A CEO’s View of Digital Open-Door Policy (Plus Why It Matters)

Jeff Dickerson, the CEO of DaySmart Software, reflects that leadership in today’s challenging business environment is fraught with risks. In the current context, business leaders should be focused on ensuring employees stay motivated and connected to the company’s broader mission and initiatives. In this post, Dickerson trots out the popular leadership truism— open communication and how it can help overcome common stumbling blocks in the WFH world before they cause any long-term organizational damage.

For months now, many professionals have been enlisted in what’s become the world’s largest remote workOpens a new window experiment. Pre-pandemic, most of the employees were working predominantly in-office, often in collaborative, open-concept workspaces—a radical shift from their current environments. As we face the specter of another shutdown, companies would be wise to review the early results of going remote and think about how they can apply lessons learned from that period to their next steps forward.

Fortunately, the shift to remote workOpens a new window has made many professionals recognize that their jobs (or, at least, parts of them) are not as office dependent as they originally thought. In fact, many individuals have adapted well to working in non-traditional environments. 

However, while employees are finding ways to be productive outside of their offices, organizations are still facing the challenge of keeping teams connected and engaged while remote. The top three common obstacles include: 

1. Inefficient Communication:

Without face-to-face interactions, teammates lose efficiency when executing assignments. From posing questions to thinking through problem resolution, speaking with one another in person is simply faster. Further, there’s a deficiency in camaraderie with remote workforces, since communicating largely over email loses all the nuances that body language and facial expressions convey. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Harvard Business ReviewOpens a new window , face-to-face interaction is 34 times more likely to result in a successful action. So, if it feels harder to motivate your staff remotely, that’s because it is.

Learn More: 3 Ways Tech Can Make Remote Work a Success

2. Burnout:

Working where you live — and living where you work — can lead to a lot of blurred lines, and the potential for burnout should not be disregarded by organizations. “Cabin fever” can quickly set in when the stressors of work seem inescapable.

3. A Lack in Company Culture:

 Historically, “company culture” described an in-office experience among the entire staff. Certainly, it’s a lot easier to build common values, goals, attitudes and enthusiasm in a centralized group than it is from at home. Especially for those hired during the pandemic, the onboarding process—in which individuals would have others at the company show them around in person—is nothing like normal, which can leave these newer employees feeling disconnected.

4 Tips to Keep Your Teams Energized & Productive  

Because remote workOpens a new window will most likely continue for professionals across industries for many months to come, organizations need to think of solutions for combatting any negative — and potentially transformational — effects from this rapid decentralization of their teams. 

Here’s how business leaders can overcome these challenges:

1. Innovate How You Communicate

In the absence of face-to-face communications, employees may be feeling compelled to compensate by scheduling extra virtual meetings. However, Zoom fatigueOpens a new window is a real phenomenon, recognized even before the pandemicOpens a new window . To avoid overwhelming employees, meetings should always have a clear business objective. Never let teams step away from their screen thinking, “This meeting should have been an email.”

Company leaders need to make the meetings they do schedule matters. One option is holding a weekly “all hands” meeting—just 15 to 30 minutes—to update all teams on business priorities and developments, and field any questions or concerns employees may have. 

It’s also important that employees have check-ins with their direct supervisors. While the thought of scheduling time with every single one of their reports may sound daunting, offering this moment to connect is crucial for maintaining a motivated team. By touching base regularly, people feel more included in the business.

To bring back some of that company camaraderie, teams can also create a specific Slack or Teams channel (for example, Water Cooler Chats) for non-work topics to create a safe place to connect when they may be yearning for more informal exchanges with colleagues.

Learn More:  7 Pro Tips To Help Developers Prepare for the New Work Orde

2. Combat Burnout

When staff feels like they can’t escape their work, burnout becomes a real possibility. To address this challenge, there are two things companies can do. The first is encouraging breaks. Hearing from leadership that it’s alright to go for a walk or take lunch may be the push employees need to unwind. 

3. Create Learning Opportunities

The second measure is encouraging learning so that employees don’t get bored of their work. Offering educational opportunities, like a new project or online resources to expand their skill sets, keeps work interesting. Additionally, investing in individuals’ learning can yield returns in the long run through increased job satisfaction and a desire to keep growing. 

4. Inculcate Your Old In-Office Culture

Fortunately for companies who are stumped as to how to uphold their old in-office culture, there’s a variety of publicly available culture decksOpens a new window available from historically remote work Opens a new window environments. While teams can pull inspiration from these resources, another idea is creating their own; by solidifying their internal culture, brands can work to reinvigorate it. 

Throughout all remote initiatives, open communication is key. Clarity and consistency need to become company-wide watchwords when it comes to engaging with one another, though clearly stating how organizations would like communication to happen is the first step in facilitating any conversation. 

Team leaders should emphasize a “digital open-door policy” by making it clear how to schedule a meeting with them, and make sure they prioritize these meetings. It’s leadership’s job to ensure that everyone feels comfortable communicating, so they should seek opportunities to facilitate these exchanges. 

Learn More: 3 Ways Collaboration Tools Can Help Pandemic-Era Managers Level Up

No one knows how long the pandemic will persist, nor what its long-term impact on our businesses and teams will be. What we do know is that staying flexible—and being willing to learn and grow as we go — will be the key to withstanding this challenge and coming out stronger on the other side.

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