Maybe the most commonly stated paradox in remote work involves meetings. A paradox is defined as, “A situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities.” So. what’s the paradox when it comes to meetings in a team of any type? The contradictory ideas at play here are: Meetings (in-person, online, or blended) are an important way of … [Read more...]
Great Teammates Help You Take Vacation
It’s the time of year when people start to talk about vacations. For too many of us, all we do is talk. Fifty-five percent of Americans do not use all their vacation time (Those of you in civilized countries feel free to smirk and berate us. We deserve it). In fact, we collectively leave 768 million vacation days unused! That’s not the worst of it. Even when we do take the … [Read more...]
Different Countries, Different Attitudes to Remote Work
How eager are you to get back to the office? The answer might depend on where you live. An interesting article on the BBC’s Worklife website discusses how different cultures embrace (or don’t) workplace flexibility. Some of the statistics are enlightening (numbers quoted the article): By the end of the year, 25% of professional jobs in North America will be primarily … [Read more...]
A Curmudgeon Looks Back on Email
When people complain about email, I get it. You’re working from home and the barrage of pinging, flashing icons and messages piling up never seems to stop. We hear all kinds of moaning about the volume, lack of clarity, and just plain rudeness in people’s inboxes. Those are all legitimate complaints. But I am old enough to remember the “before times.” I was around before … [Read more...]
What Do Your Teammates Read?
There’s a lot of talk about helping form relationships on virtual and hybrid teams. We want to build trust, help people get to know each other and get to know and like each other. Here are some questions for you: What movies do your teammates watch? What are their favorite TV shows? Video Games? What do they read? Why do you care what your teammates read? When we meet … [Read more...]