Many who started careers during the pandemic have never worked in the same space as their colleagues, and some workplace and management experts predict that missing out on office experiences so early in a career may hinder development of interpersonal office skills, according to an Aug. 21 Wall Street Journal report.
“The thing that most concerns me is mentoring," Adam Galinsky, an organizational behavior professor at Columbia Business School, told the publication. "A lot of lessons are absorbed casually in an office, but you can’t take any of that for granted in a virtual workplace."
Five things to know:
1. Workers who start a new job remotely may miss out on the "burst of socialization and organizational energy" that occurs during traditional, in-person orientations, Mr. Galinsky said.
2. To avoid the loss of professional development tied to the lack of in-person interactions, Mr. Galinsky recommended that managers overseeing young remote workers "go the extra mile" to create mentorship and teaching opportunities.
3. For example, Mr. Galinsky said he used to let doctoral students sit next to him while editing papers to observe how he worked. A virtual alternative to this is sharing your screen with new workers while you're doing a task so they can "look over your Zoom shoulder."
4. Create 10-15 minute debriefing sessions after company wide conference calls to chat with younger workers and explain dynamics they might have missed.
5. It may also be helpful to schedule occasional off-site meetings to weave social ties and interactions into the virtual office experience, Mr. Galinsky suggested.