Issue #2
Hello again friends!
Working from home has shown us the degree to which we depend on digital tools to get things done, but it’s also exposed a lot of the limitations of virtual workspaces.
Tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, G-suite, Trello, Asana and good old-fashioned email can help us with dividing and scheduling tasks, holding team meetings and collaborating on reports and strategy documents. But how do you replace the social aspects of work like motivating your team or the creativity that is fueled by watercooler conversation and bouncing ideas off of colleagues? Or the camaraderie that comes from sharing successes and stumbles?
And in practical terms, how do you get the job done? How do you hold virtual webinars, trainings and workshops for dozens or even hundreds of people, without the ability to work off of their body language, or to get them to stay engaged rather than dive into their email backlog?
Word of the day:
Distributed workforce
Teams of employees that are dispersed over a large geographic area instead of operating in the same office space or campus. Personnel in such an environment may work from different countries, staying in touch with and collaborating with colleagues through various technologies and protocols like email, virtual meetings and digital workspaces. The concept has many pros and cons. For example, while it can allow employees to work remotely without wasting time on commutes, it limits person-to-person interactions and team building efforts.
Kal Joffres, an advisor on strategic communications at UNDP who has spent years running virtual seminars, says the key is to create moments of meaningful engagement and reward participation. This means creating an environment where people are encouraged to share their diverse points of view and experiences and contribute to the discussion, rather than being lectured at for a few hours.
"With face-to-face interactions now increasingly difficult, and unlikely to be possible in the same way even after we get over the current crisis, we’re challenged to discover and utilize new ways of working,” he says.
Or take remote team management. Experts are increasingly urging managers to take the well-being of their employees and their circumstances at home into consideration, and those employees to spend more time managing their stress levels and mental wellness, as well as encouraging more virtual facetime among colleagues to keep them from feeling isolated while taking advantage of the collaborative power of digital tools. The issue has helped center the conversation around mental health, bringing us closer through digital communications tools towards a more humane, healthier workplace.
These are just two examples of how the new world of work can leverage digital tools. Some of their apparent weaknesses can actually bely their greatest strength - empowering a people-centred digital transformation that prioritises human beings, expanding their knowledge, and providing a platform for their voices.
None of this is possible of course without some self-care. All those Zoom calls and hours working in front of a screen (research shows we’re all working longer hours but less productively) can take its toll, along with being away from friends and loved ones. That’s why you need routines to give structure to your days, a more comfortable and ergonomic workspace, and some moments during the day to breathe.
Stay safe, and see you next week.
Best of Digital Now
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Hosting productive online meetings 101
How a UNDP team in China works during the pandemic
We would love to hear from you! Tell us about your experience working from home, what you miss about the old days, what you want to see us write about in this newsletter or on the Digital Now site, or anything at all really. We’re here to support your growth in this constantly-changing digital world. You can email us at digitalnow@undp.org, or write to UNDP on social media, but make sure you use the hashtag #DigitalNow.