Going Mobile: The Impact on Communications and the Workplace ...

10.19.2012 | Holly Zuluaga

Mobile is one of the hottest tech topics right now. From security to access to culture, mobile is changing the way people work. With the popularity of smartphones, tablets and laptops, more and more organizations are transforming into virtual environments where employees are working remotely to cut down on commuting and overhead business costs. In fact, IDC predicts mobile workers will increase worldwide to more than one-third of the global workforce. But with an increase of virtual offices and workers spread across the globe, what is the impact on communication? By communicating predominately electronically, can messages get lost in translation?

I came across an interesting article in Ragan Communications? that looks at the pros and cons of working virtually, including a lack of personal connection and shared experience usually forged in the workplace, but also the benefits of increased productivity, no interruptions and eliminated office drama such as, ?who took the last Diet Coke??

In the article, Gini Dietrich writes about her organization?s decision to get rid of an office and go virtual. I?ve outlined a few tips to consider based on her observations and my experience working with clients and coworkers remotely.

• Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. When you are not physically in an office, it is important to communicate as much as possible. Make sure to check in regularly with your manager via email, instant message, video chat and/or phone. This will help to alleviate any potential concerns that you are not online or working.
• Be very clear. Communicating electronically means that you miss out on sarcasm, body language and nuances, like whether the person is just having a bad day. Mobile workers need to be very careful that they are clear in their communication and avoid projecting any irritability in electronic messages because the receiver can?t pick up on body language or tone and could take it the wrong way.
• Be aware of time zones. At Communiqu? PR, we work with clients, media and analysts from all over the world, which can make scheduling a call challenging! It is important to keep in mind that just because you might work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, your coworker or client might be on a different schedule, so be sure to provide a time zone in your deadline requests.
• Connect on the phone. Though it might not be ideal, connecting on the phone is a better way to have hard conversations than electronically. This will give you more cues to how someone is feeling based on voice inflection.
• Include context. Physical conversations are often more memorable than an email that someone may or may not have read all the way through. If you reference a conversation, you know that the other person participated, but if you reference an email, it can be more challenging to recall, especially when most people receive hundreds of emails a day. Be sure to include context in your email correspondence or include previous threads for easy reference.
• Create a culture. Even virtual organizations have some in-person time. In a Workplace article, ?Cultivating a Virtual Culture,? the author Michelle Rafter writes about the near virtual marketing company Emma Inc., and how once a year all the employees get together for an annual talent show. This is unique to the Emma culture and even though the employees are not physically connected on a daily basis, they have an opportunity to connect annually face-to-face in a way that embodies the company?s values.

As more and more employees work remotely, tailoring communication styles for the virtual workplace is important. Employees and employers will need to find water cooler conversation replacements in the virtual world to forge more personal connections.

How do you communicate with remote employees or clients? Do you have any tips on best practices or key learnings?

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Tags: Gini Dietrick, laptops, management, Mobile, remote management, remote offices, remote work, spartphones, tablets, virtual culture

Source: http://www.communiquepr.com/blog/?p=4661

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