Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad Habits, that is. Okay, I live in Albuquerque NM.
Since 2020, relying on technology for communicating with team members loomed large. While technology offers many advantages—and we’ll be using it frequently in the future of hybrid and remote work—bad habits ensued.
Inspired by a fastcompany.com article in May 2021—5 Bad Habits Remote Workers Need to Bust—here are some insights and observations about breaking bad habits.
Bad Habit #1 – Hiding out: Those individuals who always keep video and audio off. Are they engaged with others during the video call?
Set guidelines for turning video and mics on and off during video meetings.
If you must step away during an interactive call, turn them off to signal you’re temporarily not available. Otherwise, video and audio on.
If one team member is presenting, everyone goes into speaker view mode and mutes to avoid distraction by other participants. Also, encourage the use of the chat feature for comments and questions leaving time to address them.
Use breakout rooms if smaller group conversations are necessary.
Bad Habit #2 – Multitasking: Driven by the desire or pressure to get more accomplished. After all, I can listen, be visible on screen to others, and still be reading and responding to email.
Leaders, stress that while more tasks may be accomplished by multitasking, the quality of the work suffers. Multitasking leads to another bad habit that affects work quality.
Bad Habit #3 – Being unfocused: A result of working in a less desirable environment during the pandemic, like working at a kitchen counter, or disturbances from other household members.
Leaders, this is why it’s important to check in with your team members and ask them how they are doing before you ask how the work is progressing, as we wrote about in a recent blog: Change and Empathy.
Team members, this is why it’s important to mix up your work environment, to the extent you can, from time to time, as we also wrote about in a blog entitled: WFH or Not.
Bad Habit #4 – Displaying unprofessionalism: We’ve heard about and suffered through indignities on video calls and meetings since March 2020, the milder ones being kids or pets interrupting meetings. Some of my favorite observances: Watching someone administer eyedrops and put on lipstick.
Set guidelines as to what’s acceptable and what isn’t during video calls.
Being groomed and appropriately dressed. Books are judged by their covers. It’s just courteous.
Eating during calls, especially ones with clients, is not acceptable. I’ve witnessed that one too and it sent a tsunami-sized message about the lack of professionalism.
Laughing, joking, smirking sends a similar message. Refrain from doing so.
Yes, sometimes rules can be relaxed, especially if the nature of the call is casual or celebratory. The same holds true for in-person meetings.
Quirky habits can be amplified on a video conference, especially when all participants are in full view. Some things that may not be obvious during an in-person meeting when your attention is diverted, is now front and center for all to see. Remember to: Be Present, Be Mindful and Be Professional.