Do Long-Distance (Working) Relationships Work?

Do Long-Distance (Working) Relationships Work?

Look where we are! We have successfully transitioned from a world where snail mail was the only way to speak to someone more than 100 miles away. We live in a world where we can connect to others in a matter of seconds. The ringing of a phone is even longer than normal now. We can ‘ping’ each other over Slack. We can see the lines on each other’s faces between New York and Gurgaon, India. But how successful are these conversations? With the barrier of the internet, how closer are we really? Are we having meaningful interactions with people?

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???????????Companies around the world are thriving in our global world. Employees in Prague are working with engineers in Brazil. Consultants in London are working with marketing teams in Mexico. We are crossing country boundaries and cultural gaps. There is a huge opportunity here to bridge these boundaries and gaps. I’m sure many of you of heard of ‘zoom fatigue’. Even in college, my friends and I were ‘’infected’ with this illness. But we are still learning how to utilize these new resources properly.

We get exhausted because all we talk about on camera is the work on the screens in front of us. It’s awkward to talk about ourselves, and our interests over a video. It feels like we are vlogging like the multitudes of influencers on YouTube. It feels weird to ‘spill’ when it’s just you in the room. When we are physically around others we can read their body language, interpret their reactions to what we are saying, and gauge physical and emotional distances. Just a ‘little’ harder over Zoom! This impacts companies’ cultures. That impact on culture then trickles into the work produced. If organizations want a healthy workforce that produces good work attention needs to be paid to the digital culture of their company.

These are two strategies to build comradery and strong cultures over the interwebs that I have seen prove worthwhile:

1.????Set Up Meeting Norms

Something I find really helps me to connect to my co-workers is spending 5 mins on team calls to just chat. Speaking to my coworkers about their kids, their new pets, or even the parties they went to that weekend makes it feel like it’s not all seriousness at the time. It humanizes the avatar on the screen. It’s not just a 2-D figure, but a person with feelings and a life beyond the PowerPoint.

?????The team I am on set up norms before starting our current engagement. We decided on everything from who led what element of the project (tactical) to how we would communicate. We set up values of when it was appropriate to text each other during non-work hours (urgent issues), and what type of team-building activities we would have in our weekly synch meetings.

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We also discussed screen-on vs. off and being respectful of those choices. I am a strong advocate for cameras on to be able to see emotions and break through the screen a little bit more. But of course, there are days when I’m working from home and my hair is doing this weird thing where it’s sticking up in all directions and there is a huge pimple on my forehead! But I know on those off days my choice to keep the camera off will be respected, especially because I know no one would want to see that mess!

?????Setting up these meeting norms and values allows for that bridging of people through the screen. Whether it is deciding to be vulnerable about our personal lives or doing icebreakers, these systems allow people to feel more connected to people that may be across the state, country, or world.

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2.????Encourage One on One Interactions Between Employees

It can be lonely sitting in your house without the interaction of co-workers. Don’t get me wrong, for some, it works well and when that culture is strong, only virtual work can be fantastic. But when that strong culture isn’t there…virtual work can be isolating. Having mentors and close interactions with colleagues helped me to feel less alone in a hybrid world. The same can be said of an online environment.

?????One great opportunity that my company encourages is ‘donut’ meetings. They are randomized weekly 30 mins calls with people from all locations of the firm. Doing these calls let me meet consultants everywhere from Portland to Dallas. I met colleagues who were working on projects in retail or tech. I connected with people throughout the whole company. Not just the ones I was bumping into occasionally at the office. It made me feel connected to the whole of the organization. This is part of why I think Propeller has such a strong culture. Because it values inter-company connection.

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?????A more structured approach is creating a mentorship program. When employees have someone to look up to, lean on for support, or seek out as a guiding figure they feel like the organization supports them. People want to feel a connection. It’s a basic human instinct. Mentorship not only brings personalization between people, but it shows employees that they are seen and valued. Mentorship through the firm creates a map of support. This map helps strengthens the culture of an organization. These programs are easy to set up over Zoom. Although it’s another Zoom call. It’s a one-on-one interaction where vulnerability and support can be achieved. The values of the organization can be instilled and upheld in these programs.?A strong culture will lead to strong workers and results.

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In conclusion, long-distance working relationships with colleagues can be successful. They can be inclusive and supportive and strengthen the organization's culture. Investing time and effort into building strategies to ensure relationships are building built between employees is essential in this digital age.

Thanks for sharing!!! Great read!

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