Remote working tools for online collaboration

The Neuroscience of Work in
a Remote Environment

Introduction
We cannot deny that COVID has transformed work permanently. A lifetime of change has
been forced upon every individual, and every organization, within the span of two years.
Digital transformation is no longer just a buzz word; it is a requirement for survival!
The objective of this article is to help you understand the impact of remote work on stress and
how it contributes to attention deficit disorders. It will also outline some simple strategies,
that can help both leaders and employees of organizations, to mitigate these factors. In
addition, I want to educate you on the ways emerging technologies can be harnessed to
dramatically improved engagement in a remote meeting environment.
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The New Normal
▪ Here is some hard data to consider. Within the span of two years, remote work has
transformed every type of business in the world. Before COVID, only 5% of
employees worked from home for an average of three days a week. A very small
segment of the population was truly remote full-time. As of April 2020, 37% of the
workforce is fully remote. More and more organizations are allowing employees to
move to a permanent remote full-time job. A recent survey of US workers revealed
that 54% would leave their current job for a remote work option.
▪ However, there are a lot of drawbacks to this approach. Anxiety and stress, as well
as feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness are also on the rise. Another
recent survey revealed that 46% of workers in the UK experienced loneliness while
working from home.
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Pandemic Versus
Syndemic
There is a term that epidemiologists use to describe the current situation. It is not just a
pandemic, but it is a Syndemic. A syndemic is a confluence of pandemics that disrupt the
fabric of everyday life. As an example, the COVID syndemic is not just the viral pandemic
but it is also a pandemic of job losses, mental health issues and other socio-economic factors.
Within the span of two years, not only have we witnessed millions of people losing their
lives, four out of ten people in the United States have reported significant loss of income and
job losses. In addition, there is a mental health pandemic where tens of millions of people are
struggling with anxiety, stress, insomnia and even depression.
One of the most profound impacts of this syndemic is related to loneliness. Either due to our
lockdown separation from family and friends or due to detachment from remote workers, this
loneliness impacts every business and employee.
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Challenges with
WFH
Yes, there are many benefits that can be attributed to remote work. But a lot of us are
forgetting the challenges. Lack of boundaries, inability to focus, the procrastination and the
anxiety of missing something or standing out for the next promotion. Physics says that for
every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Meaning there are a lot of reactions that
we are not considering.
Remote work is based on our ability to video conference. Due to the pandemic, most video
conferencing platforms saw a dramatic rise in utilization with an increase of over 250% from
the previous year alone.
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Digital
Environments
▪ “The possibility that digital
environments are inherently more
distracting with scrolling and other
aspects of the digital
experiences taking away cues and
critical cognitive processing
capacity from the task of
comprehending the material.”
▪ This means that how we interact and
learn using digital data is different
and less effective than the old way
of doing things. We have a harder
time focusing and we must spend
more effort to concentrate and not
get distracted.
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Understanding
Executive Function
To really understand learning, we really must
dive into executive function and how our brain
processes information. Our brain breaks down
information and processes it on many different
levels. Here is a high-level flow chart that
describes this process
First, we must help our audiences focus and pay
attention. They need to shift their attention to
the information being presented. Next, we need
to convince their brains to expend effort so
processing of information can occur. Emotion
is critical to help reinforce the importance of
the information being presented.
Getting our audiences to not only focus but
expend effort and emotionally connect with our
presentations during an online sales meeting
can be a tough challenge!
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Make People Feel Like They
Are in the Same Room
At the end of the day, people want to connect with other people, and they want to be part of
a conversation. Every remote meeting platform does the exact opposite. If you can increase
the interaction and engagement in your next remote meeting, you will see dramatic
improvements. Try out Reactiv SUITE for free and see how it can transform your remote
interactions.
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Reactiv SUITE to power your online meetings
Reactiv SUITE is designed to solve the problem
of low engagement in meetings. Pin your camera
and elevate your presence. Put your audience on a
secondary monitor and elevate their presence.
Show content and as easily as if they were paper.
Write, ink, highlight, underline and markup
documents to focus your audience’s attention.
Deliver impactful presentations that create long
lasting memories and build trust.
Discover how Reactiv SUITE can help make
your meetings memorable with a Free Trail.
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Thanks!
You can contact us @
Website: https://vizetto.com/
Phone: 905-766-0068
Address: 6470 Viscount Rd.,
Mississauga, Ontario,
Canada L4V 1H3
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