They are greeted by clothes, as you know. When we join a new team, we try to show our best side. But for quite a long time, many employees have been working remotely and, relatively speaking, work in pajamas. Here neither show yourself nor see others. How are relationships built in a modern team?
Remote Team
“When we were told that we would work remotely, we were delighted at first,” says Olga. — I thought that two hours on the road, which I spend every day to get to the office, I would be free. I have time to sleep and do something around the house. And in the end, they drag on for two hours, which I chat with a colleague. We used to have 10 minutes to share the news.”
The current situation in which office employees, the so-called «white collars» have fallen, can be compared with the military, says psychotherapist Elena Aslanova. They develop post-traumatic syndrome. People live in fear, in stressful conditions, in uncertainty about their future, it is natural that contacts between them become less important. This is the process of survival.
Our psyche is so arranged. People completely have to adjust their lives, look for other ways to earn money. We seem to be rejected by society, but how to act in the new conditions? How to survive? We do not see feedback from colleagues and superiors.
Retirees are not respected
“I work at a research institute,” says Vladimir. — An indicator of our work is scientific articles. Usually they are written according to the results of research, sometimes in co-authorship. We are used to sitting together in the same laboratory. At the time of the lockdown, all pensioners were transferred to a remote location, and I have much less publications, since there are no test results. Or they are quickly used by young and nimble colleagues.
“My colleagues didn’t understand me when I quit right after my probationary period,” says 54-year-old Sergei. “I just can’t work from home. I get up easily and can start doing something at least at 7 am, but from the office. I’m so used to it. In addition, with the transfer to remote work, they announced that they would pay half as much. This means that my entire salary will be spent on renting an apartment and food. Therefore, I returned to my native Tula region.
“Older people are accustomed to a certain rhythm and regime,” says Elena Aslanova. — Of course, it is much more difficult for them to adjust to work in a new format. Those issues that were previously resolved in a team face to face are now sometimes simply hushed up. This is where the misunderstanding between colleagues comes from.
“So many of my clients feel uncomfortable in self-isolation. Man is, after all, a social being. Some personality types simply cannot work remotely, says Elena Beletskaya, a clinical psychologist. They need constant contact with colleagues. As we age, it becomes harder for us to change our habits.”
Non-standard situations
“A misfortune happened in the family of our colleague — his father died,” says Amina. — We learned about this from the general chat. In normal times, you somehow want to support a person. Just hug, express sympathy. I didn’t even know how to react. And, judging by the chat, I’m not alone. We have never seen each other in a year of working together with this girl. So what am I going to tell her?»
Warm, sincere communication is very important, even the way in the chat format, Beletskaya believes. If the reaction to the event occurs after the fact, as is often the case, then it can even cause resentment. Formal communication: “take care of yourself, don’t worry,” people do not need.
Love affair at work
“During the pandemic, I stopped buying myself new things — why? says 45-year-old Oksana. “I still stay at home. Sometimes I don’t have time to get dressed all day long. I woke up, immediately took a laptop and work without getting out from under the covers. I think if one of my colleagues saw me, they would be horrified. And I miss everyday flirting and male gazes … «
Is it really impossible to flirt and office romances remotely? “Of course, there remains an element of casual acquaintance and the emergence of sympathy between colleagues,” Elena Beletskaya is sure. — But it is quite difficult to start a relationship in letters. Office romances are a thing of the past.»
“For dating today, there are a lot of applications where people post their profiles precisely with the aim of finding a mate. Chatting allows you to put on a certain mask, says Aslanova. “But wearing masks, we can be both virtual and real. It’s one thing to have friendly communication – getting to know each other, and another thing – positioning yourself.”