Transitioning Back to the Office – Respect in the Workplace
Many employers are having conversations about transitioning people back to work. But, conversely, there are people who don’t want to abandon our new barefoot-office culture.
In a recent hrreporter.com article, a Robert Half survey of 500 Canadian workers states that 1 in 3 workers will quit if forced to go back to the office full time. Imagine saying that one year and eight months ago!
If you trust percentages: 51% prefer a hybrid work at home and the office, and 30% say “get me out of the house and back to the office.”
How Does Hybrid ‘Respect in the Workplace’ Look?
A ‘workplace’ can be broadly defined as ‘anywhere you are representing your employer.’
So, how you treat people from your basement desk and computer set-up still matters. How you converse in emails, over the phone, in Zoom meetings, and back again in person will matter, maybe even more.
As you read these, you will probably think to yourself, “Phil, I know all this. So why are you bothering with it here?”
Constant reminders keep us focused so that we get the basics right. Respectful behavior takes practice. We choose to intentionally ensure that we don’t start slipping up in etiquette or politeness and risk that behavior is becoming our norm.
Look at the list below and answer whether you (or anyone in your workplace) ever do any of them?
- Neglect to say please and thank you.
- Use email when face-to-face communication is needed
- Take too much credit for collaborative work
- Email or text during meetings
- Keep people waiting needlessly
- Talk down to others
- Use jargon even when it excludes others
- Pass the blame when you’ve contributed to a mistake
- Spread rumors
- Belittle others non-verbally (roll eyes, smirk, etc.)
- Shut someone out of a team meeting
- Pay little attention or show little interest in others’ opinions
- Don’t listen
- Show up late or leave early without explanation
- Fail to acknowledge others
- Make demeaning or derogatory remarks to someone
- Take others’ contributions for granted
- Forget to include or speak unkindly of others
All of these can be (and are) performed in our virtual environment.
Virtual Respect in the Workplace
This topic is so vital that the Government of Canada (no less!) has created a quick reference tool to provide employers and workers information to support and maintain a culture of civility and respect in a virtual workplace.
We all understand that channels of communication are more restricted in a remote technological work environment.
This influences how we are perceived and the impact we have on others.
That is a sentence worth repeating: This influences how we are perceived and the impact on others.
This is the entire focus of many Respectful Workplace workshops – reminding people about the difference between intention and impact.
So below, you will find a quick reminder about the basics (aka ‘the little things’) that can ensure that your respectful workplace transcends the technological distance (chasm) between employees’ physical locations.
Remember, you need to ensure that you are the change that you want to see. You must go first. You must be that role model.
Here are three quick reminders:
Active listening
Fully concentrating on what your colleagues are saying, rather than just hearing what is being said, will allow you to maximize understanding and minimize miscommunication.
Non-verbal cues
Working remotely influences how we interpret non-verbal cues. It is critical to show you are actively listening. Working from home can decrease our professional awareness. It is important to ensure you and your workspace reflect appropriate levels of professionalism.
The tone of written messages
Not being physically in the same space influences how we interpret written text. The content of your messages – including tone and emotion – can be misinterpreted more frequently. For example, add pleasantries such as ‘thank you’ often in written messages.
I want to ‘thank you’ myself for reading this, and please pass it on to anyone you feel may benefit from a nudge.
