A short YouTube talk advising managers and employees on how to handle remote work during stressful times (telecommuting/teleworking). Emphasizes practicing empathy, checking in by phone, avoiding escalation via repeated emails, and mutual understanding between managers and staff to maintain connection and reduce stress.
Chapters
Hey, everyone had a thought about things that are going on in these strange times. Many people are now telecommuting, teleworking, which is, for some, uncharted territory. I've heard stories from folks that their managers have become micromanagers, checking in on them, sending multiple emails, why haven't you responded to me yet? And the other way around for managers saying, you know, people aren't getting back to me. This is not a vacation. Well, this is the perfect time to practice empathy. If we're trying to get hold of someone and someone's not readily available.
Instead of sending more and more and more emails saying, where are you? Pick up the phone and ask, how are you? I haven't heard back from you. Are you okay? I'm worried about you. Remember, we're trying to find our new cadence. Also, people are stressed out, and these are paranoid times. And also, we don't know what's going on in people's families. The best thing we can do is actually care about each other. Call up and check in on someone. And it goes both ways. If we have somebody who is micromanaging us, let us not assume they don't trust us, but rather, maybe they're stressed out as well. We can also pick up the phone and say, hey, boss, just want to make sure you're okay. Empathy is a great thing to practice now, and it also makes us feel closer to each other when we feel that someone's actually looking out for us as human beings. Take care of yourself, take care of each other.
