WORKFORCE
CHAT IS WHERE IT’S AT
The chat, group chat and file-sharing functions of Microsoft Teams provide the means to keep the conversation alive in a telework environment. (Photo by Getty Images)
how people get real-time updates; more importantly, you keep the entire team in the conversation. It is how you poke your head into someone’s cubicle in a telework environment.
If you doubt that instant messaging is more productive than email, ask Wall Street. From the early 2000s, one of the main forms of communication was AOL Instant Messaging (AIM). Yes, the same platform that teenagers used to commu- nicate in the late 1990s was how a large part of the financial sector of America communicated. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, it was the primary form of communication for the financial center until the AIM platform shut down in 2017.
LEADERSHIP IN TELEWORK How does a leader lead in a telework envi- ronment? Tis is a valid question that supervisors have been trying to answer since March 2020. Tere is no one-size- fits-all option, but rather it is situational.
Peter Northouse’s situational leadership theory is composed of both directive and supportive dimensions of leadership. Lead- ers must appropriately judge a situation on how to lead their team. Tere are four lead- ership styles within situational leadership theory: delegating, supporting, coaching and directing. Leaders need to assess what their organizational goals are, understand their team members’ personalities and skill sets, and then choose the most effective leadership style. For example, a competent
engineer who has been on the team for 10 years may receive a delegating style of lead- ership and can telework five days a week. Conversely, an eager entry-level member just out of college trying to prove them- selves may receive a directing or coaching style of leadership, and should only tele- work two days a week.
Equally as important as choosing the right leadership style during telework, leaders must continue to support their team. One undesirable aspect brought to light during the telework era has been the increase of mental health issues in the workforce. Many are naturally social beings who enjoy interaction and communication. Recent studies show that telework can expose employees to psychosocial risks such as
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