”… it would be useful to bring them all to Earth together.

To do well at work is also about communication and care, caring for each other and looking at things from the perspective of others.

“What do you want? Send them flowers too? I hold meetings periodically, everyone presents what they have done, what follows, I always tell them what the company’s figures are, what more can I do ?! ”

That’s what someone who did everything he thought a Country Manager had to do was asking me. Because we go to work to perform, to do our job. Excellent! And not enough, sometimes.

Those on his team wanted something else: to show them that they care about them, to ask them what they are doing, how they are, to show a little empathy.

Sounds, of course, very well known.

Since working from home, since we see each other less often, sometimes not even on the laptop camera, it seems that there is a bigger discrepancy between what the managers think the people in the team want and what the latter actually want.

Of course, people expect direction, protection, order; they want to know that the boss is sure of the direction the company is going, that they have what they need to do their job, that there are systems and rules according to which they operate, that they are protected, that there is an environment of mutual trust , that their physical, emotional and mental health are among the concerns of their manager.

If we think about the metaphor of Jim Collins, regarding the bus, passengers need to know that the driver knows where he is going, on what road, what are the moments when they stop, he is careful to take them to their destination safely.

For several months now, however, people have been complaining about the workload, the fact that they have long meetings, without breaks, the pressure to be always online, the lack of natural socialization that the office creates, the difficulty of approaching spontaneous various colleagues, especially from other teams.

In addition, if they have training or coaching, they have to “pay” for the time allocated to development and work hard overtime to recover what they had to do; this frustrates and demotivates them to participate.

The delimitation between “home” and “at work” has become difficult to do now. People work and see their personal lives in the same space, together with their family.

When the space is small, it can become quite consuming of energy and nerves. Professional and personal life are overlapping, diffuse, and this lack of delimitation creates stress.

The transition time we all had before, when we went to the office and back home, no longer exists. Someone’s aggressive tone negatively charges us, we no longer have space and time to detach ourselves, so that, when we get home, to have availability for others.

The time between calls is short or non-existent, the space between one room and another is tiny, we have all the chances to burst and pour our nerves, frustration, those who matter most.

On the other hand, managers also go through the same conditions, to which are added some related to the responsibility for the team, as well as the responsibility to their own manager. Managers also do their job as they see fit.

But what managers sometimes forget is to stop and ask the team what they are doing, how they are, to ask them and give them feedback, to guide them in various projects, when they need it.

Team members, on the other hand, also forget to ask for a meeting with the manager, to give and ask for feedback, to take responsibility for their own good (or bad). If you turn your video off in online dating, how do you want someone to guess your condition? If you don’t give feedback, you don’t ask for help, maybe the other party thinks you’re good.

The responsibility for the relationship between the manager and each member of the team lies with each individual. The manager is responsible for certain things, the individual in the team is also responsible for his part of the relationship. If one lets go of his part of the relationship, if he does not assume it correctly, then there is stress, frustration, dissatisfaction, gossip, the impression that the manager does not care, the feeling that the people in the team are uninvolved, blasé.

We come to communication, to care, to care for each other, to think from the perspective of others. I think sometimes it’s good to think of ourselves as if we were advising our best friend in a similar situation. Let’s look from the outside at ourselves, at the relationship with the manager or with the team, to look for ways to improve. If we look from the outside, we will see the situation differently, we will analyze more objectively, we will find solutions. In the end, both the manager and the people on the team want to be well, to have good results, to be seen, appreciated, to contribute.

I will end with some ideas for both sides.

For the team member:

  • Ask for feedback from the manager, give him feedback; in writing, on Zoom, on the phone, as it is easier for you
  • If you need more communication, tell them that you would like to have a virtual coffee every week / every two months.
  • Ask for help for various projects, tasks; if you see they don’t have time, ask who you can talk to to help you
  • Take the initiative and say when you have ideas, when you want to change something
  • Before making all sorts of scenarios about the black-mouthed manager, clarify, ask questions, check your assumptions; our minds often fool us, they suffer from scriptwriting
  • Turn your video on; a relationship is better, more trusting, when people see each other, they take each other’s pulse
  • Do an exercise and try to see from the manager’s perspective: what he is going through, what his goals are, what his needs are, then what you would do differently
  • Learn to manage your time so that you respect a schedule, even if you work from home.
  • Be your own leader, take on your own development, confirm with the manager, but don’t wait as the swallow chicks wait for food in their beaks from their parents

For the manager:

  • Don’t assume that everyone understood at first what you meant; clarify, ask, listen
  • Show that you care about people, ask them what their fears and expectations are, what they enjoy, how you can best support them
  • Ask for and give feedback
  • Show confidence in your team: you don’t need to keep an eye on them, to check when they are and when they are not online; it is important to do their job, even if sometimes it works better late at night instead of lunch, for example
  • Have weekly meetings where you can listen to them, share what they are facing
  • Pay attention to their birthdays, show them that they matter to you, see them, appreciate them
  • Celebrate success
  • Respect people’s time; if they work from home, it does not mean that they can be at your disposal at any time
  • Don’t send messages on the weekends, except when it’s super urgent when you want to praise someone, give them the good news. Think about it: can it wait until Monday? If so, refrain!
  • Be careful how you write emails: you can easily be perceived as aggressive, careless. Don’t send an email in a hurry, especially when you’re nervous, upset; you will be perceived ten times as aggressive as you may have wanted to be. We are all tired, sensitive, ready to explode, like the grenade that has the nail almost pulled.

Maybe it’s time to care more (and) about others, to be more attentive, more human, to have patience, to understand that we are not alone in the world, we are not the center of the universe, and that the interdependence moves the world.”

via: spotmedia.ro