Keeping Our Humanity in a Technology-Filled Workplace

Looking back over the past 40 years, gains in technology have brought many benefits. Email has phenomenally increased the speed at which we can share documents and updates. WiFi opened the door to vast amounts of information without being tethered to a wall outlet. Video technology gives us ready access to online learning, plus the ability to conduct real-time meetings with people spread around the planet.

An incredible number of benefits are accrued from today’s technology, but just as with human personality traits, technological strengths have corresponding limitations. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of the potential pitfalls so we can keep our humanity instead of letting technology supplant it. 

Let’s Keep Our Humanity

A recent survey found that many workers feel taken for granted. It seems like a small thing, but actually it’s a big thing. The majority of workers stated that others expressing appreciation for their presence and contributions would lead them to be even more engaged. 

Unfortunately, the problem of workers feeling taken for granted is magnified by an over-reliance on technology. Let’s look at a few common issues.   

Over the years, I’ve observed the good, the bad and the ugly in workplace email usage. The good, as I said earlier, is the speed at which we can communicate and share documents. But research shows the average worker spends 2.6 hours each day reading, sorting and responding to email. That’s roughly 13 hours a week. And so, as we strive for efficiency in our email communications, a common occurrence is to assume everyone understands the emotions and purposes driving our words. This easily creates problems because misunderstandings can happen quickly. 

Body language comprises 68% of interpersonal communication, and voice tone is 25%. Yes, only 7% of interpersonal communication is word choices. As you might imagine, and as you have probably experienced, that can lead to people ascribing meanings and intentions you do not have, and sometimes those misunderstandings fall quickly into a workplace wars of words. 

To counter the likelihood of that, I strongly recommend a policy of picking up the phone or getting on a video call to clear the air whenever two consecutive email exchanges in a thread show a misunderstanding. In other words, if a miscommunication occurs, and then occurs again after you tried clarifying the first, don’t take it any further via email. If you do, you run the risk of embedding a negative vibe, and those can have long-lasting effects. Just pick up the phone and clear up the misunderstanding. 

As soon as a phone call is made, not only does communication happen faster, but voice tone gets incorporated. That alone improves communication threefold. A video call increases communication clarity even more, because now facial expressions can be observed instead of imagined. 

The same prescription applies to unanswered emails. I’ve heard people complain about a co-worker not responding to an email, and stew over the matter for days while letting a bad vibe build up. I’ve even seen hurtful gossip damage workplace relationships, only to discover that the person never even saw the email. 

Pick up your phone to keep the human touch in your communications.

Online Meetings

Several years ago, when global events led many people to work from home, online meeting platforms became all the rage. Yes, they allow people from distant locations to connect to get work done, and yes, they provide many benefits beyond simple online chat or email. However, we run the risk of squelching our humanity if we rely on them too much.

If you’ve worked in a place that has (or had) face-to-face meetings, you know that often the most effective conversations occur in the hallways outside a meeting room either before or after the meeting actually takes place. That beneficial phenomenon is often missing with online meetings. 

Additionally, virtual meetings minimize the non-verbal cues that people use to communicate about what’s being said. The raised eyebrow, the barely perceptible shaking or nodding of one’s head, or even the difference between seeing someone actively taking notes or placing one’s pen down all can make online meetings less human. 

It’s incumbent on meeting facilitators or team leaders to learn what makes for good online meetings in their given situation. That said, gaps might persist. Since we’re talking about how to keep the human factor alive and well, to the extent that it’s possible, team leaders and meetings facilitators should connect with each team member in private dialog to learn what is appealing or not appealing in team communications. 

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

In the same way that some people are outgoing while some are more reserved, we must acknowledge that some co-workers will find online meetings to be more productive while others will see them as a hinderance. Kurt is a guy who absolutely loves online meetings, because although he’s required to attend, he has little need to give input. From Kurt’s perspective, the majority of his meetings serve as status updates for him. While working remotely he can attend online meetings while getting other work done – something that would be socially unacceptable in a face-to-face meeting. 

Therefore, Kurt likes having online meetings because he can boost his productivity. 

On the other hand, Theresa is a huge people person who finds online meetings to be less productive. As mentioned above, Theresa is the type of person who makes connections with people one-on-one in the halls before and after meetings, sharing useful information and brainstorming ideas away from those who tend to take over a meeting. 

Theresa sees online meetings as inhibiting her productivity. 

All told, no magic method exists that pleases everyone. To keep the human factor alive in our technology-filled workplaces, managers and leaders need to pay close attention and identify what’s working well versus what’s not. Also, it’s not a one-and-done proposition. Collecting regular feedback allows leaders and meeting facilitators to keep the gears of communication running smoothly. 

The human experience is both precious and unique. Let’s not let it atrophy.  

Daniel Bobinski, who has a doctorate in theology, is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or 208-375-7606.