For years, experts have waxed poetic on the virtues and pitfalls of different communication styles in the workplace, with a focus on how these play out—for the good, the bad, and the ugly—in meetings. And while many of the dynamics of in-person meetings have naturally carried over into the virtual world, some new habits have emerged that are making it harder for teams to stay productive and engaged during calls.

But before diving into this, let’s first take a look at the primary communication styles that dominate the workplace today to better understand the key drivers of those new habits.

The 4 main communications styles in the workplace

No two people are the same. So it’s only natural that how people communicate—whether verbally, non-verbally, or in written form—can vary quite a bit as well. Even so, it has been found that people typically fall into one of four primary workplace communication styles:

Passive communication style

These are the so-called “wallflowers” or quiet people on your team. They rarely speak up, don’t often take a strong stance on team-related issues, avoid confrontation at all costs, and do a poor job of openly expressing their needs or feelings. And most of all, they hate being put in the spotlight. People who exhibit poor eye contact and willingly go with the flow, whether or not it’s in their best interest, fall into this camp.

Aggressive communication style

These people embody a “bull in a china shop” mentality. They tend to have strong opinions, be set in their ways and views (to the point of ignoring other people’s perspectives), frequently interrupt when others are speaking, and can embody a reactionary or confrontational tone. Because these people are quite outspoken, they typically command a strong presence—but not always for the right reasons.

Passive-aggressive communication style

According to Indeed, “Passive-aggressive communicators appear passive on the surface but often have more aggressive motivations driving their actions…[and] can quietly manipulate a situation into one that benefits them.” They are akin to a wolf in sheep’s clothing who make others feel as though they are secretly trying to undermine everyone’s efforts. As you can imagine, this makes collaboration quite difficult.

Assertive communication style

In the workplace, the assertive communication style is the dream. These people know how to support their views and perspectives clearly, advocating for how to achieve their goals. Unlike other communication styles, they approach every situation in a polite and respectful manner. However, they are aware of their own limits and know when to say “no,” if that response is warranted, but not in an aggressive or confrontational way. As such, these people tend to be great collaborators who make others feel comfortable.

New communication behaviors emerging in today’s virtual world

Once the novelty of non-stop online meetings wore off, people soon realized that their devices could give them a “get out of jail free” card for exhibiting behaviors during meetings that would otherwise not be possible in an analog (aka, in-person) meeting environment.

Part of this includes what The Digital Workplace has identified 10 new communications styles—from the “over communicator” to the “emoji monarch”—that have become a common thread in today’s digital-first world. But there are a few more communication habits worth adding to that list that we’ve also seen crop up quite a bit as the world has worked remotely:

“Always On Mute”

Online conferencing apps make it really easy to know who’s on mute during a call. While some people do this to avoid noise and other distractions happening in the background from disrupting the call, there are others who use it as a protective shield—and an excuse for not actively participating in the discussion. Whether they are actually paying attention to what’s being said is anyone’s guess.

“Never On Camera”

Admittedly, we all have moments when we just don’t feel camera-ready or when our surrounding environment isn’t necessarily work-appropriate. The problem here is that when you can’t see others on a call, you have no idea whether or not they are engaged in the discussion. Much like the mute button, a blank screen is an easy way to show that you’re “present” without always really being present.

“Can You Repeat That?”

Even if you show your beautiful face on-screen and use your mute button sparingly, it doesn’t mean there aren’t about 100 other things distracting you from the conversation at hand. And there’s nothing worse than when, all of a sudden, you hear your name called out—but you didn’t actually hear the question. So, you coyly blame a “bad connection” and ask whoever asked the question to repeat themselves again.

Some people have accepted the reality that working from home is here to stay, so much that they don’t even bother trying to be presentable anymore. These are the bold ones who are unafraid to leave their camera on for everyone to see their various states of disarray, including hopping on the line with disheveled hair and “PJ chic” fashion. They remind us that “the show must go on” in spite of all the odds.

Managing the dynamics of different communication styles at the workplace can be tough. And these dynamics can be even more challenging to whip into shape when communicating primarily via a digital means. The key is understanding the new communication behaviors that have emerged in today’s virtual world. Once you understand these habits, you will be better prepared to help your team stay focused on the conversation at hand to create a more productive and effective online meeting experience.

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While work-related tension and fatigue is not new phenomenon, it has been amplified by the pandemic. In fact, a recent survey by The Hartford, a leading provider of employee benefits and absence management, found that 68 percent of female workers in the U.S. and 52 percent of male workers are experiencing burnout at work.

And because workplace burnout can significantly impact business growth, productivity, and retention, leaders can’t afford to ignore this growing problem. As a result, it is imperative to not only understand what causes burnout but to develop strategies to manage this issue.

Grasp the Signs and Causes of Burnout

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is emotional and physical exhaustion brought on by unmanaged chronic workplace stress. The mental signs include feelings of depression, sadness, frustration, apathy, helplessness, indifference, disassociation, exhaustion, and irritability. Physical signs include headache, fatigue, body aches, appetite changes, sleep problems, and gastrointestinal issues.

The common causes of burnout in the workplace include a lack of control over workload and schedule, as well as stressful office dynamics, unclear job expectations, chaos, lack of social support, long work hours, heavy workloads, and a lack of work-life balance.

Understand the Effects and Methods of Addressing Burnout

In addition to decreased productivity, the inability to make decisions, a loss of motivation, and increased absenteeism, employees who are experiencing burnout are more likely to look for a new job.

Moreover, according to The Hartford study, of the employees who are extremely likely to look for a new job, 55 percent say they “always feel burned out,” and 16 percent say they “often feel burned out.” The survey found that the top five factors inspiring employees to initiate a job search included:

• Better salary or wages: 74%
• Career growth/promotion: 44%
• Attractive benefits: 38%
• Flexible schedule: 38%
• Strong workplace culture: 38%

“The pandemic has changed the workplace – including the hiring landscape,” explains Jonathan Bennett, head of employee benefits at The Hartford. “The need for flexibility in the workplace has never been greater as the lines between work and home continue to be blurred amid the pandemic. Fostering an open, inclusive work environment that provides flexibility is an important step in addressing burnout and helping employees remain productive at work.”

Additionally, The Hartford’s study found that employees want their employers to address burnout by offering additional paid time off, a four-day workweek, remote work options, mental health days, and a lighter workload.

Reevaluate Employee Benefits and Perks

Because each organization is unique, it is vital to find the right benefits and perks for your employees. Collecting feedback via surveys, emails, and focus groups can help you figure out how to improve the workplace experience. Since the pandemic began, many companies have found it beneficial to adjust benefits to include virtual mental health support, casual dress codes, extra days off, and flex scheduling.

Encourage Work-Life Balance and Time Off

Time off and work-life balance are critical to well-being, productivity, and the bottom line. Consequently, it is important to take time off, which includes refraining from checking emails, voicemails, and messaging apps.

One of the most effective ways to encourage this behavior is to create a company culture that embraces this mindset. When leaders use their days off and completely unplug, they model this behavior for all employees and motivate direct reports to follow suit. The best thing you can do for your employees is to develop a workplace culture that supports the idea that having other priorities outside of the office is a positive and true necessity for everyone.

Promote a Positive Mental Health Culture

It is possible to reverse the effects of burnout through a strong mental health strategy. To achieve this, business leaders should consider the following:

• Develop ways to decrease overwhelming workloads
• Establish new workplace policies to create greater flexibility for employees
• Consistently promote your company’s Employee Assistance Program and beef up this program if necessary
• Encourage senior managers to talk to employees about the importance of mental health breaks and boundary setting
• Develop programs that offer exercise, meditation, and yoga at work
• Communicate the need to use all vacation time
• Create a culture that encourages open communication and understand the need to express concerns, feelings, and emotions

Revisit the Idea of the Traditional Workday

The traditional 9 to 5 workday is a thing of the past. Instead, many companies are moving to flexible schedules within core working hours. This ensures a set period of time where employees are available for meetings and collaboration sessions, but can develop their own schedule within this timeframe.

Reinventing the workday not only empowers employees to work when it suits them, but also makes employees feel independent and reduces stress. In fact, some companies are developing “no meeting days” or “no meeting afternoons” where employees can work without interruptions or distractions. In addition, this fosters a great deal of trust between managers and employees, which helps to increase productivity and engagement.

“Ownership of tasks and their outcomes–not clocked time–are what matter. The rest will work itself out,” explains Kevin Knopp, CEO of 908 Devices. “You can’t relegate individuals to stick to a 9-to-5 clock. The focus needs to be flipped. Individuals with a sense of task ownership get their job done more efficiently and work better with their teammates, while respecting their time constraints and being understanding of their team members.”

Combat Burnout via Key Capabilities

To understand burnout, meeting effectiveness, collaboration, and productivity, Dimensional Research, and Webex conducted a global survey of business leaders and employees. The study found that fatigue from video meetings and burnout levels have heavily increased since employees began working from their homes. In fact, of the survey respondents:

• 96 percent believe that specialized technology can help reduce burnout
• 88 percent feel that meeting-free days would help them be more productive

To decrease the growing feelings of burnout, respondents also suggested taking work breaks (52 percent) and changing their daily schedule to improve work-life balance (47 percent).

When asked specifically about tactics to improve collaboration, 97 percent believe that advanced collaboration features would make them feel more included in video meetings and could help boost meeting productivity.

And 49 percent of respondents believe they could enhance collaboration by removing distractions at home, which includes eradicating unwanted noise. In addition, 39 percent suggested adding more conferencing devices and digital whiteboards (32 percent) to their workspace.

With the pandemic continuing to drag on, it doesn’t look like the stress and uncertainty of COVID are going away any time soon. As a result, do not wait until it’s too late. Employee burnout is only getting worse—and it must be addressed today.

In the words of Suzie Finch, a recruitment and HR expert, and the founder of The Career Improvement Club, “Once an employee has lost the motivation, drive, and trust of their employer, it’s very hard to get it back.”

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