Allwork.Space
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Find A Flexible Office Here
  • All Topics
    • Business
    • Biophilic Design
    • Career Growth
    • Coliving
    • Collaboration
    • Coworking
    • CRE
    • DE&I
    • Digital Nomads
    • Future of Work
    • Home Office
    • Human Resources (HR)
    • Hybrid Work
    • Investment
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Mental Health
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Office Furniture
    • Productivity
    • PropTech
    • Remote Work
    • Self-care
    • SMBs
    • Social Impact
    • Space-as-a-Service
    • Technology
    • Virtual Office
    • Work-life Balance
    • Workforce
    • Workplace Design
    • Workplace Wellness
  • News
  • Business
    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    Adaptable Hybrid Work Approach Crucial for Employee Retention

    Adaptable Hybrid Work Approach Crucial for Employee Retention

    10 Changes Your Organization Must Make To Succeed This Year

    10 Changes Your Organization Must Make To Succeed This Year

    Do Pay Transparency Laws Actually Matter

    Do Pay Transparency Laws Actually Matter?

    Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hybrid Work Models and Office Reintegration

    Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hybrid Work Models and Office Reintegration

    Establish An Effective Hybrid Work Environment In 6 Steps

    Establish An Effective Hybrid Work Environment In 6 Steps

    IWG Selling The Crown Jewels? You Would Think So Judging By The Asking Price

    IWG Selling The Crown Jewels? You Would Think So Judging By The Asking Price

    The Million-Dollar Mistake Businesses In California Cannot Afford To Make: Compliance Deadline Approaching!

    The Million Dollar-Mistake Businesses In California Cannot Afford To Make: Compliance Deadline Approaching!

    How Africa’s Economy will Harness Digital Tech in the Future of Work

    How Africa’s Economy will Harness Digital Tech in the Future of Work

  • Work-life
    Astonishing Deficit in Hybrid Work Protocol Confirmed by Recent Studies

    Astonishing Deficit in Hybrid Work Protocol Confirmed by Recent Studies

    Driving Sustainable Change: Advice for Facilities Managers

    Driving Sustainable Change: Advice for Facilities Managers

    How To Strengthen Your Workforce: Cultivate Growth Opportunities For Women

    How To Strengthen Your Workforce: Cultivate Growth Opportunities For Women

    Build The Best Work Playlist: 8 Songs To Avoid And 10 To Blast

    Build The Best Work Playlist: 8 Songs To Avoid And 10 To Blast

    Escape The Lingering Cold In These 7 Countries Perfect For Remote Work

    Escape The Lingering Cold In These 7 Countries Perfect For Remote Work

    Say Goodbye Comfy Pants – 9 in 10 Companies Planning RTO This Year

    Say Goodbye Comfy Pants – 9 in 10 Companies Planning RTO This Year

    Remote Work Is Just E-Commerce Déjà Vu All Over Again

    Remote Work Is Just E-Commerce Déjà Vu All Over Again

    Four Days Is Enough

    Four Days Is Enough

    The CDC’s Vision For The Future Of Worker Health

    The CDC’s Vision For The Future Of Worker Health

  • Tech
    What Every Business Needs to Know About Managed Development Services

    What Every Business Needs to Know About Managed Development Services

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    Using IoT Tech Is Crucial For Office Planning And Employee Health

    Using IoT Tech Is Crucial For Office Planning And Employee Health

    Paving the Way for the Future of the Workplace With the Metaverse

    Paving the Way for the Future of the Workplace With the Metaverse

    What You Need To Know About Web3 And Finding Great Developers

    What You Need To Know About Web3 And Finding Great Developers

    The Price Of Remote Work? Your Privacy

    The Price Of Remote Work? Your Privacy

    Should You Put Your Job On AI-Pilot Mode?

    Should You Put Your Job On AI-Pilot Mode?

    3 Steps To Build A Three-Dimensional Hybrid Workplace

    3 Steps To Build A Three-Dimensional Hybrid Workplace

    PETER MISCOVICH

    Peter Miscovich JLL Global Future Of Work Leader | The Hybrid Workplace Evolution: Unlocking The Future Of Work

  • Design
    Redefining “Amenity” in the Workplace

    Redefining “Amenity” in the Workplace

    How to Design for Behavior To Create a New In-Person Working Environment

    How to Design for Behavior To Create a New In-Person Working Environment

    People-Driven Alternate Workspaces

    People-Driven Alternate Workspaces

    How Physical Spaces Shape Human Relationships and Emotional Well-Being

    How Physical Spaces Shape Human Relationships and Emotional Well-Being

    Resimercial Design Balances Comfort and Sustainability in the Office

    Resimercial Design Balances Comfort and Sustainability in the Office

    Sustainability, Well-being, and the Building Blocks of a Biophilic Workplace

    Sustainability, Well-being, and the Building Blocks of a Biophilic Workplace

    Repurposing Furniture Realizing the Environmental, Economic, and Design Benefits

    Repurposing Furniture: Realizing the Environmental, Economic, and Design Benefits

    Designing A Better Future For The Workplace

    Designing A Better Future For The Workplace

    How Healthy Is Your Building?

    How Healthy Is Your Building?

  • Workforce
    Hiring Internationally Doesn't Have To Make Payroll Complicated

    Hiring Internationally Doesn’t Have To Make Payroll Complicated

    Master the Art of Hosting Engaging Virtual Meetings

    Master the Art of Hosting Engaging Virtual Meetings

    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    5 Steps To Master The Hybrid Work Model

    Unmasking the Corporate Return-to-Work Fallacy A Genuine Approach to Junior Staff Development

    Unmasking the Corporate Return-to-Work Fallacy: A Genuine Approach to Junior Staff Development

    Diplomas and Dilemmas: How 2023 Graduates Can Navigate Job Market Chaos

    Diplomas and Dilemmas: How 2023 Graduates Can Navigate Job Market Chaos

    Want To Stop Employees From Walking Out The Door? Build Them A Career Ladder

    Want To Stop Employees From Walking Out The Door? Build Them A Career Ladder

    Unveiling the Hidden Potentials of Remote Work Productivity

    Unveiling the Hidden Potentials of Remote Work Productivity

    Side Hustles or Survival Jobs? Overemployment Spikes Among Remote Workers

    Side Hustles or Survival Jobs? Overemployment Spikes Among Remote Workers

    The Reality of Remote Work and Wellness

    The Reality of Remote Work and Wellness

  • Coworking
    Tech Check: 5 Signs Your Coworking Space Is Due For An Upgrade

    Tech Check: 5 Signs Your Coworking Space Is Due For An Upgrade

    Reaching Beyond The Desk: How Coworking Spaces Can Transform Communities

    Reaching Beyond The Desk: How Coworking Spaces Can Transform Communities

    All Good Work Partners with JLL To Support Nonprofit Organizations

    All Good Work Partners with JLL To Support Nonprofit Organizations

    We Told You So

    We Told You So

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    How the Rise of Four-Day Work Weeks Could Reshape the Coworking Industry

    How the Rise of Four-Day Work Weeks Could Reshape the Coworking Industry

    How Coworking Spaces Can Leverage Blockchain to Enhance Their Services

    How Coworking Spaces Can Leverage Blockchain to Enhance Their Services

    Want To Work At The Ritziest Coworking Office In The World? It’s Going To Cost You

    Want To Work At The Ritziest Coworking Office In The World? It’s Going To Cost You

    The Warehouse_ Where Coworking Meets Inspiration In The Heart Of New Orleans

    The Warehouse: Where Coworking Meets Inspiration In The Heart Of New Orleans

  • Marketing
    8 Reasons Why Sponsored Content Is Worth The Investment For Your Brand

    8 Reasons Why Sponsored Content Is Worth The Investment For Your Brand

    Instagram GenZ

    2023 Instagram Trends Reveal How To Market To Gen Z

    TrueView360 Interactive Virtual Tours

    TrueView360s Interactive Virtual Tours

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: Focus Marketing On Values and Customer Experience, Not The Product

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: Focus Marketing On Values and Customer Experience, Not The Product

    Want Your Coworking Newsletter to Actually Convert

    Want Your Coworking Newsletter to Actually Convert? Start by Keeping It Simple, Fun, and Consistent

    5 Pros Share How To Use Instagram To Grow Your Coworking Business

    5 Pros Share How To Use Instagram To Grow Your Coworking Business

    Want To Wow Coworking Members

    Want To “Wow” Coworking Members? It All Starts With (The Right) Insights

    6 Free, High-Quality Photo Sites To Level Up Your Marketing

    6 Free, High-Quality Photo Sites To Level Up Your Marketing

    The Creator Economy Is Dramatically Changing Marketing Practices, Here’s Why

    The Creator Economy Is Dramatically Changing Marketing Practices, Here’s Why

  • CRE
    75% Of Business Leaders Lack Data Needed For Crucial CRE Decisions

    75% Of Business Leaders Lack Data Needed For Crucial CRE Decisions

    Rapid Work Style Shifts Are Tanking Tax Revenues — Can City Planners Catch Up?

    Rapid Work Style Shifts Are Tanking Tax Revenues — Can City Planners Catch Up?

    San Francisco Skyline

    The Future of Commercial Real Estate in San Francisco Doesn’t Look Good

    3 Things CRE Players Must Do To Stay Relevant In 2023

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: 3 Things CRE Players Must Do To Stay Relevant In 2023

    The Office Space Sector Is Projected To See A Strong Fourth Quarter In 2022

    The Office Space Sector Is Projected To See A Strong Fourth Quarter In 2022

    Meet Flex Space More Chaotic Cousin Gray Spaces

    Meet Flex Space’s More Chaotic Cousin: Gray Spaces

    The Future Of Our Offices And Our Planet Hinges On The Real Estate Industry Priorities

    The Future Of Our Offices — And Our Planet — Hinges On The Real Estate Industry’s Priorities

    JLL New Future Of Work Survey The Next Few Years Are Crucial For Commercial Real Estate (2)

    JLL’s New Future Of Work Survey: The Next Few Years Are Crucial For Commercial Real Estate

    What Is The Impact Of Hybrid Working On Space Optimization

    What Is The Impact Of Hybrid Working On Space Optimization?

  • Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • More
    • Advertise With Us
    • Marketplace
    • Events
  • All Topics
    • Business
    • Biophilic Design
    • Career Growth
    • Coliving
    • Collaboration
    • Coworking
    • CRE
    • DE&I
    • Digital Nomads
    • Future of Work
    • Home Office
    • Human Resources (HR)
    • Hybrid Work
    • Investment
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Mental Health
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Office Furniture
    • Productivity
    • PropTech
    • Remote Work
    • Self-care
    • SMBs
    • Social Impact
    • Space-as-a-Service
    • Technology
    • Virtual Office
    • Work-life Balance
    • Workforce
    • Workplace Design
    • Workplace Wellness
  • News
  • Business
    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    Adaptable Hybrid Work Approach Crucial for Employee Retention

    Adaptable Hybrid Work Approach Crucial for Employee Retention

    10 Changes Your Organization Must Make To Succeed This Year

    10 Changes Your Organization Must Make To Succeed This Year

    Do Pay Transparency Laws Actually Matter

    Do Pay Transparency Laws Actually Matter?

    Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hybrid Work Models and Office Reintegration

    Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hybrid Work Models and Office Reintegration

    Establish An Effective Hybrid Work Environment In 6 Steps

    Establish An Effective Hybrid Work Environment In 6 Steps

    IWG Selling The Crown Jewels? You Would Think So Judging By The Asking Price

    IWG Selling The Crown Jewels? You Would Think So Judging By The Asking Price

    The Million-Dollar Mistake Businesses In California Cannot Afford To Make: Compliance Deadline Approaching!

    The Million Dollar-Mistake Businesses In California Cannot Afford To Make: Compliance Deadline Approaching!

    How Africa’s Economy will Harness Digital Tech in the Future of Work

    How Africa’s Economy will Harness Digital Tech in the Future of Work

  • Work-life
    Astonishing Deficit in Hybrid Work Protocol Confirmed by Recent Studies

    Astonishing Deficit in Hybrid Work Protocol Confirmed by Recent Studies

    Driving Sustainable Change: Advice for Facilities Managers

    Driving Sustainable Change: Advice for Facilities Managers

    How To Strengthen Your Workforce: Cultivate Growth Opportunities For Women

    How To Strengthen Your Workforce: Cultivate Growth Opportunities For Women

    Build The Best Work Playlist: 8 Songs To Avoid And 10 To Blast

    Build The Best Work Playlist: 8 Songs To Avoid And 10 To Blast

    Escape The Lingering Cold In These 7 Countries Perfect For Remote Work

    Escape The Lingering Cold In These 7 Countries Perfect For Remote Work

    Say Goodbye Comfy Pants – 9 in 10 Companies Planning RTO This Year

    Say Goodbye Comfy Pants – 9 in 10 Companies Planning RTO This Year

    Remote Work Is Just E-Commerce Déjà Vu All Over Again

    Remote Work Is Just E-Commerce Déjà Vu All Over Again

    Four Days Is Enough

    Four Days Is Enough

    The CDC’s Vision For The Future Of Worker Health

    The CDC’s Vision For The Future Of Worker Health

  • Tech
    What Every Business Needs to Know About Managed Development Services

    What Every Business Needs to Know About Managed Development Services

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    Using IoT Tech Is Crucial For Office Planning And Employee Health

    Using IoT Tech Is Crucial For Office Planning And Employee Health

    Paving the Way for the Future of the Workplace With the Metaverse

    Paving the Way for the Future of the Workplace With the Metaverse

    What You Need To Know About Web3 And Finding Great Developers

    What You Need To Know About Web3 And Finding Great Developers

    The Price Of Remote Work? Your Privacy

    The Price Of Remote Work? Your Privacy

    Should You Put Your Job On AI-Pilot Mode?

    Should You Put Your Job On AI-Pilot Mode?

    3 Steps To Build A Three-Dimensional Hybrid Workplace

    3 Steps To Build A Three-Dimensional Hybrid Workplace

    PETER MISCOVICH

    Peter Miscovich JLL Global Future Of Work Leader | The Hybrid Workplace Evolution: Unlocking The Future Of Work

  • Design
    Redefining “Amenity” in the Workplace

    Redefining “Amenity” in the Workplace

    How to Design for Behavior To Create a New In-Person Working Environment

    How to Design for Behavior To Create a New In-Person Working Environment

    People-Driven Alternate Workspaces

    People-Driven Alternate Workspaces

    How Physical Spaces Shape Human Relationships and Emotional Well-Being

    How Physical Spaces Shape Human Relationships and Emotional Well-Being

    Resimercial Design Balances Comfort and Sustainability in the Office

    Resimercial Design Balances Comfort and Sustainability in the Office

    Sustainability, Well-being, and the Building Blocks of a Biophilic Workplace

    Sustainability, Well-being, and the Building Blocks of a Biophilic Workplace

    Repurposing Furniture Realizing the Environmental, Economic, and Design Benefits

    Repurposing Furniture: Realizing the Environmental, Economic, and Design Benefits

    Designing A Better Future For The Workplace

    Designing A Better Future For The Workplace

    How Healthy Is Your Building?

    How Healthy Is Your Building?

  • Workforce
    Hiring Internationally Doesn't Have To Make Payroll Complicated

    Hiring Internationally Doesn’t Have To Make Payroll Complicated

    Master the Art of Hosting Engaging Virtual Meetings

    Master the Art of Hosting Engaging Virtual Meetings

    Adapt Or Die: Future-Proof Your Business With These Essential Tips

    5 Steps To Master The Hybrid Work Model

    Unmasking the Corporate Return-to-Work Fallacy A Genuine Approach to Junior Staff Development

    Unmasking the Corporate Return-to-Work Fallacy: A Genuine Approach to Junior Staff Development

    Diplomas and Dilemmas: How 2023 Graduates Can Navigate Job Market Chaos

    Diplomas and Dilemmas: How 2023 Graduates Can Navigate Job Market Chaos

    Want To Stop Employees From Walking Out The Door? Build Them A Career Ladder

    Want To Stop Employees From Walking Out The Door? Build Them A Career Ladder

    Unveiling the Hidden Potentials of Remote Work Productivity

    Unveiling the Hidden Potentials of Remote Work Productivity

    Side Hustles or Survival Jobs? Overemployment Spikes Among Remote Workers

    Side Hustles or Survival Jobs? Overemployment Spikes Among Remote Workers

    The Reality of Remote Work and Wellness

    The Reality of Remote Work and Wellness

  • Coworking
    Tech Check: 5 Signs Your Coworking Space Is Due For An Upgrade

    Tech Check: 5 Signs Your Coworking Space Is Due For An Upgrade

    Reaching Beyond The Desk: How Coworking Spaces Can Transform Communities

    Reaching Beyond The Desk: How Coworking Spaces Can Transform Communities

    All Good Work Partners with JLL To Support Nonprofit Organizations

    All Good Work Partners with JLL To Support Nonprofit Organizations

    We Told You So

    We Told You So

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    LiquidSpace and Kadence Team Up to Revolutionize Hybrid Work

    How the Rise of Four-Day Work Weeks Could Reshape the Coworking Industry

    How the Rise of Four-Day Work Weeks Could Reshape the Coworking Industry

    How Coworking Spaces Can Leverage Blockchain to Enhance Their Services

    How Coworking Spaces Can Leverage Blockchain to Enhance Their Services

    Want To Work At The Ritziest Coworking Office In The World? It’s Going To Cost You

    Want To Work At The Ritziest Coworking Office In The World? It’s Going To Cost You

    The Warehouse_ Where Coworking Meets Inspiration In The Heart Of New Orleans

    The Warehouse: Where Coworking Meets Inspiration In The Heart Of New Orleans

  • Marketing
    8 Reasons Why Sponsored Content Is Worth The Investment For Your Brand

    8 Reasons Why Sponsored Content Is Worth The Investment For Your Brand

    Instagram GenZ

    2023 Instagram Trends Reveal How To Market To Gen Z

    TrueView360 Interactive Virtual Tours

    TrueView360s Interactive Virtual Tours

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: Focus Marketing On Values and Customer Experience, Not The Product

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: Focus Marketing On Values and Customer Experience, Not The Product

    Want Your Coworking Newsletter to Actually Convert

    Want Your Coworking Newsletter to Actually Convert? Start by Keeping It Simple, Fun, and Consistent

    5 Pros Share How To Use Instagram To Grow Your Coworking Business

    5 Pros Share How To Use Instagram To Grow Your Coworking Business

    Want To Wow Coworking Members

    Want To “Wow” Coworking Members? It All Starts With (The Right) Insights

    6 Free, High-Quality Photo Sites To Level Up Your Marketing

    6 Free, High-Quality Photo Sites To Level Up Your Marketing

    The Creator Economy Is Dramatically Changing Marketing Practices, Here’s Why

    The Creator Economy Is Dramatically Changing Marketing Practices, Here’s Why

  • CRE
    75% Of Business Leaders Lack Data Needed For Crucial CRE Decisions

    75% Of Business Leaders Lack Data Needed For Crucial CRE Decisions

    Rapid Work Style Shifts Are Tanking Tax Revenues — Can City Planners Catch Up?

    Rapid Work Style Shifts Are Tanking Tax Revenues — Can City Planners Catch Up?

    San Francisco Skyline

    The Future of Commercial Real Estate in San Francisco Doesn’t Look Good

    3 Things CRE Players Must Do To Stay Relevant In 2023

    2023 Future Of Work Forecast: 3 Things CRE Players Must Do To Stay Relevant In 2023

    The Office Space Sector Is Projected To See A Strong Fourth Quarter In 2022

    The Office Space Sector Is Projected To See A Strong Fourth Quarter In 2022

    Meet Flex Space More Chaotic Cousin Gray Spaces

    Meet Flex Space’s More Chaotic Cousin: Gray Spaces

    The Future Of Our Offices And Our Planet Hinges On The Real Estate Industry Priorities

    The Future Of Our Offices — And Our Planet — Hinges On The Real Estate Industry’s Priorities

    JLL New Future Of Work Survey The Next Few Years Are Crucial For Commercial Real Estate (2)

    JLL’s New Future Of Work Survey: The Next Few Years Are Crucial For Commercial Real Estate

    What Is The Impact Of Hybrid Working On Space Optimization

    What Is The Impact Of Hybrid Working On Space Optimization?

  • Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • More
    • Advertise With Us
    • Marketplace
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
Allwork.Space
Subscribe
Home FUTURE OF WORK Podcast

Laïla Von Alvensleben of MURAL | The Future of Work Is Remote: Why Mental Health and Communication Are Key to Keep Teams Happy and Engaged

byJo Meunier
March 19, 2020
in Flexible Work, FUTURE OF WORK Podcast, Technology
Reading Time: 14 mins read
A A
AVO FOWP Sponsorship Leaderboard
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare to Network
Play21 min

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Laïla von Alvensleben, remote work coach and head of culture & collaboration at MURAL, discusses the importance of visual communication and mental health to ensure remote team success.

GUEST

Laïla Von Alvensleben

LinkedIn
Twitter
Website

Transcript

Ceci [00:00:17] Hi, everyone and thank you for tuning in to the Allwork.Space Future of Work Podcast. Remember, you can also tune in on Allwork.Space, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio and Podbean. My name is Ceci Amador and with me here today is Laila von Alvensleben, who is the head of culture and collaboration at MURAL, where she manages a distributed team of 130 people across multiple continents and time zones. She’s a champion for the remote first approach to collaboration, empowering MURAL’s rapidly growing team to successfully work from anywhere. Laila, welcome. 

Laila [00:00:58] Hi, Ceci. Thank you so much for having me today. 

Ceci [00:01:02] Our pleasure. Just to let our listeners know what we’re going to be talking about today, we’ll be focusing on remote work, some of the benefits, some of the challenges, which I’m sure you’re very familiar with. So before we dive into our remote work, could you tell us a little bit about MURAL and what you guys do and how it helps empower remote teams? 

Laila [00:01:24] Sure. MURA is a digital whiteboard for those who don’t know what that could look like: just imagine a physical whiteboard but on your screen where everybody can collaborate at the same time or different times adding virtual sticky notes or drawing or images. So it’s a tool that helps people collaborate visually no matter where they are. And essentially, you know, we’re really helping a lot of remote teams work together. But it’s not just meant for remote teams. 

Ceci [00:01:53] So remote teams and collaboration; it can be hard in my experience, particularly when new team members jump on board. So I want to talk to you a little bit about some of the main challenges associated with remote teams, managing them and how tools like MURAL can help collaboration, productivity levels and kind of just bring everyone together, even though everyone’s spread over around the world. 

Laila [00:02:20] Yeah, I think, you know, we tend to think about remote teams as teams that essentially are using tools, let’s say from email and video conference tools like Skype or Zoom. We tend to think of them as just using like a few tools or many tools to communicate a lot. But we don’t think about communication as being something very visual as well. So in that sense, what I’ve realized even before I joined the company is that it’s such an important aspect of working together, to have that visual connection so that we can all be on the same page. And, you know, once  you’re elevating the way that you collaborate in that way, it makes everything much easier, whether you’re a manager or not. It’s just a completely different way of working. 

Ceci [00:03:15] I agree entirely that the visual element of communication is really important, particularly in remote settings. So, for example, for me, I’ve kind of become a fanatic of using emojis and gifs. Not necessarily on a whiteboard like MURAL, but because I feel like sometimes, even if you’re saying no in a really nice way, like, hey, have you checked this out? 

No. 

It’s just very short and I don’t know. So I’m usually like, no, smiley face or no, but I’ll check it out. So it becomes very much important to and to add that element, because I feel it kind of makes the tone easier for others to understand and can prevent a lot of misunderstandings and communication issues. 

Laila [00:04:04] Yeah, absolutely. And I think that there’s a lot of these kinds of soft skills that one has to learn when they do start working with a distributed team, regardless of whether you’re a freelancer or a contractor or a full time employee. These are things that are very different than when we’re co-located in the same office. And of course, you know, people are using emojis in everyday communication, even if it’s, you know, using WhatsApp with your family. But when it comes to a work setting, especially when you don’t see your colleagues so often or at all, you want to also show a bit of your personality. You want that to shine through. And being visual is just one of the many ways that you can do it. 

Ceci [00:04:45] I completely agree. 

And then one of the things that I know that you’re a champion on is mental health in regards to remote workers. 

Laila [00:04:57] Yeah, I think I mean, I take mental health very, very seriously on a personal level as well. You know, and I think having experienced moments of isolation and loneliness myself, I get what it’s like to to be so detached from everyone. So some of the other problems that remote work can can cause to other people who aren’t, you know, used to working remotely, but even if you’re used to it, you kind of have to learn how to deal with things like increased levels of anxiety, maybe even have a short attention span because you’re dealing with so many digital inputs all the time coming at you from all all sides were there it’s your phone, or your  computer screen. 

So it’s hard to deal with all that. Also, it’s hard to know how to communicate to the rest of your team how you’re feeling, because when you step into an office and you’re feeling a bit under the weather, people will be able to tell. And when you’re not, that’s where the hard part comes in. So I have worked with creating, for example: now you have a lot more of these Bots. But a few years ago, when I was working before MURAL, I created a Bot with my team that was basically.. Sorry – a Bot is – for those who are listening and may not be familiar with it, it’s like a robot in Slack, Slack the communication application. And it’s basically an automated character avatar asking you, you know, how you’re doing maybe on a scale of 1 to 5 or you can, you know, put a smiley face or an angry face or a sad face. And that was really important for us, for our team and even at MURAL to use to really get a sense of how people are feeling. When you can’t see them every day. 

Ceci [00:06:45] I’m definitely taking note of that, because, I agree that sometimes it’s impossible for those you work with remotely to know whether you’re feeling down or angry or frustrated and I don’t know. Sometimes I wake up and I’m just like, blah, you know, like I don’t feel like working. I don’t feel like doing anything in particular. And I know personally it took me a while to get used to working remotely after switching from an office environment. 

And then my enemy is Netflix. I work from home because I’m more of a home kind of gal to work rather than the coffee shop or a coworking space. And if I sit down on the couch throughout the day, it’s granted that I’m going to end up on Netflix for some reason. Like I know I have a lot to do. I’m very stressed and very anxious. And then it’s so overwhelming that the only thing that works is just like, oh, I’ll just watch an episode of Friends. 

And I found blogs very useful, like understanding that I work better at 5:00 a.m. than I do at 11:00 a.m. And I think that’s part of the process that I’ve gone through. But if I had known at least that it’s okay for me to work at those hours and not feel guilty about it, it might have been easier for me to get used to that because I used to spend the entire day from 6:00 a.m. up until like 10 p.m. connected to the computer. So I felt like I was procrastinating a lot, so I felt like I needed to make up for that time. 

And by now, I know that if I’m dealing with a lot of stress from things I have to do, I need to wake up at 5:00 a.m. And by 10:00 a.m., I’ll probably be done with half of the stuff that I had to do. 

But what are some other strategies that people can leverage in and implement to kind of keep their mental health in check while working from home, isolated and dealing with this kind of guilt that comes from, I don’t know, maybe taking a longer lunch break or going to the gym at, 10a.m. versus 6 p.m. when the workday is technically over. 

Laila [00:08:54] Something about what you said. I think if there’s nothing wrong with watching Netflix, if there’s a little bit of self-discipline, I would say if that helps you take your mind off of things. But I think that there’s a lot of other benefits that remote work brings to people’s. First of all, you know, having a schedule that is flexible. Usually when somebody works in a distributed team, you do have some flexibility so you can go to the gym. When it’s not a peak hour and basically have it almost all to yourself, but within the team. 

So in the online environment of your team, there’s a lot of strategies that can be put into play. So, for example, at MURAL we use check-ins. You know, I’ve worked across a customer experience team to the people operations team to the product team. And I’ve seen people use check-ins to really gage how everyone is doing. And checking can be something as simple as how are you feeling today? What are you going to work on and do you have any blockers? And if you do have any blockers, even if you’re tired, you can say that. And then people will be aware of your state of mind that day and they’ll also be able to support you and maybe unblock you on some of the projects that you feel overwhelmed by. We’re also using feedback sessions with a team. So I really believe that by being vulnerable and transparent in how we feel and how well we consider each other, I don’t call them weaknesses, but maybe some blind spots that people have. We can build trust across a team, which in turn will lead to better team collaboration. 

So, for example, last week I did a feedback session with the People Operations team and we started out by defining the guidelines of what good feedback looks like and what is ineffective feedback. And that kind of sets the tone for the team saying, okay, this is what we’re doing today and these are my previous experiences of good and bad feedback. And then we move on to a kind of reflection session where people take some time. I set out some questions, very simple ones so they can give feedback to each other and all these all these kinds of methods. I would say it is also a great way to have that human connection with your team. And you don’t necessarily have to leave your computer to stop working. But you can also do things with your teams that are not necessarily project related so that you can bond and build that trust over time. 

Ceci [00:11:22] Great. Thank you. And you’re talking about feedback. And I think it’s great how you’re establishing kind of like guidelines of what works and what doesn’t. Because I know at least over the past few years, there’s been this trend of kind of criticizing yearly performance reviews where people were not getting enough feedback or feedback that they didn’t know how to internalize it and implement. And so one of the other things regarding feedback that I know you’ve talked about in the past is the importance of one on one meetings, check-ins, either for feedback or just to kind of see where people are and how people are doing. What are some suggestions of how often this should be and some topics that should be addressed individually during one on one check-ins. 

Laila [00:12:17] Yeah. So based on my research, also other distributed teams, I think MURAL kind of follows the same best practice, which is to have a weekly one on one with your manager. This can be 30 minutes long or an hour long. I really think it depends on also how big your team is and how many people are reporting to you as a manager. But I think a weekly one on one to discuss, you know, how you’re getting on with your projects, how you’re feeling at the company, where you see yourself going in your career, what kind of initiatives you like to see at the company. What you’d like to see from leadership. These are all the kinds of topics that you can bring up in a one on one. And it doesn’t have to be a performance review every time. We do have performance reviews at MURAL and self-assessments and those tend to be quarterly, but then weekly one on ones are a little bit more casual in that sense. 

Ceci [00:13:13] Perfect. I want to touch on remote work and the future of work. Do you see more people working remotely in the future of work? Do you think the remote workforce will be made up more of full time employees? Do you think it’ll be more balanced between contractors and freelancers? How do you see remote work playing out in the future? 

Laila [00:13:36] Well, I think if you’d have asked me a month ago, I would have replied differently. But this is such a relevant time and it’s unfortunate that it takes a global pandemic to create an understanding of what remote work can look like. That being said, you know, I think today as I speak, I’m in a country where I’m locked down, basically, and I can’t travel. And I believe that’s the case for many people right now and many people are forced to work from home. So at this point in time, I would say I mean, I was already convinced that remote work was going to be extremely relevant in the future and it’s going to be crucial because it’s really the only way that businesses can continue to thrive right now. 

And so we’ve seen a huge, unprecedented demand for anything that is related to remote work in the past weeks. And then regarding whether, you know, there’s going to be a workforce that has made up more of freelancers or part time employees, I think a lot of people have been talking about the trend of the gig economy and how we’ll have more and more people doing jobs on demand for short periods of time. I think that’s going to continue growing as well. And it’ll be interesting to see how this crisis is going to influence that. Although right now I think that the focus is more on how can anybody anywhere be able to collaborate virtually with their teams and with their customers. 

Ceci [00:15:12] It’s unfortunate the situation that brought on remote work so massively right now. But I think a lot of businesses that we’re a little bit more reluctant to try it out, will see that remote working is an effective tool and it can be amazing for all those involved. And then since you touched on the outbreak, the pandemic, I want to touch back again on mental health. 

Laila: Yes. 

Ceci:I know during times like these, even if people are working remotely, even if they’re used to working remotely, it can be hard to remain focused on the tasks at hand. I mean, I personally find myself checking the news every 15 minutes, which is something I usually never do. And so then and I feel this kind of like anxiousness all over, like there’s tension all over. And so I think that it’s important, again, for organizations to tell employees, to remind them that their mental health is important as well, and that they need to keep it in check and take the necessary breaks. They need to kind of deal with situations like this and in other situations, anything that might be affecting them personally, which, of course, affects people professionally and in their performance. 

Laila [00:16:30] No, that’s absolutely true, and I think I think a couple of things, I think the media has a huge responsibility also in not creating this this sense of panic, because I’m also checking the news all the time and I see how different media channels share the news in different ways. And then some do it in a way that creates less fear than others.

 But then coming to companies and mental health, one thing I really admired from the CEO at MURAL is that he’s so he’s been posting these almost daily video calls in our team Slack and he always starts out with reminding us to be healthy, reminding us to to get what we need to be comfortable at home, whether that’s food, whether that’s something else to eat, healthy, to take the time to maybe meditate or stretch or do yoga and find find some way to feel good. And I really appreciate that. You know, he brings us to the forefront, because if we are going to have people who are not feeling well, this is going to be worse for them and for the rest of the company. 

And also, you know, for I’m not a parent myself, though, for all the parents out there, we’re starting a bit of a learning experiment at Muro. We’re going to try and provide some homeschooling for all the children who are staying with parents, because we can… I can only try to imagine what it’s like to be a parent at home with kids at home with you. And although a lot of schools are providing learning experiences, we’re going to try to use our own tool with the help of external instructors and tutors to provide different hours of learning to children of different ages. And we’ll see how that works out. But I think that’s also going to give us incredible support to the people who are stressed out at home. 

Ceci [00:18:25] I think that’s an amazing initiative. And I’m not a parent myself either, but I can definitely imagine how hard remote working for parents with kids at home is, especially when kids can’t go out to kind of, you know, just like letting some energy out can be very complicated. So I think that’s an amazing, amazing initiative. And I wanted to ask you if you have anything else that you’d like to add. 

Laila [00:18:52] Yeah. Well, you know, there’s mental health internally. But I think regarding the virus, we’re also providing a lot of support for not just our customers, but just anybody who’s out there working from home. So we’ve got a couple of things. We started introducing a 90 days free trial for anybody who’s signing up to use MURAL for the first time. We also created a series of webinars called Suddenly Remote. This is really for teams who need to learn how to collaborate remotely, really fast. We continue to offer MURAL for free for any educational organization or for consultants. 

We have a MURAL consultant network where consultants can get MURAL for free and then use it with their clients or try to promote events and resources that our partners are creating. We have a remote work resources page and we’ve also put together a remote work resiliency plan. So anybody who wants to distribute this kind of knowledge to the rest of their team and help improve the remote work culture can do so. So it’s we who take the situation very seriously and we’re not we’re not trying to impose anything on anyone. I think there’s a lot of people out there. You know, I go on LinkedIn and Twitter every day now, and my whole feed is about people providing support for remote work. And I’m very glad that MURAL is doing the same. 

Ceci [00:20:17] Awesome. Thank you so much. 

Just to recap what we talked about, basically remote work is definitely a part of the future of work, particularly now through the circumstances. It seems like remote work is now as opposed to in the future, and the importance of providing regular feedback to remote employees. The importance of visual collaboration kind of like to help bring people together and to ensure that there’s no misunderstandings and to just to keep ideas rolling. And then mental health; at the end of the day, whether you work remotely, whether you work in the office, it’s important. It’s what keeps us sane. And in order for us to do our best, we need to mentally feel at our best. So thank you again, Laila, for joining us. 

[00:21:09] Thank you, Ceci. It’s been really great to share all of this with you about remote work. And I hope that more and more people will understand that remote work actually works. 

 

Tags: CollaborationTechnology
Jo Meunier

Jo Meunier

Jo is Allwork.Space's Senior Editor for the UK and Europe. Jo has worked within business centre and coworking circles since 2009, researching and contributing written features for numerous industry publications. She reports on the latest market news and delves into local issues with one main objective: to champion the flexible workspace industry and its members.

No Result
View All Result

How will work change in 2023?

Subscribe today to know what's changing tomorrow.

* indicates required
100% FREE. You can unsubscribe or manage your preferences at any time.

Latest News

Pennsylvania Considers Incentives for 4-day Workweek

Pennsylvania Considers Incentives for 4-day Workweek

June 2, 2023
NYC Mayor’s Policy Reversal Opens Doors to Remote Workers

NYC Mayor’s Policy Reversal Opens Doors to Remote Workers

June 2, 2023
Unemployment Rate Increases Despite Job Growth

Unemployment Rate Increases Despite Job Growth

June 2, 2023
Amazon's RTO Mandate Sparks Employee Protest

Amazon’s RTO Mandate Sparks Employee Protest

June 1, 2023
Embrace AI or Be Left Behind Nvidia CEO Tells Graduates

Embrace AI or Be Left Behind Nvidia CEO Tells Graduates

June 1, 2023
Remote Work Deals Devastating $506B Blow To Office Property Values

Remote Work Deals Devastating $506B Blow To Office Property Values

June 1, 2023

News and Features

Business

Tech

Marketing

Design

Work-life

CRE

Coworking

Workforce

Daily Digest

Podcast

Resources

Marketplace

Events

Press Releases

FlexSpace, Coworking
and Office Space

Los Angeles

New York

Chicago

Washington, D.C.

Houston

Dallas

Miami

San Francisco

Atlanta

Philadelphia

Seattle

Austin

Company

About Us

Submit to Allwork.Space

Contact

Advertise

FlexSpace

Terms Of Use

FlexSpace FAQs

Privacy Policy

Connect with Allwork.Space

Twitter

Linkedin

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

©2023 Allwork.Space  l  Exploring the FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Topics
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Business
    • CRE
    • Marketing
  • Experts
    • Podcast
    • Opinions
  • Resources
    • Research + Reports
    • Marketplace
    • Find Office Space
    • Find Remote Jobs
    • Press
  • Events
  • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Submit to Allwork.Space
    • Contact
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00