COLLEAGUE RELATIONSHIPS

WHAT: Prior to the pandemic 77.7% of employees felt good about their company culture,  saying they would characterise the culture as positive, although Covid-19 had an impact on work situations. Nearly 92% of people already accustomed to remote work said company culture had either stayed the same or gotten better. However, over 25% of respondents said they felt less connected to their co-workers, and 30.1% said the same of managers. Transitioning to less face time with colleagues can cause bonds and friendships formed in the office to drop off or fade. But feeling connected to co-workers can have a positive impact on employee productivity and mental health.

Nearly 56% of respondents said the pandemic had strained their relationships with co-workers, and nearly 43% of those who didn’t work remotely before the pandemic are now interacting with their coworkers less than before the pandemic. However, those who worked remotely before the pandemic are now interacting more with co-workers – this can highlight how remote workers in a hybrid setting may struggle to interact with colleagues if conscious effort is not made to integrate them. However, it can also show that having the correct working routines in place can make remote socialisation easier. 

Remote socialisation did not become commonplace – 31.8% reporting company offerings of virtual happy hours, 29.7% with virtual coffee chats and 24.8% with virtual trivia or games.

New workplace culture needs to be built to ensure employees can still feel involved in company culture. Scott Shute, head of mindfulness and compassion at LinkedIn said “In 2021, leadership will need to re-imagine a new, hybrid culture as many of us will continue to work from home part-time if not full-time all together”. 

SO WHAT: Those who worked remotely before the pandemic are now interacting more with co-workers than before. Those working remotely from having worked from the office before are interacting less with colleagues. This can highlight how remote workers in a hybrid setting may struggle to interact with colleagues if conscious effort is not made to integrate them. However, it can also show that having the correct working routines in place can make remote socialisation easier. In either case, interacting with colleagues and managers is very important to be able to sustain a culture and feeling of belonging at a company. Conscious effort needs to be placed into this, rather than micromanaging, or trying to boost productivity. A productivity boost will often come from an employee feeling happy and supported working with a company.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2021/02/01/the-future-of-mental-health-and-career-support-for-remote-workers/?sh=6fa9d65712e7