Whether you’re working from the office or at home, here are some tips from Intellect’s executive coach Robyn Cam on standing out to your managers, coworkers, and even clients.

Impressing your manager

Your first conversation with your leader doesn’t have to be on the first day. “Try to make contact with them before your first day, schedule a phone call to connect, or attend the office for a brief introduction meeting,” says Robyn.

Whether you choose to make a call or visit the office, take the chance to ask your leader how you can reach out to the key people you will be working with. 

If you decide to drop by the office, don’t leave without observing the dress code and the way people engage with each other. This could help you get a sense of the company culture before your onboarding process. As you start work, don’t worry if you’re feeling lost. In most cases, your leader will reach out and support you – that’s when you can take guidance and direction from them.

“If the leader doesn’t guide you on how to connect and what is normal in the workspace, you might like to approach the people closest to your working space for a brief introduction chat,” says Robyn. 

While learning about your new role, it pays to update your manager proactively. You can do this via structured and timed meetings, such as allocating 20 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to communicate with your manager.

During the session, let your manager know your focus and priorities of the day, and how you plan to work on them. For example, you can say, “Based on what you have advised, these are my top three priorities for today. Would you like me to follow through with these or would you want to meet with me before I do?”

A summary email at the end of the week can also be helpful. In this email, let your manager know what you’ve done and who you contacted in the week. This could come in handy especially if issues arise, as you would have informed your leader of your intention beforehand.

If you feel that your manager is not guiding you, consider asking for their leadership. You can initiate that conversation by saying, “I’d like you to guide me on how you want me to integrate into the team, and can we review that on a weekly or monthly basis?” 

Impressing your colleagues

Whether you’re working remotely or in the office, making a positive first impression with your team members always helps.

If you’re working in the office, be mindful of how you present yourself. “Do try to make gentle eye contact and smile, and if they give you a questioning look, jump in and introduce yourself as they may not realise you are a new person,” says Robyn.

You can also ask for a few minutes to introduce yourself at your first team meeting. To keep it light and professional, prepare a short speech that includes these points:

• Your name and the role you are taking over
• Your previous role and what you achieved 
• What you’re looking to do in your new role

End your introduction by inviting your colleagues for a coffee chat, so that you can connect with them in person. If you’re doing it over Zoom, keep your camera switched on so others can put a face to your voice. 

It may be easier to start conversations with colleagues who are more sociable and vocal, but remember to connect with others, too. After all, it’s not about finding a new best friend – it’s about learning to work with your colleagues. 

“It is important to understand other people’s priorities, ways of working, and skills so they may be a resource to you,” says Robyn. Reaching out to others actively should be a concerted effort, too. “When working remotely, you will not have passer-by engagement, so you will have to work harder over the long term to maintain workplace relationships beyond your direct colleagues. You might want to create space for socialising, such as a coffee chat or an online game.”

While socialising, it is okay to use the “I’m new” card for one to three months. It will allow you to be inquisitive about the company culture and ask questions such as “Where does the team go for lunch?” and “How does the team celebrate birthdays?”. 

That being said, avoid asking personal or divisive questions like, “Are they nice?”. Instead, hold off forming an opinion about others’ temperament after settling into the new environment.

Impressing your clients

Are you in a client-facing role? Once you’ve settled in, send an introduction email to your clients and invite them to connect with you. In the email, mention your working hours, preferred communication methods and the tasks that you are responsible for. This sets the tone of how you work and helps people align with you, says Robyn.

“This is a good time to let people know you are open to their advice and feedback on current systems and processes. It’ll also get you up to speed about issues or problems you may be ‘inheriting’”. 

Impressing in a new job

To set yourself up for success, it’s imperative to “unlearn” unproductive work habits and start with new, productive ones straight away. For Robyn, this means tracking her progress with a personal journal. 

“I set brief expectations at the start of the week and review my achievements and interactions at the end of it. I do this weekly to allow emotions which may arise to dissipate, so I can think more objectively and constructively afterwards. I measure these experiences over time and map them back to my advertised job description. It provides me with evidence of what I have achieved in the role.”

When starting a new job, allow yourself about 90 days to settle in. This serves as a buffer to observe the environment and pick up on relationship dynamics among coworkers. During this transition, Intellect’s network of behavioural health coaches and counsellors are always ready to lend a hand. Whether you’re looking to process feelings of anxiety or grow into a new role quickly, our live video consultations and real-time text messaging are reliable round the clock. 

Read more about coaching on Intellect here.

這是一個好時機，讓我們思考遠程工作對身體和心理健康的影響。畢竟，遠程工作對睡眠造成嚴重影響，而睡眠是一項必不可少，卻又經常被忽視的需求。 在與睡眠研究人員和心理學家 Stijn Massar 博士的訪談中，他分享了我們在遠程工作時改善睡眠質素的方法。

睡眠有多重要？

睡眠不足會影響我們的注意力、積極性和情緒。另一方面，優質睡眠透過增強學習和記憶功能，讓我們在白天保持警覺。患有失眠症的人經常出現抑鬱或心理健康狀況惡化的跡象。失眠症還會增加體重上升和出現心臟併發症的風險。 

大多數年輕人需要七至九小時的睡眠才能得到良好的休息，但改善睡眠質素同樣重要，Stijn 博士說：

遠程工作如何影響睡眠

Stijn 博士指出，由於新獲得的彈性和所節省的出行時間，疫情期間遠程工作的人睡得更晚、睡眠時間更長。有些人甚至可以在白天小睡一會兒。 

如果是這樣的話，為何全世界的人都在說他們的睡眠「愈來愈不安寧並受到干擾」？

1. 失去常規安排

Stijn 博士解釋道：「這場疫情徹底打亂了我們正常的日常生活。」「這對我們生活的方方面面都產生了影響，包括社交互動、身體活動和睡眠。」

壓力會釋放讓我們保持警覺的皮質醇，但也會抑制褪黑激素的產生——褪黑激素是一種告訴我們睡覺時間到了的激素。

壓力會使人更難入睡。當我們終於入睡時，我們往往會經歷短暫而分散的低質素睡眠。 

Stijn 博士表示，在疫情爆發後的第一年，「很多人的工作量都增加了，在家學習期間照顧兒童的負擔也加大了。在下班後有餘暇時完成工作也與較晚的睡眠時間相關。」 

2020 年，切換至遠程工作的急遽轉變讓我們猝不及防。既然我們已為新常態做好準備，就可以更有意地規劃我們的日程表。

2.工作與休息之間的界限模糊

上下班的出行有助於明確區分工作和個人生活。沒有出行，從待辦事項清單中分離出來就變得困難。

在沙發或睡房等放鬆的空間工作，也會對睡眠產生不利的影響。

睡前，我們很容易被工作的壓力分散注意力。從白天盯著螢幕到晚上報復性拖延睡眠、過度的螢幕時間和藍光也阻礙了褪黑激素的產生。

3.缺乏運動和陽光照射

除了出行，我們在午餐時間散步和前往茶水間或廁所的行程也有利於促進日常安排。

遠程工作讓我們失去活動身體和曬太陽的自然機會，這是晝夜節律用來調節睡覺時間的自然時間提示。

這讓我們感到疲倦，並因生物鐘不配合而無法入睡。 

那麼，遠程工作對夜貓子來說是因禍得福嗎？嗯，其實不是。

雖然夜貓子中的大多數人都是晚睡的睡眠類型，並在晚上的工作效率更高，但存在延遲睡眠時間的風險，以至於睡眠與自然的光暗循環不一致。

改善睡眠質素的 3 種方法

疫情引起的壓力可能已減輕，但我們可以從此磨難中獲得一些有益的睡眠習慣。

Stijn 博士分享了在新常態下改善睡眠質素的方法。

1. 堅持睡眠習慣 

像疫情前的那樣，養成在固定時間起床和睡覺的習慣。

睡懶覺或熬夜可能很誘人，但刻意保持晝夜節律可以改善睡眠質素。

透過在睡前調暗燈光並避開藍光來練習良好的睡眠衛生。不要忘記召喚睡眠習慣的天使。

2. 努力保持活躍 

由於活動的自然機會較少，因此建議在您的時間表中將鍛煉設為優先事項。

如果有早起的習慣，則去公園散步。與其在午餐時間叫外賣，不如悠閒地散散步，在午間調整身心。 

雖然在家鍛煉很方便，但曬曬太陽有助於保持晝夜節律。

史丹福神經科學家 Andrew D. Huberman 建議在醒來後前 30 分鐘內直接接觸陽光。這可以加強睡醒週期，特別適用於一天中其餘時間都被關在室內的工作者。

3. 劃清工作與休息之間的界限

為了劃定工作和休息之間的界限，每晚引入一個放鬆的日常安排。

充足的自我練習時間自我照顧有助於防止過度疲勞，並減少報復性拖延睡眠的需要。 

如果空間允許，可以將工作區和睡眠區分開。否則，養成在辦公桌前工作的習慣，以在表面上營造一定程度的分離，並改善夜間的睡眠質素。

儘管您的床單很誘人，但將您的床與回覆電郵的行為聯繫起來對睡眠是沒有幫助的。

在專業幫助下改善睡眠質素

Stijn 博士警告道：「如果您在需要時無法入睡，或在需要時無法保持清醒，睡眠就會變成一種障礙，影響您正常的白天生理機能。」

睡眠困難一旦升級，就不能再用簡單的技巧解決。您可以前往綜合診所接受轉介，或直接前往睡眠診所接受緊急診斷和治療。

讓遠程工作改善睡眠質素，而非破壞睡眠質素

「開懷大笑和睡個好覺是治愈一切的良藥」——愛爾蘭諺語。

睡眠是我們做的最自然的事情之一。但是當這個世界力爭 24 小時都醒過來時，我們中的很多人都忽略了休息的需要。

只要我們有意識地尊重自己對遠程工作的內在需求，遠程工作的彈性就能為我們所用，而非對我們不利。

Đây là thời điểm chín mùi để suy ngẫm về tác động của phương thức làm việc này đối với sức khỏe thể chất và sức khỏe tâm thần của chúng ta. Xét đến cùng, làm việc từ xa ảnh hưởng đến một nhu cầu thiết yếu nhưng thường bị bỏ qua, đó là giấc ngủ. 

Trong cuộc phỏng vấn với nhà tâm lý học và nghiên cứu về giấc ngủ, Tiến sĩ Stijn Massar, ông đã chia sẻ phương pháp để cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ khi làm việc từ xa.

Giấc ngủ cần thiết như thế nào?

Thiếu ngủ ảnh hưởng đến khả năng chú ý, động lực làm việc và cảm xúc của chúng ta. Nói cách khác, ngủ ngon giấc giúp chúng ta tỉnh táo cả ngày, qua đó tăng cường khả năng học tập và ghi nhớ. Người bị mất ngủ thường có dấu hiệu trầm cảm hoặc gặp phải các vấn đề sức khỏe tâm thần trầm trọng hơn. Mất ngủ cũng làm gia tăng nguy cơ tăng cân và các biến chứng về tim. 

Hầu hết người ở tuổi thanh niên đều cần phải ngủ từ bảy đến chín tiếng để cảm thấy thư thái, nhưng việc cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ cũng quan trọng không kém, Tiến sĩ Stijn cho biết:

Làm việc từ xa ảnh hưởng đến giấc ngủ như thế nào

Tiến sĩ Stijn cho biết, mọi người thường ngủ trễ và lâu hơn khi làm việc từ xa trong đại dịch, do yếu tố linh hoạt và tiết kiệm thời gian đi lại trong tình hình mới. Một số người thậm chí có thể chợp mắt trong ngày.

Nếu vậy thì tại sao mọi người trên toàn thế giới lại cho rằng “giấc ngủ trở nên chập chờn không yên hơn”?

1. Mất thói quen

Tiến sĩ Stijn giải thích, “đại dịch đã khiến cho chúng ta mất hẳn đi những thói quen thường nhật.” “Điều này tác động đến mọi khía cạnh của đời sống, bao gồm sự tương tác xã hội, hoạt động thể chất và cả giấc ngủ.”

Trạng thái căng thẳng sẽ giải phóng cortisol, giúp cho chúng ta tỉnh táo nhưng đồng thời cũng ngăn chặn việc sản sinh ra melatonin, một loại hóc-môn báo hiệu giờ ngủ.

Điều này khiến cho chúng ta khó đi vào giấc ngủ hơn. Cuối cùng thì khi ngủ chúng ta sẽ trải qua một giấc ngủ không ngon, ngắn ngủi và rời rạc.

Theo Tiến sĩ Stijn, trong năm đầu tiên của đại dịch, “nhiều người đã phải trải qua một khối lượng công việc nặng nề, cộng thêm gánh nặng từ việc trông nom con nhỏ khi chúng chuyển sang học tập tại nhà. Thời gian ngủ muộn hơn còn đến từ nguyên nhân người ta phải hoàn thành công việc muộn hơn hàng giờ khi thấy có thời gian cho việc đó ”.

Việc chuyển hướng hoàn toàn sang làm việc từ xa đã bất ngờ ập đến mà không hề báo trước vào năm 2020. Nhưng giờ đây chúng ta đã có sự chuẩn bị cho trạng thái bình thường mới, chúng ta có thể hoạch định lịch trình làm việc một cách chủ động hơn.

2. Ranh giới lu mờ giữa làm việc và nghỉ ngơi

Hoạt động đi lại đến nơi làm việc đã từng giúp phân định rõ ràng công việc và cuộc sống cá nhân. Khi không đi lại thì việc tách khỏi công việc cần làm sẽ trở nên khó khăn hơn.

Làm việc trong không gian nghỉ ngơi, chẳng hạn như ghế dài hoặc phòng ngủ, cũng gây ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến giấc ngủ của chúng ta.

Lúc ngủ, tâm trí của chúng ta rất dễ bị chi phối bởi những suy nghĩ căng thẳng về công việc. Khi dán mắt vào màn hình cả ngày và trì hoãn đi ngủ vào ban đêm thì thời gian tiếp xúc với màn hình ánh sáng xanh quá nhiều cũng sẽ làm cản trở việc sản sinh ra melatonin.

3. Thiếu vận động và ánh sáng mặt trời

Ngoài việc đi lại đến chỗ làm, chúng ta còn đi bộ vào giờ ăn trưa và đi đến phòng thư giãn của cơ quan hoặc nhà vệ sinh, tạo điều kiện tốt cho thói quen hằng ngày của chúng ta.

Khi làm việc từ xa, chúng ta mất đi các cơ hội tự nhiện để vận động cơ thể và tiếp xúc với ánh sáng mặt trời, một loại đồng hồ tự nhiên mà nhịp sinh học của chúng ta sử dụng để điều chỉnh giờ đi ngủ.

Điều này khiến chúng ta cảm thấy mệt mỏi nhưng không ngủ được do đồng hồ sinh học mất đi sự đồng bộ.

Vậy làm việc từ xa có phải là một ngụy trang huyền diệu cho những con cú đêm hay không? Ồ, không hẳn như vậy.

Mặc dù hầu hết những người này có thời gian sinh học ban đêm và làm việc hiệu quả hơn vào buổi tối, nhưng vẫn có nguy cơ trì hoãn giờ đi ngủ đến mức giấc ngủ trở nên lệch hẳn so với chu kỳ sáng-tối tự nhiên.

3 cách để cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ

Căng thẳng do đại dịch gây ra có thể đã giảm bớt, nhưng có những thói quen tốt cho giấc ngủ mà chúng ta có thể duy trì sau giai đoạn thử thách này.

Tiến sĩ Stijn chia sẻ giải pháp để cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ trong trạng thái bình thường mới.

1. Theo đuổi thói quen ngủ

Xây dựng thói quen thức dậy và đi ngủ vào những giờ cố định trong ngày như bạn vẫn làm trước khi xảy ra đại dịch.

Có thể bạn đang muốn ngủ hoặc thức, nhưng hãy cố duy trì nhịp sinh học có thể cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ.

Thực hành duy trì giấc ngủ ngon bằng cách chỉnh mờ đèn khi sắp đến giờ ngủ và tránh xa ánh sáng xanh.Đừng quên niệm cầu thiên thần giữ gìn thói quen ngủ tốt cho bạn.

2. Điều quan trọng là phải duy trì sự vận động

Vì có ít cơ hội để vận động tự nhiên hơn nên hãy ưu tiên tập thể dục trong lịch trình của bạn.

Nếu bạn dậy sớm, hãy đi dạo quanh công viên. Thay vì gọi đặt bữa trưa, việc thong thả dạo bước sẽ giúp bạn khôi phục hiệu quả năng lượng giữa ngày.

Mặc dù tập thể dục ở nhà sẽ thuận tiện hơn, nhưng ánh sáng mặt trời sẽ giúp bạn giữ được nhịp độ sinh học của mình.

Nhà thần kinh học Stanford Andrew D. Huberman khuyên chúng ta nêntiếp xúc với ánh nắng trực tiếptrong 30 phút đầu sau khi thức dậy. Hoạt động này giúp củng cố chu kỳ thức – ngủ, nhất là đối với những người làm việc ở nhà suốt ngày.

3. Vạch ra ranh giới giữa làm việc và nghỉ ngơi

Để phân định ranh giới giữa làm việc và nghỉ ngơi, hãy xây dựng thói quen thư giãn vào mỗi tối.

Dành nhiều thời gian tự chăm sóc nhằm giúp bản thân không bị quá tải và giảm nhu cầu phải đi ngủ trễ. 

Nếu nhà rộng rãi, hãy giữ khu vực làm việc và ngủ nghỉ cách xa nhau. Nếu không, hãy đặt ra nguyên tắc chỉ làm việc tại bàn để tạo ra sự ngăn cách và cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ vào ban đêm.

Có thể được nằm trên giường là rất thoải mái, nhưng nằm trên giường để trả lời email sẽ có hại cho giấc ngủ.

Cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ với sự trợ giúp chuyên nghiệp

“Chứng rối loạn giấc ngủ xuất hiện khi bạn không thể ngủ khi cần hoặc thức khi muốn, vấn đề này ảnh hưởng đến hoạt động thường nhật vào ban ngày của bạn,” Tiến sĩ Stijn cảnh báo.

Nếu chứng khó ngủ ngày càng trầm trọng thì không thể giải quyết bằng những lời khuyên đơn giản được. Bạn có thể đến các phòng khám đa khoa để được giới thiệu hoặc đến thẳng phòng khám chuyên khoa về giấc ngủ để được chẩn đoán và điều trị kịp thời.

Hãy để chế độ làm việc từ xa cải thiện chất lượng giấc ngủ thay vì phá giấc

“Cười sảng khoái và ngủ sâu là hai phương pháp chữa trị tốt nhất cho mọi thứ” – Tục ngữ Ailen.

Ngủ là một trong những hoạt động tự nhiên nhất của chúng ta. Nhưng khi thế giới vận hành theo chu kỳ 24 giờ thì nhiều người trong chúng ta đã bỏ qua nhu cầu nghỉ ngơi của mình.

Tính linh hoạt của chế độ làm việc từ xa có thể mang lại lợi ích cho chúng ta hơn là gây tổn hại, chỉ cần chúng ta có ý thức tôn trọng nhu cầu bẩm sinh của mình.

There are benefits of working remotely, but it doesn’t come without challenges. In face of difficulties like diluted company culture and a disengaged workforce, implementing the right tools and processes ensures that businesses can thrive in the new normal. 

Some companies have done just that, and here are five that have earned a reputation for their remote work cultures with the industry’s best practices.

InVision: housekeeping and peer recognition budgets

Priding itself on being a people-centric organisation, InVision makes a concerted effort to improve employee engagement and work-life balance for 700 employees in more than 25 countries around the world with designed experiences. 

The company spares no expense in helping employees build conducive home offices. The stipend for new hires—an increasingly common provision—is refreshed every two years. Employees can not only purchase new desks, chairs, or equipment but also upgrade them now and then. In addition, they also receive a monthly allowance to support aspects of remote work such as housekeeping services and groceries. Because a clean workspace and a well-stocked pantry make working from home a more pleasant experience.

To encourage employees to break out of their silos and connect, InVision provides a peer recognition budget for team members to reward one another when they have been helpful, dedicated, or great team players. Points accumulated on Bonusly can be accumulated to redeem perks, and the act of giving and receiving kudos fosters a remote work culture of gratitude where team players look for the positives in one another. 

GitLab: stipend for coworking spaces 

Take it from the largest all-remote company in the world, GitLab. 

Attributing their success to two things, documentation and values, GitLab lets its employees work from anywhere—whether it be their homes or cafes for digital nomads who are constantly on the road. Importance is placed on outcomes and results—not when and where team members work. 

At the same time, GitLab recognises that not every home is a conducive workspace and some thrive on camaraderie. This is why a stipend is provided for employees to access coworking spaces and communal offices. This gives team members opportunities to collaborate and the flexibility to pick locations that are convenient for everyone. 

Skillshare: on-demand workspaces 

Skillshare, an online learning community you might have seen on your YouTube ads, is among the top 100 remote-first companies to work in. The key to success, according to their founder Michael Karnjanaprakorn? Design your company culture as you would a product.

To ensure that every employee has access to a conducive work environment, Skillshare offers on-demand workspaces with Industrious. With more than 100 locations worldwide at their fingertips, team members are empowered to choose where they work and who they work with, not unlike the employees at Gitlab. Putting their freedom of choice at the forefront, Skillshare’s remote work culture allows employees to champion their own needs and improve productivity while looking out for their wellbeing. 

Hubspot: customised flexi-work options

Although inbound CRM platform company Hubspot did not start with a remote workforce, it has quickly adapted by employees three modes of working—@home, @office, and @flex—which employees will indicate at the beginning of each year. 

• @home: Employees would spend most of their time working from home; the company supports the work-from-home setup.
• @office: Employees would work from the office three or more days a week, with a dedicated desk.
• @flex: A hybrid model where employees would work from the office two or fewer days per week and will have a “hotel desk” and support for their work-from-home setup.

In its 2021 survey, 43% of its employees chose the flexible work option, 39% chose to work from home, and 18% chose to work from the office.

The crux here is realising what works for one employee may flop for another, and blanket policies can be detrimental to remote work culture. A customised approach, on the other hand, trusts employees with autonomy to build work around their lifestyles, not the other way round. 

Upwork: communities and safe spaces 

Upwork’s diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiative encourages employees to share facets of their identities such as gender, ethnicity, generation, and sexual orientation.

Upwork Belonging Communities (UBC) was created to instil a sense of belonging for team members of the LGBTQ+, Latinx, black, veterans, neurodiverse, and caregiving communities—even when remote work has deprived them of meaningful interactions. 

Each group has a mission and runs activities to connect employees. UpMind’s mission, for example, is to facilitate mental health conversations within a safe space. Meanwhile, Upwork Women’s Group provides resources on overcoming gender inequality to further their career advancement, and Up and Out for LGBTQ+ gives back to the community with volunteering and fundraising efforts. 

Best practices of remote work cultures

Building a remote work culture takes more than virtual gatherings and care packages.

Employees are the experts in their own lives, and only when companies listen to their needs can they design processes to support them. 

Leading tech media company Tech in Asia, for example, acted on their employees’ requests for third-party mental healthcare and had company leaders champion it. Read all about their experience with Intellect here.

In a survey, employees working remotely reported that social connection and human contact were the things they missed most about working in an office. Which explains why companies attempted to replicate these informal exchanges with virtual coffee sessions and mass workouts.

But while seeing familiar faces comforted some, it compounded Zoom fatigue for others. 

As it turns out, it takes more than virtual gatherings to maintain an office culture when working remotely. Now that we are deprived of serendipitous social interactions, it is time to relook informal communications on platforms such as Slack and Zoom.

Here are five ways to bring employees together when working remotely.

1. Set up channels for interest groups 

A study has shown that friendships at work improve performance and job satisfaction.

When co-workers discuss how they spent the weekends or show each other pictures of their children and pets, they share parts of themselves that exist outside their formal roles and responsibilities. In other words, they see each other as people and not merely colleagues. 

These chats may stick out like a sore thumb in a stream of work-related exchanges, by creating chat channels for interest groups allows these conversations to unfold naturally even among international teams.

For example, a channel dedicated to parenting tips and woes could serve as a support group for new moms and dads. Manchester United and Liverpool fans could watch a heated soccer match “together” and bond over it in real-time. 

2. Embrace informal communication 

Before the pandemic, millennials and an older generation of employees already had differing attitudes towards instant text messaging.

As the latter is accustomed to face-to-face interactions and emails, instant text messaging and all its jazz—from emojis to stickers—was not their choice tool for workplace communications. 

Now that in-person conversations are scarce, company leaders have to welcome informal communication intentionally.

Normalising emojis, gifs, and reactions in work chats helps to supplement the loss of nonverbal cues when working remotely. These capture the nuances in communication and are a universal language across cultures. They’re inclusive, convenient, and make talking shop a little more fun. So yes, you can use them at work!

In video calls, managers can connect with team members on a personal level while waiting for other attendees to come online. They could ask them how they spent the weekend, or about where they live if they’re in different regions.

Children, pets, and other family members are part of team members’ working environments, and there’s no harm in expecting and welcoming interruptions. Plus, having a dog on the call is always a welcome break.

3. Create opportunities for “small talk”

Employees may be self-conscious about initiating casual conversations in a work chat, but that’s where chatroom bots like Donut come in.

Donut randomly pairs employees who join the channel so those who wish to connect with others can always set up a virtual hangout or an in-person lunch appointment. This is especially useful for new joiners and collaborators across departments.

The bot starts by sending participants a direct message and encouraging them to schedule a video call. To ease the awkwardness between employees who have not met, conversation prompts such as “what is your favourite food? or “where did you go on your last holiday?” help get the ball rolling.

Apart from pairing, other bots also remind the company of upcoming birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones to be celebrated. This allows employees to respond with congratulatory messages and notes of appreciation to boost the sense of community. 

4. Plan inclusive team-building activities

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato.

Playing is the quickest way to break the ice when working remotely. Games are an excellent way to bond and unwind, and even though company retreats have been put on hold, team-building activities needn’t. 

Instead of virtual meals where conversations are often led by the usual suspects, include every team member with games like Codenames, Skribbl.io, or virtual scavenger hunts where items are presented virtually.

Companies with international teams can also come together to craft something, like in Alibaba’s virtual quilt-making event, and reinforce their sense of community. 

5. Get the CEO involved with a coffee lottery

Coffee lottery uses a chatbot to connect employees with the CEO randomly for a cup of joe. 

Outside of town halls, employees hardly get the chance to interact with company leaders. By getting to know employees outside of the management team, company leaders set the stage for a company culture that values psychological safety. It allows both parties to relate to each other authentically, and glean insight that could help both the business and workforce thrive. 

Working remotely but collaboratively

We know that toxic work environments cost businesses billions of dollars, which is why it’s crucial to foster a sense of belonging and community when people are more likely to feel isolated when working remotely.

Caught in the web of chat notifications and video calls, employees can feel burnt out and distant from one another. That’s where making time and space for human connection deliberately goes a long way.

When team members don’t feel trusted to do their job, it makes them more prone to burnout, stress, as well as feelings of anxiety and depression.

In the longer term, team members without self-confidence, autonomy, and skills on managing micromanagers may also stop initiating new ideas—or worse, start to underperform.

Instead, they take the path of least resistance and depend heavily on directions from the micromanager before starting on any task. This concentrates decision-making at the managerial level, disempowers team members, and stumps innovation.

Left unchecked, motivational and performance issues translate into high turnover rates that ultimately costs organisations huge sums of money every year.

Aggravating the wound

This long-standing problem has only been made worse by the pandemic. Counsellor and psychotherapist Yogini Shiva attributes the rise in micromanagement to the fact that hybrid work has deprived managers of in-person check-ins.

“The root cause of micromanagement is fear,” she explains, “in particular, fear of having one’s competency challenged in any way.”

Without the face-to-face conversations that could have happened over lunchtime or coffee breaks, many managers struggle to stay on top of things. Their lack of self-confidence, Yogini theorises, creates a lack of trust and breeds habits of micromanagement that are detrimental to employee wellbeing.

3-step guide to managing micromanagers

1. Speak up for yourself

Micromanagers could be painfully unaware of their behaviour. By giving them the benefit of doubt that they are doing their best, you can air your concerns without sounding abrasive.

This might be a difficult conversation, but transparent and respectful dialogue is the key to more productive relationships. Start by addressing their micromanagement tendencies delicately, and empathise with them while helping them understand your perspective.

Here’s how you can start the conversation:

• “I understand it can be difficult for you to keep tabs on everything while we are working virtually, but I find that regular check-ins can be distracting when I’m involved in deep work. I would like to explore how I can update you on my progress while maintaining my productivity.”
  
• “I’ve noticed that you have been sharing more pointers for my tasks lately. While they have been helpful in ensuring I’m on the right track, the frequency of changes isn’t the most optimal for my workflow. I wonder if we can create a more efficient system for the both of us.”

2. Propose win-win outcomes 

“If you’re asking for complete free reign over your work right off the bat, it’s probably not going to work,” cautions Yogini. This is especially so given the motivations for micromanagement that we discussed earlier.

Since you are trying to change someone’s natural behaviour, be patient and logical about it. Provide specific examples and explain how that affects your frame of mind and output. Follow that up with practical suggestions and describe how they can improve productivity all-round. 

For instance, if your manager’s need for updates has been disruptive and disempowering, start by explaining the impact on your professional development and perception of your contribution to the company. 

Suggest alternatives like a round-up email on Fridays or a brief catch-up scheduled at the same time each week. Most importantly, share how these would help you focus better while keeping them informed so their objectives would still be met.

3. Prove yourself over time 

Finally, demonstrate that you are skillful, experienced, and capable of completing your tasks with minimum instructions and supervision. This is an exercise in building your manager’s trust in you, so when you are given more flexibility, use it well! 

Before you start working on anything, ensure that you have understood the brief clearly by clarifying doubts and communicating problems actively. If you might not meet a deadline, request for an extension early to manage your boss’s expectations.

You may have to communicate more proactively at the start, but it gets easier once your manager realises that any work assigned to you will be in good hands. 

How to manage conflicting instructions

When reporting lines aren’t straightforward, employees can be driven up the wall by unclear expectations or vague communication. Rather than tolerating them for fear of endangering your position, Yogini advises to “always choose to speak up rationally”.

Speaking up requires transparency, empathy, and logic—all of which don’t come easy in times of stress. To prepare yourself for such meetings, Yogini suggests shifting your mindset.

“Instead of being certain you’re right, be curious,” she coaches. “Ask yourself why a perfectly rational, well-intended person would do this.”

Your frame of mind at the meeting influences your tonality and choice of words, which could either engage your superior constructively or put him in a defensive stance. 

Pick your battles by limiting yourself to the top few issues bothering you at the moment. Share clear expectations of what you hope to get out of the meeting, and discuss the issues at hand with an open mind. Don’t forget to let the other party share their point of view too. 

“Have a positive attitude and hope for the best, but also plan for the worst,” quips Yogini, adding that chances are, you will see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Signs you may be a micromanager

Perhaps you’ve read this far and started wondering: am I being a micromanager at work? Yogini shares three telling signs that you may be exhibiting such behaviour:

• You realise that you have become more nosy and bossy, and are obsessed with knowing every detail of everyone’s work to avoid missteps and redundant work
• You are reluctant to delegate work to your team members, perhaps because you feel like you cannot trust them enough to deliver good work, or have the belief that no one can do it better than you
• You have a tendency to re-do work that has already been completed by your team’s members, perhaps because you don’t trust them to provide the correct output, or understand any corrections you request

Don’t panic if you identify with these. Awareness is always the first step to improvement. Besides, self-reflection also shows that you care about being the best version of yourself for your team. Here’s what you can do to start rectifying any faults you find.

When is micromanagement justified?

Understand first that there are scenarios where micromanaging is unavoidable, or even needed. For example, a new joiner may need some hand-holding to learn the ropes as quickly as possible. An underperforming team member could also use closer guidance to fulfil the company’s expectations of their role. 

Speaking from her previous managerial experience in the banking industry, Yogini shared that she feared losing underperforming team members as that meant losing manpower. 

It all boils down to intention. Micromanagement may be helpful for new or struggling team members growing into their positions, but detrimental when done to make managers appear busy or feed their ego. 

To avoid becoming a micromanager by mistake, Yogini advises maintaining a positive mindset as a manager and leading with empathy. This almost always means working on oneself, before working on your employees. 

As management expert Kenneth Blanchard says: “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”

Rather than attempting to control your team members’ every move, guide them towards the right paths, while keeping your mind open to learning from them if they find better ways of getting things done.

How Intellect can help

Micromanagement creates a pressure cooker environment for both managers and team members, stifling creativity and crushing morale. Every individual brings a unique working style to the table, and coaching empowers employees to adapt to one other and foster a collaborative atmosphere. In the end, it’s not about conformity but acknowledging and harnessing diversity.

Learn more about Intellect coaching here.

If you’re fortunate enough to join an organisation with a robust onboarding program, great! But in reality, most employers—88% of them, according to Gallup—don’t do a great job of onboarding new employees. Based on Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Study in 2020, only 11% of HR teams in Singapore managed to provide an extremely good employee experience.

HR orientations tend to cover basic administrative matters like processes and paperwork, and little else. New joiners are generally left to learn about company culture, their teammates, and other people-related matters on their own.

If you’re working from home or working remotely, that can get pretty challenging. 

Confidence, engagement, and motivation 

For organisations, lacklustre onboarding experiences are costly to both employees’ mental wellbeing and business outcomes. Poor onboarding experiences have been found to result in higher turnover rates, worsened levels of employee engagement, and poor productivity. 

On the other hand, positive onboarding experiences have been shown to result in 50% greater employee retention among new hires and 62% higher productivity. 

New joiners who’ve had a great onboarding experience are also three times more likely to feel confident and supported in their role, boosting their ability to perform well. 

While it’s normal to need some time to settle into a new work environment, it’s also important to seize the first few weeks to start strong and set a solid foundation for your future success. 

Rather than wait for your HR or manager to initiate introductions, here are some things you can do in your first day, week, and month to enrich your own remote onboarding experience.

1. Identify and reach out to key connections

Don’t just limit your connections to your team members. Rather, take advantage of your first few days or weeks as a new hire to foster lateral, cross-team, and cross-functional relationships. 

“Companies expect new employees to get to know and connect with people in the organisation,” shares Shang Trinidad, people experience & operations lead at Intellect. “That means building and establishing relationships with stakeholders, team members and other employees.” 

Once you’ve gotten acquainted with your immediate coworkers, spend time getting to know others – within the company and without – who can give you a better understanding of the organisation or have a significant influence over your career.

If you’re in a client-facing role, for example, reach out to external stakeholders such as customers, business partners, and suppliers. If you’re in a marketing role, drop a line to someone on the product team to find out more about how the two departments collaborate. 

2. Ask strategic questions to hit the ground running 

According to Shang, “New hires should also take their first week to learn as much as they can about the company, including the history, mission and vision, core values, culture, and organisational chart. It’s also important that they familiarise themselves well with the technical side of the business such as its products, technologies, and systems.” 

Preparing the right questions is also key to building rapport with your new colleagues or clients. You might consider seeking advice and perspective by asking some variation of: 

• What are the most critical business issues for the company over the next one to two years?
• How do departments collaborate and work together?
• How is disagreement or conflict handled in the company?
• What should we do differently to be more effective?
• Who else do you think I should talk with? Can you connect me to them?

While you can’t just walk over to your colleague’s desk or invite yourself to lunch anymore, it’s not that difficult to schedule a video call. Just explain that you’re a new joiner hoping to learn how you can better collaborate for mutual success. Win-win. 

And if you’re lucky enough to be assigned an orientation buddy, make sure you ask all the “basic” questions like: 

• What is the company culture like?
• How do you approach work-life balance?
• What advice do you have that will help me be a productive member of this team?

As well as all the “unsexy” technicalities to help you get familiar with day-to-day life at work, such as:

• Which websites should I keep bookmarked? 
• Which tools or platforms will I need access to?
• Whom should I approach for help? 
• Which systems and processes are important to master?
• What common internal jargon should I familiarise myself with? 

3. Figure out the expectations of your role 

You may have read the job description, but the reality of your role once you start is rarely ever as clear cut.

Spend the first weeks pinning down what your job actually entails in terms of deliverables, people management, and external engagements.

You can do that either by asking or observing. Bill Berman, executive coach and co-author of Influence and Impact, suggests asking questions like “What are the key deliverables of this job?” and “What do you see as the key dependencies and the biggest obstacles?”

To supplement that, pay attention to how others in the organisation behave and what their priorities are. How do they measure results? What seems to interest them most during meetings? What conversations do they keep coming back to? 

“I always tell new employees to take their time to learn and get comfortable with their new role. Most importantly, ask a lot of questions, understand which performance metrics matter, attend all important meetings, and talk with key people in the organisation to find out what’s expected of them,” says Shang, adding: 

4. Secure early wins to build trust with your team

Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days, suggests that “early wins” can help you build credibility and trust when transitioning into a new role. 

But this hinges on choosing the right projects. Instead of trying to be a hero and tackling ambitious problems right off the bat, choose projects that are most relevant to your role. Find projects that have: 

• A clearly defined goal and scope
• Successes that are straightforward and easy to measure 
• A positive overall impact on the team and/or organisation

Imagine that you are a new manager overseeing a logistics team. You notice that other teams are going directly to your members to handle urgent requests, which adds stress, causes confusion, and results in other important tasks getting delayed. 

As an early win, you can implement a process for submitting urgent requests that goes only through you. This ensures that you have full oversight over these urgent tasks, that you can take charge of triage, and that you can manage your team’s priority list appropriately.   

Take charge of your own remote onboarding experiences

Remote employees are already fighting an uphill battle when it comes to workplace engagement, with 94% of remote workers saying they feel less connected than their office-working colleagues.

Demonstrating initiative, cultivating connections, reaching out for advice, and delivering small wins early will quickly add up and help you feel more engaged, supported, and motivated in your new role. 

“New employees tend to put too much pressure on themselves in the beginning because they want to prove something or they’re afraid to look like they’re not doing anything at all,” shares Shang in closing. “This causes them to make the mistake of taking on too heavy a workload at the start, and in unfortunate cases end up failing to deliver.” 

She concludes:

Want to make the most of your remote onboarding experience? An executive coach can help you accelerate your transition and define key professional goals.

Find out how you can start working with an Intellect coach here.  

If you think earning someone’s trust and keeping them engaged during in-person coaching was difficult before, imagine what the challenges are like for remote coaching when everything is done through a screen. 

But remote coaching does offer its own advantages.

Much like remote work, coaching through digital platforms offers convenience and access, with an added bonus of privacy. With remote coaching, there’s no risk that a co-worker could accidentally walk in on a session or overhear your conversation. 

While the fundamental approaches to coaching—active listening, equal partnership, and having a discovery mindset—remain the same, the virtual environment does throw up certain risks related to shortcuts or compromise. 

The biggest challenge with virtual versus face-to-face coaching is how to ensure that certain parts of the coaching process aren’t taken for granted. 

In this article, Intellect’s executive and behavioural health coaches share some advice based on their own extensive experiences with virtual coaching to help managers get a better handle on coaching remote and hybrid teams. 

Tip 1: Remove potential distractions 

Focus is key to any effective coaching session, but when it comes to remote coaching, maintaining focus can be especially tough because it’s just too tempting to multitask. 

Due to the lack of nonverbal cues over video, managers need to pay much closer attention to subtle shifts in tone, facial expression, or choice of words when coaching remotely. Any lapse in focus could result in missing out on these crucial details. 

To ensure that virtual coaching sessions are as effective as possible, ICF-certified career coach Julie Samuel advises that managers respect the remote coaching process by properly planning their schedules, managing their time, and taking intentional steps to remove potential distractions. 

“Be present during the conversation and avoid multitasking,” she suggests. “That could mean shutting down your email or desktop messaging apps so that you’re not distracted by notifications.” 

Tip 2: Dedicate the first few minutes to work-related matters, if necessary

This may sound contradictory to the first tip, but hear us out. 

While it’s important that managers approach coaching sessions with their full attention and focus, it’s equally important that employees do the same. 

In addition to removing the temptation to multitask, it would also greatly help employees focus better on coaching sessions if pressing work matters are first gotten out of the way. 

“Compared to when working in the office, it’s harder for remote employees to just ‘pop by’ their manager’s desk to get approvals or discuss other important work issues,” explains Atsuko Otsuki, an ICF-certified ACC coach who has been working with clients for over five years. 

For this reason, in remote coaching, it can actually be constructive for managers to spend the first few minutes asking employees if there’s anything urgent that requires their attention before moving on to coaching proper. 

“It helps both parties enter the session without something hanging over their heads so they can dedicate their full attention to the coaching process,” she adds. 

Tip 3: Have a framework, but be flexible 

Go into any coaching session without a framework, and you risk it becoming just another catch-up session. 

“The beauty of coaching is that you make it possible for your coachees to come up with their own conclusions and action plans,” Julie shares. “You don’t give instructions—you explore an issue together to arrive at a solution together. Having a proper coaching framework helps enable this process.”

She recommends selecting one that you’re most comfortable with, such as the F.U.E.L. model described in John H. Zenger and Kathleen Stinnett’s book The Extraordinary Coach.

At the same time, it’s also important not to be too rigid with your agenda. Managers should recognise that hybrid work does take a toll on employees’ mental health, and that it’s important to engage emotionally with their remote and hybrid team members. 

Coaching sessions are a valuable opportunity to do this, shares Atsuko, who recommends that managers some time to “set the energy” for coaching sessions by breaking the ice and warming up with some small talk, setting a positive tone right from the start, and genuinely checking in with how employees are feeling about work.  

Tip 4: Guarantee confidentiality 

The biggest advantage of virtual versus face-to-face coaching is that virtual sessions can be recorded and revisited at a later date. This can be invaluable for recording notes and feedback, revisiting key issues or challenges, and tracking progress. 

Ironically, this could also lead to certain employees being wary of remote coaching, because they’re unsure of how private their session will be. This puts psychological safety at risk. 

“For remote coaching to be effective, especially top-down coaching, it’s essential for employees to feel that they have a safe space to open up and that their confidentiality is prioritised and protected,” explains Shyamala Sashikumar, an ICF-certified PCC coach who’s had over 25 years of experience working in corporate environments. 

She emphasises the importance of establishing intimacy and trust within the team: “Otherwise, the employee may not be honest or genuine with their responses, and the benefits of coaching will go unrealised.” 

Tip 5: Get comfortable with asking “basic” questions

The water cooler moments that we take for granted in an office environment actually contribute greatly to contextual information that’s necessary for effective coaching. 

If someone’s having a difficult time at work, their family member is unwell, or their child is going through a rough time, as a manager, you’re likely to have overhead snippets of conversations to help you stay aware. 

The same cannot be said for remote employees, and this shortage of information is exacerbated by the further lack of nonverbal cues over video. 

So, when it comes to engagement during a remote coaching session, don’t forget to ask seemingly “basic” questions such as “How are you feeling today?”, “How is everything at home?”, or “What’s going well for you today/this week?”

“Without that emotional connection, coaching can get superficial,” warns Atsuko. “Smart use of coaching can strengthen emotional engagement that’s often missing or lacking in remote and hybrid teams.”

For remote coaching to work, managers need to believe and commit

Whether it’s in-person or virtual, coaching offers multiple benefits including mental well-being, job satisfaction, and better employee engagement. 

More importantly, coaching only works if you’re willing to see it through. It’s common for managers to make the mistake of approaching a coaching or check-in session as a list of tasks to be checked off, thereby turning it into an interrogation or opportunity to micromanage. 

“It’s tempting to just offer a solution, rather than go through the entire process of letting the employee come up with their own solutions in a collaborative way,” explains Julie. “We may think: ‘The faster I get out of this online session, the more time I have for other matters’.” 

This is a good time to contemplate its effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. After all, remote work has taken a toll on an essential yet often overlooked need—sleep. 

In an interview with sleep researcher and psychologist Dr Stijn Massar, he shares how we can improve sleep quality while working remotely.

How essential is sleep?

A lack of sleep impacts our attention, motivation, and emotions. Quality sleep, on the other hand, keeps us alert during the day by enhancing our learning and memory functions. People who suffer from insomnia often show signs of depression or exacerbated mental health conditions. It also increases the risks of weight gain and heart complications. 

Most young adults require between seven to nine hours of sleep to feel rested, but improving sleep quality is just as important, says Dr Stijn:

How remote work affects sleep

People slept later and longer when they worked remotely during the pandemic, noted Dr Stijn, thanks to the newfound flexibility and commuting time saved. Some were even able to take naps during the day. 

If so, why are people worldwide reporting “more restless and disturbed sleep”?

1. Loss of routines

“The pandemic has thrown us off our normal routines quite drastically,” Dr Stijn explains. “This has had an impact on all aspects of life, including social interaction, physical activity, and sleep.”

Stress releases cortisol that keeps us alert but also suppresses the production of melatonin—a hormone that tells us it is time for bed.

This makes it harder to fall asleep. When we do eventually, we tend to experience low-quality sleep that is short and fragmented. 

According to Dr Stijn, during the first year of the pandemic, “many people have experienced increased workload, and added load from childcare during home-based learning. Later sleep times are also related to people having to finish their work later after hours when they had the time to do so.” 

The radical shift to remote work hit us without warning in 2020. Now that we are prepared for the new normal, we can plan our schedules more intentionally. 

2. Blurred boundaries between work and rest

The commute to and from work used helps establish clear distinctions between work and personal life. Without it, detaching from our to-do lists becomes difficult.

Working from spaces for relaxation, such as our couches or bedrooms, also affects sleep negatively.

At bedtime, our minds get easily distracted by stressful thoughts about work. From being stuck to our screens during the day to revenge bedtime procrastination at night, excessive screen time and blue light also stumped the production of melatonin.

3. Lack of movement and sunshine

Apart from commuting, our walks at lunchtime and trips to the office pantry or toilets are used to facilitate daily routines.

With remote work, we lose natural opportunities for physical movement and exposure to sunlight—a natural time cue our circadian rhythm uses to regulate bedtimes.

This leaves us fatigued but sleepless with an uncooperative body clock. 

Was remote work a blessing in disguise for night owls, then? Well, not really.

While most of them have an evening chronotype and are more productive at night, there’s a risk of delaying bedtime so much that sleep becomes misaligned with the natural light-dark cycle.

3 ways to improve sleep quality

Pandemic-induced stress may have eased, but there are helpful sleeping habits we can take away from this ordeal.

Dr Stijn shares how you can improve sleep quality in the new normal.

1. Commit to a sleep routine 

Make a habit of waking up and going to bed at fixed timings as you would in pre-pandemic times.

It may be tempting to sleep in or stay up, but deliberately maintaining your circadian rhythm can improve sleep quality.

Practise good sleep hygiene by dimming the lamp around bedtime and steering clear of blue light. Don’t forget to call on the angel of your sleeping habits.

2. Make it a point to stay active 

Since there are fewer natural opportunities for movement, make exercise a priority in your schedule.

If you are up early, take a walk in the park. Instead of ordering in at lunchtime, a leisurely walk makes a good mid-day reset. 

While working out at home is convenient, some sunlight helps keep your circadian rhythm in tune.

Stanford neuroscientist Andrew D. Huberman recommends exposure to direct sunlight in the first 30 minutes after waking up. This reinforces the sleep-wake cycle, especially for workers who are cooped indoors for the rest of the day.

3. Draw the line between work and rest

To demarcate the boundary between work and rest, introduce a wind-down routine every night.

Ample me-time to practise self-care helps to prevent overworking and reduce the need for revenge bedtime procrastination. 

If space allows it, keep work and sleep zones apart. Otherwise, make it a rule to work at your desk to create some semblance of separation and improve sleep quality at night.

Inviting as your sheets may be, associating your bed with the act of replying emails is unhelpful for sleep.

Improve sleep quality with professional help

“Sleep becomes a disorder when you cannot sleep when you need to, or you cannot stay awake when you need to, which affects your normal daytime functioning,” warns Dr Stijn.

When sleep difficulties escalate, they can no longer be resolved with simple tips. You can visit a polyclinic for a referral or go to a sleep clinic directly for urgent diagnosis and treatment.

Let remote work improve sleep quality, not sabotage it

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything” — Irish Proverb.

Sleep is one of the most natural things we do. But as the world strives for 24 hours uptime, many of us have ignored our need for rest.

The flexibility of remote work can work for rather than against us—if only we intentionally honour our innate need for it.

Once reserved for distant or intimate conversations, video calls have become synonymous with the home office. From interviews, meetings, and discussions to team bonding and social activities, it kept things running and kept us connected. 

Video calls might have made working from home a possibility, but their excessive use has taken a toll on our mental wellness, giving rise to Zoom fatigue. But more than just exhaustion, video calls affect us emotionally too. And if you have ever felt nervous before a video call, afraid to speak up when videoconferencing, or left out of the conversation, you might be dealing with Zoom anxiety.  

According to behavioural health coach Suprita Sinha, “Zoom anxiety” stems from the thought that you are being watched or judged negatively. Here are four reasons why video calls make us anxious.

1. The lack of nonverbal cues

As humans, we rely a lot on nonverbal cues in communication. 

They come naturally to us and help us understand one another efficiently. For example, you may read the room and sense that everyone is bored during a meeting. Or you may make eye contact with a colleague to indicate it’s time for a coffee break.

In a video call, we cannot tell how attendees are doing or feeling. Do they understand what we’re saying? Are they engaged? Do they need a break? 

Sometimes, we misread the lags in transmission for an awkward silence. Other times, we talk over one another when we do not know who has something to say. Some may dominate the conversation, and others may feel left out when their voices literally go unheard. Not being able to make sense of the situation causes uncertainty to creep in, leaving us self-conscious and anxious.

2. We pay attention to ourselves more than we need to

In video calls, we do not just see others—we are subjected to our own gaze too. We start to scrutinise our physical appearances and how we carry ourselves with great details, and things we have never before noticed quickly become bugbears. Research has shown that self-focused attention makes us more susceptible to negative effects associated with anxiety and depression, leading to what they call “mirror anxiety.”

Harvard Medical School professor and Dermatologist, Dr Shadi Kourosh, likened the cameras in video calls to a “Funhouse Mirror”, because it is a distorted mirror, so people do not see a true reflection of themselves. To make matters worse, video calls also make us feel like we are being watched and judged by fellow participants.

Suprita added that millions of people have had to deal with “Zoom dysmorphia” during the pandemic. The constant preoccupation with the minor imperfections in one’s appearances by looking at themselves on camera all day exacerbates their feelings of dissatisfaction. 

“Cognitive-behavioural models of body dysmorphic disorder suggest that mirrors can be a trigger for individuals, causing them to be obsessed with how they look,” explains Suprita. “The increase in self-focused attention brings along with it the associated distress.”

3. Video calls make us feel trapped 

To stay within sight in a video call, we end up “trapping” ourselves in window. During in-person meetings, it is normal to grab another cup of coffee, taking notes, or letting one’s line of sight wander to diffuse the tension in the air.

In virtual settings, however, we refrain from moving unnecessarily for fear that it might distract others, call more attention to ourselves, or appear uninterested. We consider it our duty to be “seen”, keeping our bodies still and our eyes glued to the screen. It’s like we’re stuck in an invisible box, restricting our movement in unnatural ways.

The fact the our faces are splashed across the computer screen also causes unease. Jeremy Bailenson, a communications professor from Stanford, noted that this simulates an intimate interaction typically reserved for our loved ones, making it too close for comfort. Since we have nowhere to run, it puts our brains in a hyper-aroused state, preparing our bodies to fight or flight.

4. Video calls require us to multitask

In addition to fulfilling tasks over video calls, we are also required to be our own IT department. 

In a survey of over 2,000 home workers, “having tech/audio problems and not knowing how to fix them” was the top trigger of video call anxiety. Such issues would be easily solved by the IT department, but when it is left entirely to us, our lack of knowledge and experience makes this a huge struggle for us. 

On top of feeling incompetent, there is also the stress and worry of holding up fellow participants.

Although video platforms are generally user-friendly, we have to remain vigilant at all times to avoid potentially embarrassing situations. That includes turning our camera off when a family member enters the room and unmuting our microphones while talking to them. Or, reminding yourself to share the right screen lest everyone in the organisation knows what you’ve been watching on Netflix.

Overcoming video call anxiety

Sometimes, the more we try to avoid such situations, the more our anxiety festers and disrupts our work. Since video calls are the new norm, we have to recognise the symptoms of Zoom fatigue and address them accordingly. Suprita shares six tips for doing so.

1. Stay present

Staying grounded compensates for the lack of non-verbal cues. By focusing on the meeting, asking questions, or repeating yourself, you get a clearer picture of what is going on and are less likely to ruminate.

The moment your attention drifts to a negative thought, gently redirect it to what is happening at the moment. A quick and easy way is to take a slow, deep breath, thinking “In” and “Out” with each breath.

When it comes to negative self-talk, try a more compassionate tone by saying, “You are trying hard and you are doing your best.” You can also interrupt the inner critic with this 5-4-3-2-1 coping technique.

2. Check your bias

For evolutionary purposes, we learn and register negative experiences more readily than positive experiences. Neuropsychologist and expert in neuroplasticity Dr Rick Hanson explains that “our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive experiences,” causing us to pay more attention to the negative events in our lives. 

To overcome negative bias, pay attention to your thoughts. When a judgmental voice goes “I shouldn’t have said that” or “I must have sounded stupid”, redirect your attention to positive aspects you might be missing. For all you know, you might recall a coworker’s reassuring nod during your presentation, or a text message that said “good work!” in the chat.

3. Take a breaks

Excessive screen time strains your eyes, body, and mind. Whenever you need to, give yourself permission to take a break. 

Excuse yourself to get that coffee, do a quick stretch, and move your body mindfully. By turning the camera off momentarily, you can give your eyes a well-deserved break or adjust your posture to find a more comfortable position.

4. Adjust settings

To minimise mirror anxiety, adjust your Zoom settings to hide self-view. If it’s possible, switch off the camera and leave your microphone on. If you feel anxious about being seen up close, you can switch to the speaker mode when presenting. Getting familiar with the platform your team uses also allow you to practise before important calls so you can operate it confidently in any situation.

5. Speak up

When anxiety becomes too overwhelming, consider letting your boss know how you feel.

For instance, if discussions are often dominated by a few people talking over the rest, your supervisor might choose to invite individuals in turn to share their thoughts.

You can also suggest incorporating more breaks, ensuring sufficient time to prepare for presentations, allowing cameras to be turned off periodically, or even considering sending emails or using audio calls instead.

How Intellect can help

Although anxiety is a natural human response to stress, prolonged or excessive anxiety can potentially result in mental and physical health issues.

Suprita from Intellect highlights that physical manifestations of stress in the body, such as tension, an elevated heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and stomach pain, are indicators that you might be grappling with anxiety.

“At this stage, it is important to seek professional support from psychologists, counsellors, coaches, and therapists,” she advises.

Learn more about how you can do so at Intellect’s clinics.