Whether you are sitting in a cabin or on your sofa, think about do a few things differently during meetings, in messages, and with all your other tech tools.
GETTING CAUGHT
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“People get used to working from home and then they go into the office … and there are different rules and preferences,” says Kendra Losee, co-author of “Digital Etiquette for Dummies.”
Here are six things you and your colleagues (feel free to send this to them) should keep in mind at work.
Gossip more, but properly
Gossip gets a bad rap, but it’s a useful tool for navigating the modern workplace. It can spread helpful information, help teams build trust, and sometimes keep people out of embarrassing or dangerous situations. But you need to do it ethically and in the right apps.
Use gossip and private conversations to let your colleagues know your salary and find out if you are underpaid. Use it to vent your problems – you may find that other people are struggling with the same problems and decide to do something about it. If there is unrest in your company, gossip is a way to stay up to date with the latest drama and find out if you should be worried about your position.
Don’t talk about other people’s private lives behind their backs, don’t attack others personally and know when it’s better to keep a secret.
Don’t use a work communication app like Teams or Slack—anything you type there could end up in the hands of HR or even a legal department if a lawsuit arises. Use apps like Signal, WhatsApp, or the encrypted end-to-end messaging tool of your choice. Remember, no private chit-chat is ever completely secure—after all, gossipmongers love to share gossip.
Don’t be a meeting tyrant
Planning meetings incorrectly is surprisingly tricky and a great way to turn people off.
Never send a meeting invitation without context, and don’t schedule a meeting when someone is unavailable. Sending invitations without details could cause unnecessary anxiety for some people, especially if you’re their manager.
“Say, ‘Here’s what I want to discuss and why it’s important,'” said Mollie West Duffy, co-author of “No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotion at Work.” If you don’t provide context, “it’s perfectly reasonable for the person to decline.”
Create an agenda in advance and attach it to the invitation or send a separate message, Losee said. If you can’t come up with an agenda or purpose, the meeting may not be necessary. Schedule meetings regularly without a clear point could give your colleagues the impression that none of your meetings are important.
Before you invite people, think about how much each participant’s time is worth, says Liz Fosslien, Duffy’s co-author. “Would you be willing to throw two laptops out the window for them to be there?”
Respect the blocks of time people have reserved for work or to avoid meetings, Fosslien said. Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar will show you if someone has a scheduling conflict.
“You want people to be excited to come to your meeting,” she said, “not annoyed before they walk in the door or turn on Zoom.”
Pssst, your keyboard (and voice) are too loud
Your voice is louder and carries further than you think. Attend your meetings or phone calls in private spaces if they are available. If you attend a meeting in a public place, remember to turn the sound off. There is no point in upsetting both your on-site and remote colleagues.
The same rules apply to playing your favorite music or watching TikToks in the office. Go to a private place or wear headphones.
Hungry during a Zoom meeting? Try not to eat during meetings, but if you must, turn off your camera and microphone, Losee said. If you’re in a conference room with table microphones, put your crumpled sandwich wrapper as far away as possible.
“A certain level of professionalism and respect must be present even in a casual environment,” Losee said.
Your voice, videos, and chewing noises aren’t the only distracting sounds you may be making. The clack-clack sound of your keyboard can also echo through the office as you pound on the keys. If possible, opt for a quiet keyboard and type with light pressure.
Share information in the right places
Ask people how they prefer to receive information. Surprisingly, some people still prefer email. Some like Slack or Teams, while others prefer face-to-face contact, whether in person or via video chat. Wherever you respond or communicate with your colleagues, make sure they verify it, Duffy said.
On Slack and Teams, if you don’t respond to someone’s message in a thread but instead respond in the larger channel, it can get lost in other discussions. Tag colleagues or message them directly to make sure they see your messages, Losee said. Avoid excessive chatter or jokes in these channels, too, as this causes real work to get lost in the noise.
The faster and more clearly you can communicate and collaborate with your team, the less time you have to waste clearing up confusion.
“Remember, this could end up in a meeting,” Losee said. “Nobody wants that.”
Stop multitasking: you are terribly good at it
Experts advise not to get distracted by your laptop or smartphone unless you are taking notes during a meeting.
If you’re meeting in person, you can bring your laptop to jot down key points, pull up relevant information for the meeting or project a presentation onto a larger screen. Otherwise, it’s best to keep devices turned off to avoid the temptation to reply to a message or get distracted, Losee says.
In virtual meetings, try to reduce background distractions on your computer, Fosslien said. That might mean minimizing other windows and muting your Teams or Slack. People will notice when you’re off task and doing other tasks instead of paying attention. And for those who wear glasses, beware that your glasses may be reflecting what you’re actually seeing, Fosslien added.
Find out what makes people angry
To avoid unintentionally irritating your colleagues, work with your team to determine their preferences. Do people like a little background music in the break room or kitchen? Do they like to use texting, Slack or email? Do they like casual conversation or does it distract them from their work?
“We often rush to say, ‘Let’s just start a project,'” Duffy said. “But what emerges later are differences in the way we want to communicate or collaborate.”
Talk about standards early and often. This may mean juggling your personal dislikes of digital communications and tools.
Ultimately, just be considerate of the person you’re working with. It doesn’t have to be your best friend, and you should at least find each other tolerable from 9am to 5pm.
