Despite having top-notch office productivity tools, blazing fast connectivity and all of the comforts of home, office workers have missed one thing for more than a year: Physically being with each other. A recent survey from Seyfarth at Work found that 61% of those surveyed missed in-person and “grown-up” workplace conversations.
Employers might wonder why a Zoom meeting doesn’t engender the same feeling of camaraderie as an in-person one. Perhaps, it’s not the meeting itself that brings teams closer together, but rather, the incidental gatherings and subsequent conversations that spark when the meeting attendees see each other at random times during the day. Such spontaneity has been stripped from our extraordinarily scripted post-Covid work lives.
Working from home can be fraught with disruptions: kids, spouses, handymen, neighbors to name just a few – and don’t forget the dogs! To cope, the most efficient and productive remote workers have created tightly packed schedules of meetings and working sessions. Bumping into a colleague in the hall has been replaced by tripping over a toddler in the family room.
Even the most traditional employers with demanding interpersonal relationships have adapted to remote work, including credit unions. Some adopted a total work from home solution, while others created alternating in-office work schedules to keep building occupancy rates low, in order to adhere to social distancing rules.
Text Messaging can help fill the gaps in team building and collaboration both among colleagues and credit union members. For example, a manager might text her staff to get informal feedback after a departmental meeting. Soliciting such responses through a less formal channel can help build trust and rapport. Planning to reach out for a few minutes after every teleconference can foster trust and create a more personally rewarding work culture.
Credit Unions can also use Text Messaging to cultivate relationships with members. Personalized, relevant Text Messages bring your credit union top of mind to these members. Remember, Text Messaging can be used to educate members not only about credit union products, but also can disseminate information by linking to content regarding financial planning, saving, retirement, improving credit, etc. Credit Unions with informational blogs can use Text Messaging to drive readership while positioning themselves as thought leaders and trusted financial partners.
This time of mandated remote work has exposed workers to alternate methods of communication and relationship building. Text Messaging, a familiar tool for connecting people, can augment solutions such as teleconferencing to create a more inclusive work culture as well as to nurture professional relationships with clients or members. Learn more about Eltropy’s digital communication platforms.
