Permission to be Social

In a traditional office setting, it's normal to get off the elevator and chat up someone walking down the hall. You stop and talk on your way to the restroom, in the break room while refilling your beverage, etc. Heck, people may walk to your desk just to say hi.

At home, people don't walk to my desk to say hi. If they did, you'd probably freak out.

Most people wouldn't pause to even notice if you were having a casual chat in your cubicle. However, being social in a virtual environment leaves a bigger paper trail for others to follow. This lead may lead to a raised eyebrow.

In a less supportive environment, someone may notice how often you post to your social media site or they may see your IM trail and notice random, not-so-work-related chats with coworkers. This may lead to questions such as "How much work is that person really doing?" or "If so-and-so has time to post, they have time to work."

Hey, guess what, people - Being social IS working. Feeling connected to your coworkers and company is critical to your engagement. None of us are robots, we need work to be about more than just the bottom line. Our social community and connections help provide this environment. If you wasn't being social, you'd be doing less work. You'd be less connected to your place of employment. You may even be looking externally for a new, more supportive opportunity.

Creating a space where people feel it's OK to connect is vital. The technical gizmos help, but only if associates are empowered to use them. That's the reason you'll see my personal paper trail to be longer than some others. Not only do I need to personally connect with others, I need my team to know it's acceptable. Instead of providing lip service, I illustrate through doing. If I can take the time (and sometimes make the time - there's a difference!), then you can to. It's ok. Really. Try it.

I'd argue that there is no "too much" when it comes to social, as long as your people are getting their work done on time at the highest quality, adding value to customers, and delivering on their service promise.

Tips for creating social permissions space:

• Encourage social behavior through your words.
• Illustrate social behavior through your actions.
• Trust your people. Don't troll their social interactions.
• Applaud their engagement. If you happen to see social media posts, IMs, emails, etc. that illustrate their desire to be social, comment on them - either using the same social media or whatever avenue fits.
• Discuss social behavior on a personal level. Find out what mediums your associates like/dislike and any hangups they may have. Break down their barriers of entry.
• Try new things. What's the worst that can happen?
• Practice individually and together until social interactions in a virtual space become a natural course of daily life.
• Play! Social mediums have a lot of playful options. Smile... it's contagious.
• Allow social to be work and personal related. Talking to someone about a SQL query optimization is just as important to some as talking about their kids. Connections are personal, so allow the conversion to be so as well.
• Social isn't perfect. Don't fret so much over the meaning of your sentence or your typos. The message and interaction is more important. Plus, it shows that you human.

Permission space is key. Make it okay to be engaged by being social, and people will be more engaged in everything work related.