The Remote Work Weekly #9

Welcome to the ninth edition of The Remote Work Weekly!

If you're new here, my name is Amr, and I am the author of this weekly newsletter. The goal is to keep you in the loop on the latest in the world of remote work, whether that's news, emerging trends, insights, studies, and more. So, feel free to subscribe so you don't miss an update.

In this week's edition, we put extra emphasis on remote work trends. First, we will explore a new trend observed by a remote work author. Then, we dig into an interesting perspective on how social media trends are inspiring changes in modern workplace culture. Lastly, we summarize a new experiment for distributed teams conducted by Atlassian's Team Anywhere Lab.

What is the "Hushed Hybrid"?

New week, new edition, new trendy remote work term!?

In a recent? Forbes article, Bryan Robinson, the author of Chained to the Desk in a Hybrid World: A Guide to Balance, discussed the rise of the "Hushed Hybrid" workplace trend. The trend refers to allowing employees to occasionally work remotely, even with official policies requiring them to be present at the office. This trend is similar to the "Coffee Badging" trend, which was also highlighted by the same author.

This trend feels like a more natural evolution of the post-COVID return-to-office (RTO) mandates, which forced employees back into the office after a year or two of total remote work. This trend becoming a norm in many workplaces sounds like a good sign that more organizations are prioritizing productivity and work-life balance over office presence.

Does Tik-Tok have a Role in Shaping the Modern Work Culture?

Let's resume our coverage of remote work trends. Unlike the "Hushed Hybrid," which emerged from organizations' adaptation to return-to-office policies, other trends were inspired by social media influencers, especially on TikTok. Initially, these seem unrealistic, even juvenile. Interestingly, an MSN article investigated how TikTok-inspired trends are actually shaping modern workplaces and influencing HR policies.?

In edition #4, we highlighted two trends, "Loud Quitting" and "Rage Applying." This week, we explore two more. The first trend is "Quiet Quitting," which points out to employees doing just enough work to keep their jobs. The article mentions that this trend has sparked concerns among HR professionals about preventing it from spreading and negatively affecting employees' productivity.

Another TikTok trend is "Bare Minimum Mondays," which is seen as a way to prevent burnout by slowly starting the workweek. Personally, I vouch for this trend since it can help professionals save their energy for more demanding tasks later during the week. According to the MSN article, it has been embraced by many managers as a team agreement.

Research on the Effect of Fun within Distributed Teams

This week, we explore the summary of another research by Atlassian's Team Anywhere, a team of behavioral scientists studying issues related to distributed work.?

The research tackles the challenge of fostering strong team dynamics and engagement in remote environments. It is known that integrating "fun" with work contributes to strengthening relationships, enhancing employee experiences, and retaining talent. To find an approach to effectively replace in-person bonding activities, the Team Anywhere Lab conducted an experiment called the "Chief Vibes Officer" (CVO).?

The main goal was to create a fun team ritual that didn't require a budget or physical presence. The CVO's job was to set a weekly vibe by posting a non-work-related theme or question in the team's Slack channel, encouraging casual and enjoyable conversations. Prompts ranged from light-hearted questions to personal stories like vacation vibes, music Monday, things that make us laugh, or team dinner.

Seventy-seven teams signed up for the experiment, and it was proven to be successful in boosting team morale and connection.?

Results showed that 97% of participants felt the ritual brought joy, and 87% reported feeling more connected to their teammates. Plus, 32% of participants found it easier to ask for help after engaging in these informal interactions. In short, the CVO concept was found to be a simple yet effective way to foster collaboration and break down barriers, even remotely.

The following image shows the experiment results:

Wrap-up

This wraps up the 9th edition of The Remote Work Weekly. I hope it was informative, insightful, and entertaining :). To receive notifications about each week's edition, feel free to subscribe.

Your input is always appreciated. If you'd like to share your thoughts or suggest a useful tool. Feel free to reach out to me directly here.

See you next week!

Amr