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COVID-19 Kickstarting Remote Work Culture
2020-11-22 12:00:00 -0500
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COVID-19 Kickstarting Remote Work Culture

By Sabrina Chapados & Ruth Wallace

Leanne Straughan had been one of few remote team members with Desjardins long before COVID-19. She managed accounts across Ontario and Quebec by communicating with clients and colleagues primarily over the phone. Every 4-6 weeks, Straughan commuted to Quebec for in-person meetings. Management had been challenging efforts to introduce work-from-home policies, fearing decreased productivity. In the wake of COVID-19, companies like Desjardins had to shift towards a remote work culture, whether they wanted to or not. 

Straughan became accustomed to maneuvering cross-cultural barriers because nearly everyone she worked with was Quebecois. In addition to language barriers, the Quebecois had a way of working that was foreign to Ontarians like Straughan. It was not uncommon for them to have a rigid schedule that did not extend outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., never shorten their lunches, and make a big deal about working overtime. Their desire for formality also made it difficult to introduce casual Fridays.

All communication now takes place over video calls. Straughan sometimes finds it mentally exhausting to be continually looking interested and positive; however, she can now see her colleagues more often (and occasionally their kids in the background) and develop rapport. She believes this shift has allowed people to become more human.

The complexities of communication arises as an overarching theme from the difficulties faced by cross-cultural teams like Straughan’s. Differences in values, languages, and cultural and religious practices, and ignorance of those differences leads to workers misinterpreting each other’s intentions and creating conflict.

With the shift toward exclusively digital forms of communication, non-verbal social cues such as body language, gestures, and facial expressions are more difficult to pick up on. Without these nuances, discussions and decision-making processes take more time.

Strategies to Reduce Culture Clash in Remote Work

  1. When possible, use video conferencing rather than relying only on phone or text-based communication. While far from perfect, seeing team members on video allows for some preservation of non-verbal communication. Be aware of scheduling when working with teams across different time zones. Setting an agenda in advance of each meeting is also useful to clearly define and convey objectives.

  2. Employees may benefit from one-on-one check-in meetings with supervisors or team leaders. This can help to clarify earlier communication, resolve potential conflicts, and keep the focus on project goals.

  3. Take time to learn about the cultures of your team members. Education, patience, and understanding go a long way to preventing issues that are caused by ignorance. Humour and jokes, which are often based in shared culture, should also be avoided unless you know how it will be received.

At Desjardins, the Quebecois were surprised to find that worker productivity actually increased during the COIVID-19 pandemic. Working from home was previously a concept foreign to them. Leanne Straughan believes that employees desire to work hard to maintain their newly increased flexibility.

References

  1. “5 Solutions to Your Biggest Work-From-Home Challenges” (13 August 2020). https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/353971
  2. Petit, Luke (23 December 2019). “How to Manage Cultural Differences with Your Remote Team”. https://www.thepolyglotgroup.com/blog/how-to-manage-cultural-differences-remote-team/
  3. Straughan, Leanne (30 October 2020). Personal Interview.