Tap Into The Power Of Proximity
Do employees need to be in the office or not? This is not an article discussing the pros and cons of the new workplace reality. The hybrid-work world is still a work in progress. But since most companies still have people working in the office some of the time, it creates an opportunity for those employees to tap into the “value of proximity”—the benefits received from being near co-workers. Whether it is standing in the elevator together, walking past each other in the hallway, passing someone at their desk, waiting to grab a drink at the coffee place downstairs, or even hanging out at the water cooler these are all proximity moments.
What are we doing during those moments? On our phones? Probably.
Shepa Learning’s weekly Positive Networking® tip, The hallway “hi” has more power than ever, suggests we have an opportunity to tap into those moments:
The hybrid work world requires leaders and managers to operate in more intentional ways when employees are in the office. It necessitates more ‘walk abouts’ and more random conversations. And employees, in particular younger employees, should understand the power of those in-person interactions with senior colleagues.
Yes, senior leadership needs to step up, but younger employees may have to step out of their comfort zone and engage with those more senior, or colleagues they don’t know well.
What leaders and managers can do to tap into proximity
Introduce yourself if you haven’t engaged with that employee before. Show your interest in them.
- Talk to people in the elevator, at the coffee machine, and water cooler. Be the one to start the conversations.
- Make eye contact and say hi to a person passing you in the hallway. Smile.
- Put down your phone when you are around others in the office.
- Encourage all senior executives and managers to ‘de-cocoon’ themselves. Set expectations of more walk abouts and fewer senior leadership huddles in your more public spaces. Go to boardrooms or offices for those.
- Learn people’s names.
- Ask people how they are doing? How was their weekend? And share something about your weekend, unless you were playing polo with Prince Harry. Try another story that is more relatable.
- Ask them about their role if you don’t know them well. If you know them, get their insight on things happening in the company. People appreciate being heard and you might just get your ‘Big Mac’ idea. (The Big Mac was not invented in the McDonald’s test-kitchen, a franchisee came up with it. Glad someone in management listened!)
What junior employees can do to gain value from proximity
Exactly the same things, because it turns out that not all managers and leaders have these people skills. So be bold and engage them!
Please share this blog post with others
If you think others in your office would like this article, why not forward it to them? It’s a nice way to start some new best practices for better engagement.
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Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson
Image at top: from pexels.com/cottonbro studio
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