Since the beginning of 2020 and Covid-19, our relationship with work, school, and each other has drastically changed. To protect ourselves physically, distance work and learning, while not new, became the norm for many.

This new widespread use of remote work and learning has been a mixed bag for sure. There have been many positives, but like most things, there have been some negatives too. In this piece, I’m going to explore if and how remote work impacts professional relationships at work.

We Miss Each Other

According to a report from Miro, 56% of respondents miss the engagement of in-person meetings and 29% reported increased feelings of imposter syndrome. The same report gave an unclear view of professional relationships aside from most reporting no significant change, good or bad.

A report from TINYpulse found remote workers are “happier at work, feel more valued at work, but have a lower relationship with their coworkers.” Creating happiness in the workplace remains a challenge whether you are in-person or in remote work, and hybrid work has complicated it yet again.

Flexibility

Virtual work and meetings give people immense flexibility in how their day functions, but many are less engaged and more distracted during remote meetings because of multitasking. Camera use, or lack of it, during meetings is also a double edged sword. While having your camera off may reduce some stress and self consciousness, it can also reduce the level of engagement and interaction as well as encourage multitasking.

I know I have been guilty of multitasking during virtual meetings, but I am also one of those people who feels relief by not having my camera on. If you're like me, the camera issue is not other people seeing me, it's seeing myself on the screen. Honestly if I could not see myself, I would probably be more inclined to use my camera.

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A Spreading Workforce

Remote work allows hiring managers to look further and consider people who are outside of reasonable commute areas. This has expanded networking opportunities because a candidate does not become irrelevant for being unable or unwilling to relocate.

This past summer I participated in a virtual internship with a company based in New York City, despite living in Kansas. My network has now expanded to include people based in NYC, New Jersey, Florida, and Canada.

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The Culture

The culture of a company in general can be a major component of how relationships are impacted. The company I interned with also placed a huge emphasis on facilitating professional and personal interaction among the employees by organizing virtual events and finding ways to keep everyone engaged and passionate.

If workplaces and managers did not place emphasis on professional relationships and development before going virtual, they probably won’t do so once they are virtual which could hurt its employees and leave them feeling isolated.

Final Thoughts..

Whether remote work has a positive or negative impact really seems to be based on both employee and employer behavior. There are ways employers can promote and improve relationships by encouraging and innovating ways to promote interaction, and as employees we need to hold ourselves accountable so that we don’t take advantage of not being directly in sight by multitasking and checking out when we shouldn’t.

The real issue is remote work is a new situation (for both employee and employer) and we are still working out the kinks! So give folks grace and when you have suggestions for ways to improve the working experience, feel empowered to give them!

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Meet The Writer!

Hi! I’m Madeline Jefferson. I am a freelance writer, editor, and designer who has a wide breadth of experience and knowledge on many subjects including: fiction writing, religion, law, politics, history, literature, chronic illness, and mental health. I have a B.A. in Religion and Middle Eastern Studies from Washington and Lee University. As a freelancer I offer services such as: blog writing, copywriting, ghostwriting, manuscript editing, and print and digital design. You can find me on: LinkedIn; Twitter, Instagram; and on my website: https://www.madelinejefferson.com/.

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Does Remote Work Impact Your Professional Relationships?