The Emotional Impact of Working Virtually

 The Emotional Impact of Virtual Work

 Now that we have acclimated to Zoom and companies have made a concerted effort to accommodate our new style of working virtually, I have some observations about the impact of virtual work on people’s emotional state.

Have you ever had a day where you begin to doubt yourself or wonder if there is any future at your workplace, or even if you belong there? Triggers for this negative thinking usually originate with a few seeds – small negative encounters with leadership and co-workers. If you don’t readily brush these seeds off, many of us know how the seeds begin to grow.

When you were in an office, a negative encounter was quickly replaced with a positive one, or a piece of good news, or a second, third, or fourth encounter that replaced, negated or even erased the original encounter.

In a virtual world, this negative encounter has room to grow, coloring your outlook, mood, and most importantly, engagement. Motivation decreases, focus blurs, and sluggishness sets in.

Story: Kate thought her boss, Jenny, was disappointed in her because she missed a deadline when Jenny abruptly ended the Zoom. The reality was that Jenny was just distracted and worrying about a personal matter. Within a day, Kate was questioning her role at the organization, thinking it wasn’t the best fit for her, and making plans to move on.

So, what is the impact of this? It means lower productivity, commitment, engagement, and attention. It means time to begin looking for something new. It means the doubts have room to grow and direct behavior.

When the seed grow, what can you do? 1. Recognize the situation and that you have a tendency to let the seeds take hold and grow into doubts. 2. Shift your energy. Take a walk. Talk to a friend. 3. Establish a rule - only when you receive 5 seeds are you allowed to chew and ruminate on it.

And leaders, what can you do? 1. Remind yourself that your mood, words, and attention are critical to the well-being of your team, particularly in a virtual world. 2. Conduct more than 1 one-on-one in a month. Preferably weekly or more, if possible. Form a small group meeting if time is a factor. 3. Deliver sincere praise and keep in mind how easy it is for your employees to become unengaged. Now is the time for additional attention.