Historically at work, we were told to leave our personal lives at the door. While this hasn’t been a current best practice for many years, it is, literally, impossible in the remote work environment. To support the remote worker leaders and others must recognize the importance of the 3 C’s of connection: Care, Communication and Change. The 3 C’s are all equally important.
Care:
With physical, social and emotional upheaval, we must care for and take care of one another. We’re all in the same boat, fighting the same waves and using the same oars. If one of us falls, so do we all. Self-interest is no longer possible if we hope to survive as individuals and as businesses. We must band together. We must care for one another.
So, how do we do this for our colleagues?
Try this: Listen to your co-workers’ needs. Rather than jump right into work, ask, “What have you been up to today?” or “How’s it going?”
Communication:
As in everything we do, effective communication is key. How can we make communication effective? By being caring, careful and attentive. How we speak to, engage with and feel with one another creates true connection.
Try this: Show care and kindness through intentional communication. If they have children at home, ask, “What are your kids up to these days? How are you going between caring for them and working?” Respond with genuine empathy. If they’re quarantined alone, ask, “What are you doing for fun these days?” Again, respond with sincere empathy. It’s not about the question. It’s about the care and compassion you express.
Change:
We all know that whatever happens after this crisis, life will be different. The world as we knew it has changed. How we do our work and live our daily life has changed. We’ve changed. Fundamentally.
Try this: Support yourself and one another through this change. Focus on the human side. The work will get done. As a leader, communicating with care and compassion is key. Be a real person. Don’t leave yourself at the door.