Remote work is no longer new and its been showing some really great benefits. While these benefits are encouraging more and more companies to incorporate some form of remote work into their business plan, there is one glaring issue we want you to consider. That is the sense of remote work disconnect.
How Has Remote Work Divided Us?
In the workplace, people have the opportunity to connect with others and form groups and friendships. One example of this was a study published in Nature Human Behavior. This study analyzed how 61,000 Microsoft employees communicated over the period of Dec 2019 to June 2020 and their transition to remote work. The study shows that more time was spent communicating by teams, but these communications were across the board between different teams in the company. 25 percent less time was spent communicating within one department. It also showed that fewer people collaborated with new contacts in the company.
What Can Be Done About Departmental Silos?
This is what we call a departmental silo and there are a few ways we can prevent this from happening within your company.
Keep Remote Workers Connected
Isolation and disconnection almost come hand in hand with remote work. Instead of letting this happen, make sure your team is connecting as a group.
Push For Outreach
Let your team have fun! They don’t always need to be talking about work. Let them discuss fun topics, and actually encourage them to talk about these topics like their shared interests. Set aside some time for casual teambuilding. What once was soooo easy in the workplace has become so painfully difficult.
MyTek can help with this remote work disconnect, so give us a call at 623-312-2440. We have the best tools to help your team communicate and feel like a team again.