Tip of the Week: Technology Etiquette as You Return to the Office

When a group of people work together in an office, there is a sort of etiquette that forms to help everyone do the most effective work as they can. Of course, with many employees working remotely for some time now, a lot of these behaviors may have slipped. Here, we’re reviewing some of the technology manners that your team should keep in mind so that the whole of your business can work productively.

Using a Mobile Device

It’s one thing to talk loudly on the phone while working from home, with nobody else around to be distracted by your call. However, the office is a different story. While it may take some time for your team to become reacquainted with working around other people, one way to speed up this process is to focus on how they use the telephone.

Rather than taking a call at their desk and holding an extended conversation, encourage your team members to make sure their calls remain brief and have them move someplace where they are less likely to disturb their coworkers.

Instant Messaging Usage

When a team is working remotely (either by choice or when necessary) it is even more important than it usually is that they are communicating effectively. Due to their absence from one another’s company, instant messaging tools serve a double purpose as a useful resource to your team as a means to collaborate with one another, as well as to socialize to some extent.

However, once your team is back in the office, an instant messaging platform is no longer needed to remain social and engaged with the team. So, while it makes sense to allow a little bit of off-topic discussion when everyone is split up, you need to be sure that these instant messages don’t develop into a distraction once your office reopens.

Besides, the more joke messages and idle chats are shared, the less likely someone will be to respond (or to even read the message) promptly when a message is actually important. Don’t allow your team members to become the Boy Who Cried Instant Message, make sure that they are sending succinct and pertinent messages during work hours. Otherwise, important communications are apt to be buried amongst the casual.

Keep Up the Communication Though

Many of us have gotten used to communicating through remote conferencing solutions, and in some ways, it’s improved how we handle meetings. Have you noticed how more people are willing to use webcams in meetings, even if they were equipped with them before?

There are some positives that have come from this and improving remote communication with prospects and clients shouldn’t end when we all are back at our office desks. The same goes for teams that work together internally—keep that communication up and collaborate as much as possible!

Regardless, good work habits may have faltered in the time that employees have been out of the office. If you do not currently have one in place, now is a good time to develop a company policy that—among other things—describes your expectations in and out of the office. If you do have one, it may be wise to take another look at it. Make sure that your team members understand all your policies and are up to date concerning your data privacy and security, as well as employee conduct, and communicate your expectations clearly.

If your team is already in the office, how has the transition back been? Share your experiences in the comments. For more assistance with the IT tools you need to remain productive, reach out to us at (509) 534-1530.