Remote workers are lonely !

[Amrita]

How to create connections at work in the age of isolation

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If an overflowing inbox is killing your productivity at the office, you are not alone. Well, maybe you are, but not in the way you think.

A recent survey of more than 2,000 managers and employees in 10 different countries found that employees increasingly depend on technology to communicate with their colleagues, including email (45 percent), text messaging (15 percent) and instant messaging (12 percent).Of those who cited email, more than 40 percent said they felt lonely always or often, were not engaged and had a high need for social connection.

Dan Schawbel, author of “Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation,” offered Reuters these tips on working remotely, managing technology and building a collaborative workplace.

Q. Is there a dark side of working remotely?

A. One-third of workers in the U.S. often work remotely. The number of remote workers is up 115 percent in the past decade. But just 5 percent of these workers see themselves staying at the same company for their entire career.

While we want flexibility so much, there is a tradeoff. Our research shows that remote workers are more likely to quit because of loneliness as well as low engagement. The reason why (co-working space) WeWork exists is because people want the human connection. Otherwise, people would just work from home.

Q. Is there a “right way” to work offsite and keep remote workers engaged?

A. These employees will work harder if they have a sense of connection. For managers, it is important to let a remote worker lead the meeting. It’s so simple and brilliant at the same time. It also makes sense to fly remote workers in once a year for an offsite or social event.

And be sure to use video conferencing often for meetings - you get to see and hear someone, which is much better than an email. It also forces you to dress like you are in the office. If you dress the part, you act the part.

Q. How can we maximize our time when we are in the office?

A. When you are working, you need time to focus, think deeply and pay attention to your words, thoughts and ideas. You also need collaborative time to share those ideas.

The actual work is important. But it’s also crucial to cultivate friendships. The workplace survey I led, which was conducted by my company Future Workplace, an HR advisory firm, and Virgin Pulse, a digital health company, found that 7 percent of all employees globally have no friends at work and over half have five or fewer total friends.

The majority of people (60 percent) said they would be more likely stay with their company longer if they had more friends.

This was especially true for younger employees. Gen Z (74 percent) and millennials (69 percent) say they would be inclined to stay with their company longer if they had more friends than Gen X (59 percent) and baby boomers (40 percent).

You will never be able to replace face-to-face interactions at work. Once you are in a room - at a meeting, event, or even celebrating a birthday at work - be present. Put down your phone and actually talk to people.

Q. People spend so much time at work. What is the best way to avoid burnout?

 

A. Even if you love your job, everyone needs a break. That is why some interesting things are happening around the world to combat burnout. For example, in Finland and in the United Kingdom, they are looking at a four-day work week. In France, you actually have the right to disconnect - workers there don’t have to answer email on the weekends or after work hours.

In Japan, every Japanese citizen gets the right to take Monday mornings off.

Overall, it is about what you do, and who you do it with. The people you choose to work with are more important than the work you do. Even if you love your work, and it gives you purpose, toxic co-workers will make it unbearable.

[panipoori]

linkedin lo article...?

[Amrita]

2 minutes ago, panipoori said:

linkedin lo article...?

Yes !

[jefferson1]

2 minutes ago, panipoori said:

linkedin lo article...?

Yes, 

companies want to keep people at work 

[Amrita]

1 hour ago, jefferson1 said:

Yes, 

companies want to keep people at work 

Thats good for emotional health. I did remote almost for an year .. i was depressed in-spite of going to gym, couple of types of dance classes , going out too. Psychologically it makes you depressed. 8-6 at work will enable social interactions and keeps us happy ...routine untundi kabatti. 

[Sachin200]

5 minutes ago, Amrita said:

Thats good for emotional health. I did remote almost for an year .. i was depressed in-spite of going to gym, couple of dance classes , going out too. Psychologically it makes you depressed. 8-6 at work will enable social interactions and keeps us happy ...routine untundi kabatti. 

Remote cheyadam is like distance education vs in class education 

 

[Amrita]

8 minutes ago, Sachin200 said:

Remote cheyadam is like distance education vs in class education 

 

[DrBeta]

Then why remote doing?

[jefferson1]

20 minutes ago, Amrita said:

Thats good for emotional health. I did remote almost for an year .. i was depressed in-spite of going to gym, couple of dance classes , going out too. Psychologically it makes you depressed. 8-6 at work will enable social interactions and keeps us happy ...routine untundi kabatti. 

I dislike going to work every day, commute time and travel expenses are waste of money 

 

week ki ki one day okay 

[DrBeta]

1 minute ago, jefferson1 said:

I dislike going to work every day, commute time and travel expenses are waste of money 

 

week ki ki one day okay 

Stay close to work no?

[jefferson1]

Just now, DrBeta said:

Stay close to work no?

I stay around 6 miles and still hate it man

traffic 

[r2d2]

There are some disadvantages if an FTE is 100% remote.. for contractors, it actually helps...

not quite sure if the depression theory applies across the board.. it depends on the individual..

I’m as happy as a clam..😃 

[Amrita]

3 minutes ago, jefferson1 said:

I dislike going to work every day, commute time and travel expenses are waste of money 

 

week ki ki one day okay 

Yeah week ki one day is awesome.  Present client lo i am doing M-T 10 hrs a day. Taking off on friday too. I like it even better. I am more efficient. 

[DrBeta]

2 minutes ago, jefferson1 said:

I stay around 6 miles and still hate it man

traffic 

30 minutes bike, unless it's uphill. 

[jefferson1]

1 minute ago, DrBeta said:

30 minutes bike, unless it's uphill. 

Weather conditions don’t allow me to use bike and I need to drive in bid roads 

all my work is on servers except msoffice