If you work with coworkers from a remote setting, texting or emailing is likely to be useful for quick conversations, such as business meetings. B. When setting up a meeting. But for more serious discussions, a phone or video call is probably better.
Video calls can get tedious, so they should be used sparingly and primarily when there is a clear purpose for video, said Dr. Simon-Thomas. This can be a meeting with visual aids in a presentation. Or a first-time introduction to a colleague when it’s nice to see a face.
Whether in the office or at home, when writing to your colleagues, be attentive, added Dr. Simon-Thomas added. Avoid skimpy notes and add nuance and context to your message. Whenever possible, show curiosity when discussing solutions to problems to avoid coming off as harsh critic.
“We don’t have the intonation, facial expressions and posture cues that we normally rely on,” she said. “The most mundane reaction can mean a universe of things to a person who receives it.”
Respect boundaries
Regardless of our rank in an organization, our time is precious. When our work is interrupted by a digital distraction like a message, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back to the original task, according to a study. So in a hybrid work setting, respecting boundaries will be crucial, said Tiffany Shlain, a documentary filmmaker who wrote “24/6,” a book on the importance of disconnecting from tech.
There are powerful tools like scheduling emails and setting a status message to let others know you’re busy and to set boundaries.
Let’s say you work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at 7 p.m. you have an idea that you want to share with a coworker, so write it down in an email. When you shoot down the email, two things happen. First, you lifted your own limit by letting others know that you were working during dinner time. Second, you may have interrupted a coworker during their downtime.