Downtown dallas coworking provides an environment for telecommuters. Technology has created the type of environment where it is not only possible, but preferred to telecommute. Telecommuting has great advantages for both employee and employer, from a financial perspective, it saves companies at least 2,000 per employee, it also reduces pollution and use of resources. However, how does telecommuting affect the structure of not only the company as a whole but the ability to create a productive team structure?
One of the biggest fears of a remote team is the ability to engage employees and keep them productive while they are in the presence of a screen that allows them to open a tab to something more entertaining. The workplace is its own social ecosystem with hierarchies and even its own lexicon. Telecommuting shifts all of these customs, where do they go?, how are they expressed, and does the lack of rich communication reduce productivity and introduce loneliness?
There is a different set of characteristics to look for when creating a team that telecommutes. The main point that allows telecommuting to work efficiently is the quality of the manager and their leadership skills being communication-centric.
The aspect of this that becomes a game-changer is adaptability, and social empathy. If managers want to create a team culture that is productive remotely, they have to incorporate systems that are outside extrinsic incentives like salary, like celebrating birthdays or work anniversaries.
This helps with situations where remote loneliness might interfere with productivity. Although remote employees mostly report satisfaction with telecommuting because of the autonomy and work/life balance it gives employees.
Loneliness is usually a symptom of a greater communication issue, meaning loneliness happens when only extrinsic expectations are important. This is actually no different than the traditional setup, whether telecommuting or in office, it is important to engage with employees in ways that are integrative.
Ways to combat employee loneliness is to institute regular, quick and informal check-ins where updates are announced and general updates on how work is going are good. When there are new employees it is also important to create a culture that simulates the way traditional employees would be introduced.
The manager is key in being a keen observer of common intersection points between team members so that each employee has at least one member of the team they work closely with.
This framework for teams helps with “absenteeism”. Although the term is usually associated with the traditional workplace, absenteeism is actually the same in telecommuting, and its form is loneliness. Loneliness means a lack of connection and cohesiveness within a team, sometimes a lack of connection to the work and a general feeling of apathy. All of this reflects engagement and general satisfaction with work.
To combat loneliness, keep a regular schedule, and promote times of informal communication with employees that mimic the lunch hour – this reduces the feeling of micromanagement and introduces dimensional camaraderie.
On an individual level, loneliness occurs also when the lines between work and home are blurred. People may feel like they are at home and the association becomes more connected and they become bored with using their “home” time at work. Another way to combat this feeling is to have a designated work space that you only go to when working that is well-lit and keeps you focused.
A good option is downtown Dallas coworking. It provides a space that promotes self regulation. A character that is often screened for when hiring a person that will be telecommuting. The takeaway with successful telecommuting is visual and environmental preparation for work at home to separate the lines of work and home, and communicative leadership.
