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By the end of 2020, 71% of workers who could perform their job remotely were doing so; large-scale polls indicate that 65% of workers don’t want to return to the office on a full-time basis. But, as remote work continues to be the norm, many WFH employees are struggling to maintain connectedness through technology—without sacrificing their humanity.
The solution? It’s not about making technology imitate humans, and it’s not about mastering just a single tech tool. Instead, it’s about becoming technologically agile, choosing and using a variety of options to bring a sense of humanity back to our work. And that’s good news for your personal brand because it expands the digital options for letting decision makers know what’s unique about what you do and how you do it—even when you’re thousands of miles away.
Professor Cristina Gibson, a social scientist at Pepperdine University who conducts research on the human side of business, has been observing, interviewing, and surveying workers in a variety of industries in 35 countries around the globe, looking for patterns in successful interactions and business outcomes. She learned that the secret to developing and maintaining the human connectedness is technology agility—knowing when to use which technology and when to switch from one technology to another. In her 20+ years of investigations of remote workers, she found that there is no such thing as the “ultimate” technology; instead, it’s the ability to choose the right technology, ranging from online meetings and instant messaging to tech-assisted face-to-face meetings and even telephone calls.
In Gibson’s research, published in Organization Science, about two thirds of remote workers continued to use the same technology for every task, even when a new task or reason to communicate had arisen. Often, the chosen technology was ill suited to the task at hand. Workers relied on habit rather than being strategic and using the entire repertoire of technology they had available.
On the flip side, Gibson learned that those who did shift technologies over time to better suit what was needed were more productive and higher performing. Her researched showed that 67% of this effectiveness was based on technology agility. For Alcoa, a major producer of the world’s aluminum, technology agility within their global teams translated into about $100Million in annual savings. James Grey, Alcoa’s Global Knowledge Manager observed that “participating in this research has both improved our internal knowledge and also left systems in place that ensure the improvements are sustained.”
So how do you know when to make a shift to a different technology? Gibson’s observations of interactions among remote workers reveal three types of social cues that signal it’s time to shift:
Cognitive fatigue cues
The first set of cues was experienced by 98% of those in her studies—and it’s related to cognitive demands. Research done by Jill Stowell showed that tools like Zoom, which put a very narrow focus on our visual range, actually create a fight-or-flight response in humans. The more we focus, the more trapped we feel and confused we become. We want to flee, or we become aggressive and antagonistic or simply exhausted. In these instances, the brain is likely to send a signal that what is being communicated is too complex or so highly specific that you are unable to process it. You may find it difficult to understand the meaning or implications of the knowledge with the current technology. This signals that it’s time to shift technologies.
Gibson says, “Increasing the field of vision [by walking outside with your mobile phone or meeting face to face] may reduce this cognitive fatigue.” Another solution she suggests is to “reduce the cognitive load of real time response by shifting to texting or email,” which are less taxing to the brain because they are asynchronous.
Psychological cues
During your technology use, you may start to become aware that the people with whom you’re communicating are showing hesitancy—a sense that they may be holding back from honest reaction or emotions, or just generally they seem disengaged or uninterested.
These cues were present in about 88% of the interactions Gibson observed among remote workers, and they signaled issues related to a lack of connection, such as distrust, message sensitivity, language challenges, or misinterpretation of cultural differences, all of which can interfere with letting your authentic self shine online. Her data shows that these cues predict poor performance, in particular creativity and innovation. But when trust is built and language or cultural differences are bridged, performance improves.
Gibson suggests “shifting to real time (synchronous) technology with higher fidelity such as phone or face to face is critical in these moments to create greater human connection.” The fidelity adds to interpretation of subtle emotional cues, as well as comfort with sharing sensitive or risky information.”
Physical constraint cues
Remote workers can experience a sense of panic: “the agenda is too full,” “we’re running out of time,” “I can’t hear you adequately,” or “the pace is too fast.” In fact, 82% of the remote workers found these cues as a sign that it’s time to change technology. Remote workers mentioned the feeling of always being time poor, and never “caught up.” A leader who recognizes and responds to these cues will earn the trust and gratitude of the team.
“Being more conservative in what can be accomplished with a given technology and recognizing the important role of follow up and sequencing of interactions, rather than trying to cram too much in one meeting with a single technology can help,” says Gibson. If you’re in a Zoom meeting, it might be as simple as scheduling a follow-up by email or text.
This set of cues also often appeared due to family demands—the sudden appearance of a child or a pet in the room, or a spouse on a call—suggesting when it may be time to shift some activities from work to home.
Gibson’s research tells us that with these cues in mind, we can and should develop greater technology agility. It’s the key to thriving (and humanizing) in the world of remote work.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, author, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and creator of the LinkedIn Profile Type Indicator (LPTI) which measures your LinkedIn profile likability and credibility.
