Insights

For weeks, recent Work From Home converts lit up Twitter with memes highlighting the bizarre new normal that much of the work is adjusting to. Dogs barking during calls with investors? Kids living out Where’s Waldo on mom’s Zoom call? Armwrestling over devices with spouses and kids needing to turn in distance learning assignments?

Plenty of smart folks have offered insight and resources for organizations looking to cultivate connection.

Dion Hinchcliffe, Constellation Analyst and ZDNet contributor published, “Revisiting How to Cultivate Connected Organizations in an Age of Coronavirus” on his blog. Hinchcliffe details the history of the concept of Enterprise Social Network (ESN) and why now is the time to create true community in organizations, implementing them fully into modern enterprise strategy.

Barbara Z. Larson, Susan R. Vroman, and Erin E. Makarius write in Harvard Business Review, “A Guide to Managing Your (Newly) Remote Workers.” While the authors identify the need for providing technical options for connecting and a daily check-in – they also call for managers to provide emotional support and recognize that some workers may suffer from a sense of isolation.

The work-life balance is now topsy-turvy- for now – but what does this portend for the COVID-19-free future?

Rebekah Bastian, who has held roles in community and culture at Zillow and recently published “Blaze Your Own Trail” argues that the shift has potential to improve the work environment. Bastian suggests that the sense of shared experience, the normalization of parenting, and increase in work flexibility might be the silver lining of the current crisis.

Certainly, the common theme has arisen in much of the response we see – that virtual community is a necessity, and one that is getting so much needed attention now that it’s physical counterpart is impossible.