What do you do if your remote work is straining relationships with colleagues and supervisors?

Clear and concise communication. Be aware of your co-workers' locations, cultural norms, and native languages to prevent misunderstandings. Use different tools for different types of communication, such as chat apps for side conversations and email for formal requests. Scale back on real-time video calls and use text-to-video tools to communicate ideas more engagingly. Ensure meetings are well-organized, efficient, and engaging. Clearly communicate goals and timelines to avoid confusion and miscommunication. Take the initiative to communicate regularly and update your team on project progress.

One of the typical issues facing remote workers is "Status Quo" bias. Employees assume that nothing has changed and they could continue as before. But, at the line manager's end, the manager's attitude toward the remote worker might have changed. Not knowing this, the remote worker continues with their work, same as before until they run into a stone wall. Then they realize that things have changed and sometimes frantically try to reach the manager for an explanation. This might never have happened if the worker and/or the manager had kept feeling the pulse of the other throughout the duration of the remote work. How to feel the pulse of a colleague? It's by keeping all channels of communication open and by paying attention to each other.

It has happened in my jobs as a manager where my colleagues had taken sick leaves from time to time. It is similar to staff working remotely which some jobs need urgent attention and the right colleague isn’t in the office, especially some technical jobs. It needs open dialogue with different core staff to rotate on shift and during weekends to be either standby or on call in the office. Some tech jobs are so specialised and only one or two staff know how to handle the emergency. I suggest they cooperated and coordinate in their leaves and rotate working remotely or in office. Sometimes, management has to set up incentives to encourage staff to be in-office: transport allowances, coffee/tea money or even meal allowances.

Set up regular check-in meetings with your colleagues and supervisors to discuss work progress, address concerns, and maintain open communication. These meetings can help foster trust, collaboration, and alignment on goals and expectations. Clarify Expectations: Ensure everyone is clear on their roles, responsibilities, and expectations, especially in a remote work setting. Communicate deadlines, deliverables, and priority changes to avoid misunderstandings and frustration. Be Empathetic: Recognize that everyone may be facing unique challenges and pressures, especially in a remote work environment. Practice empathy and understanding toward your colleagues' and supervisors' situations and support their needs and concerns.

Schedule a sip and say. Invite staff to do a zoom call outside the work schedule to sip on a glass of wine and speak. Sometimes a relaxed environment helps people get to open up and work it out.