The pandemic resulted in many of us working from home. A side effect of this was feeling more comfortable as we were in our own environment, where we’re naturally used to being more casual. When we were able to return to the office it took some time to readjust to office etiquette and re-establish professional working boundaries. Feeling comfortable in the workplace is a positive thing, but taking it too far can come across as being too casual, which can be an issue with clients, customers, colleagues and the senior leadership team.
Professional Boundaries
People want to work with those they like and trust, but it’s important to maintain a professional image and professional working relationships. There’s a fine line between being liked and being respected. You don’t want your colleagues or the leadership team to feel as though you’re trying to be their best friend at a barbeque. You’re their trusted advisor and the person who can lead them to success. Your executive presence and confidence are key to getting things done as opposed to trying to be someone’s “best friend”.
Some employees may be more relaxed in their demeanor and approach, which can be misinterpreted as being too casual. This is often defined by your image; how you present yourself both verbally and non-verbally. This can be from dressing very casually, as you would on the weekend, and using informal language. Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean that you can relax your office attire. By dressing casually, it can look like you’re not taking your role and responsibilities seriously.
Running a virtual office can also be challenging when it comes to oversharing as boundaries can become more relaxed when working from home vs the office. When working from private spaces, you have more freedom to express yourself as there isn’t anyone watching over you and there’s no risk of anyone overhearing what you say. When working in the office, conversations tend to be more focussed on the task at hand and noise levels tend to be lower so as not to be overheard or distracting to others.
Adapt, or get left behind
Leaders at all levels, especially senior leaders, still experience significant challenges leading a virtual or hybrid workforce. It will be a hot topic of conversation for a while as there’s no easy answer.
Leaders don’t always want to adapt or simply refuse to. The key here is to understand why, usually it’s because they don’t know how to create the change needed or required. It often comes down to communication, or miscommunication and misunderstandings. When things have been done a certain way, change can feel uncomfortable, especially if things worked well before the pandemic.
Most leaders have spent decades in the workplace, traveling to the same building everyday, working with the same people in the same surroundings. It was easy to walk the floor, stop to ask questions, enjoy a brief watercooler moment, or even call a quick team meeting in the boardroom. That’s not easy to do when employees are working remotely, which can leave leaders feeling uneasy and out of control.
Communication is critical
Communication is absolutely critical when managing a remote workforce. Even more so now that there are so many differing opinions over working from home or returning to the office.
During the pandemic, some leaders abandoned the simplest communication techniques and habits they used to have, such as saying “hello” to their employees (even over Zoom), initiating a conversation that isn’t solely work-related and being transparent and genuine. Some leaders abandoned their previous one-on-one conversations with employees because “we don’t see them anyway”.
When we think of communication today, it’s often overly transactional. We just want to get the job done and may be very direct with our teams, which works, but we also need to have empathy and EQ.
As my grandmother was fond of saying “You get more flies with honey.” People want to work with others they like and trust, and leaders have to have the ability to persuade – up, down and across the corporate ladder.
Communication really is everything. I talk with leaders who are sometimes surprised when something goes sideways with their team that they could have or should have already known.
Employees want to know that they are seen and heard. There is a time and place when we can be transactional, and there’s a time and place to communicate so that you can get to know people on your team. It’s often the conversations and camaraderie that create a strong culture and loyal, fulfilled employees. In fact, I’d say these more informal conversations are what will help build a stronger remote workforce as they’ll still feel like they’re part of something without needing to be physically present in the office.
Leadership support
Even though the pandemic was four years ago, organizations are still feeling the effects of the aftermath of navigating a ‘new normal.’ When you’ve always worked in a certain way, it can feel unnerving to suddenly embrace change.
As a leader, your colleagues and employees are looking at you to not only make difficult decisions, but navigate through them being implemented too. Instead of taking a hierarchical approach, this is a great opportunity to bring everyone on board to implement changes collaboratively, which helps create a feeling of unity too.
Change can feel overwhelming so it’s important to take one bite at a time!
Bringing in an external consultant and executive coach can make all the difference as it allows leaders to get out of their own heads and see a new perspective. By ignoring change, you run the risk of creating internal conflict and making the situation worse. When I work with leaders to help them succeed I ask them three key questions:
What do you believe are your top three issues
What do you see as the obstacles to success
What outcomes do you want to see
Once I have those answers I can help them create a plan to turn those challenges into opportunities.
Be open to change
It may not feel like it during the moment, but change is good. It creates new opportunities and allows everyone to work closely together as a team, to overcome obstacles.
Leaders love stability and love to follow processes that work. Hybrid working became mandatory during the pandemic and now many employees are refusing to return to the office as they’ve realized that working virtually is better suited to them. The key here is for leaders to embrace this new way of working, by trusting that they hired honest and trustworthy people and giving them more autonomy over decision making. It takes time to adapt to change, which is why communication is key – it’s important to have honest conversations with your team about what’s working, what isn’t and why. The success of your organization lies at the hands of your team, not just one person. Embracing that some people are more productive working remotely will be easier for you in the long run. Your team should be treated as equals and celebrated for their individual contribution to the success of your organization. Everyone should be treated the same, regardless of whether they’re based in the office or work remotely.
Bio:
Shannon Alter, CPM ® works with organizations that want to communicate with clarity so they can gain influence in their market, build better relationships and grow their business. She has over 30 years of experience in commercial and retail real estate management and hospitality. Her programs have been used throughout the United States and internationally by organizations of all sizes.
Shannon is a National Instructor for the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®), and the American Management Association (AMA) and has trained professionals in 10 countries. She has held the volunteer position of RVP for IREM and is a Past President of IREM Orange County.
Her 3rd book, “Be Influential: Surefire Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills” was published in Summer 2023. She is the author of two earlier books, leadership white papers and numerous industry articles, including a long-time industry column.
