions under control - 5 steps to managing emotions (Grada 2019)
- How to gain success, peace and serenity in a hectic present (Grada 2017)
She graduated in
- psychology at UPOL´s Faculty of Psychology
- the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at ČVUT
She used to work at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.
