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The Newsletter | Edition 027
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In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This weekly newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...LITTLE FRIENDSHIPS.
The loss of day-to-day office interactions has all-but-erased the concept of casual acquaintances. How can we ensure that our weaker ties, which are just as important as our stronger ones in the routines and rituals of our lives, are salvaged?
- Counting our work friends blessings from Nora Mestrich
- Weak ties and strong inspiration from Trevor Larry
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Minding Zoom manners from Aaron Powers
And this time, our illustrations from Ash Casper.
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YOU'RE NOT JUST MY WORK FRIEND,
YOU'RE MY REAL FRIEND From Nora Mestrich
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TL;DROffice friendships are a crucial part of feeling fulfilled, productive and included at work. In a post-pandemic world, it’s easy to feel left out due to the absence of hallway or lunch time chats. On the flip side, finding common ground with colleagues (as in, all being stuck at home as life continues on) can allow for work friendships to reach a deeper, more meaningful level.
WHY IT MATTERSOffice friendships have often been relationships that have been easy to maintain. After all, we spend 40+ hours with the people we work with. But as COVID continues to affect our relationship with the office and companies move to long term remote work solutions, it means our office friendships are changing as well. While we no longer have hour long lunches to gab with our co-workers, we are also standing on a common ground that makes deeper connections much easier to achieve. We now have direct insight into our co workers lives — their partners, children, pets, etc — meaning we are able to be more vulnerable and develop a deeper sense of intimacy with one another. It’s easier to share life events with office friends, since the barrier of life and home has been largely shattered. Our office friendships can become real friendships — ones where socializing doesn’t end at 5 pm.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Try embracing the flow of work-free conversation before the meeting officially starts.
TIPS
- Allow for organic conversation to happen at the beginning of each meeting. We’re all feeling Zoom fatigue, and scheduling time for friendship can feel tedious, but the first five minutes with co-workers to chat and joke can go a long way in maintaining friendships.
- Pick up conversations after work hours! See a funny meme on Twitter or watch an episode of TV that you think a co-worker might like? Send them a link!
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INSPIRATION CIRCULATION From Trevor Larry
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TL;DRBefore COVID, we’d interact with somewhere between 11 and 16 acquaintances every day (think: neighbors and baristas). Sociologists call such casual relationships “weak ties,” despite how they’re proven to have strong effects on happiness, feelings of belonging, and are even a major source of new and fresh ideas from beyond our immediate network of friends.
WHY IT MATTERSIt’s possible that the same way social distancing reduces the spread of coronavirus, it diminishes the spread of new information across in-person communities. For those of us who have settled into a WFH routine (as much as that’s possible), this lack of fresh ideas outside our filter bubbles can feel like it’s cutting off our inspiration circulation. Low-stakes interactions with acquaintances other than our closest friends can be a dose of freshness and light conversation to keep us happy, or a shortcut to finding new ideas to bring into our work.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Kickstart a habit of giving creative inspiration—sharing more, more frequently.
THOUGHTSWhen you establish a behavior around sharing, you’ll not only spread more creative ideas but increase the likelihood that some may come back your way.
Example: In quarantine, I’ve found myself reading more stories from history than ever before. One particular anecdote that’s stuck with me is about how monks in China and India used incense clocks to tell time over the course of their day. Somehow the slow passage of time at home sounds so much more pleasant if experienced through scent. Pass it on or share something of your own!
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COMMON DECENCY, ZOOM STYLEFrom Aaron Powers
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TL;DRThe exhaustion of being “Zoom-ready” for hours on end is starting to take a toll on workers, with unseemly behaviors creeping their way into work interactions. However, companies are only beginning to explore how to maintain standards and decorum when they’re on their employees' home turfs.
WHY IT MATTERSAs countless studies have shown, the notion of “office etiquette” is fundamentally fraught with racist, sexist, and other “ist” overtones. Nuisance behavior can and should be addressed. However, doing so universally and equitably requires research and preparation in the nearterm, and a reappraisal of how companies subsidize and maintain employees’ working spaces in the long term. Furthermore, as remote work matures, companies must think proactively about methods to decentralize contribution, accountability, and reward in order to maintain organizational standards.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Ask three team members to write down their top 5 Zoom rules of etiquette, compare notes, and collectively determine which are “essential” and which are “nice to haves.”
TIPS & THOUGHTSThough some companies have been video chatting for years, the mode presents unique communication challenges at the most basic human level. How might you deputize team members to convert seemingly “common sense” knowledge into a “Zoom Empathy” training to teach employees how to navigate new—and potentially awkward—video chat experiences with teammates, partners, suppliers, and clients who are working from home?
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