The stress, isolation and uncertainty of today’s remote work environment has waged a crushing blow on employee engagement.

Teams members feel disconnected from the mission, culture and camaraderie of their in-person workplace. How can managers bring people together amidst the realities of remote work, social distancing and blurred work-life boundaries?

The unvertainty that COVID-19 has brought to the business environment has made fostering employee engagement particularly challenging. The realities of remote work, social distancing and increasingly blurred work-life boundaries present hurdles that can hinder employee connection and communication.

Linda Dulye's workshop, Communication Essentials for Engaging Teams, earns accolades from American Society of Quality (ASQ) members. Here's what Ben Bonnell, Chair ASQ Berkshire Section, had to say: 

Finally. The weather has broken and I’m rowing again on the Berkshires' beautiful lakes. For me, rowing is more than physical challenge.

It also keeps me mentally agile. Moving in a direction that I’m not facing requires frequent head turns to scan for obstacles. No matter how well I know the lake and shoreline, there is a high degree of unpredictability in every row that comes from sharing the water with fishing boats, kayaks, SUPs, water skiers, buoys, swimmers, fog bursts and the occasional bald eagle. 

Here's a quick exercise that will enhance your summer vacation. Write down the names of your top 10 professional contacts. Now evaluate the diversity of your group by focusing on a few basics like job, industry and experience. Assess as well by age, gender and ethnicity.

What do you see? 

The much anticipated performance review. A workplace ritual. 

It’s one of my lingering memories from my days as a communications leader at General Electric. Back then (circa early 1990s), GE’s employee evaluation program was widely regarded as an industry gold standard for its depth, discipline, data and direct dialogues.

Surprise! Organizational structures are getting denser!

Managerial employment in the US workforce expanded by 90% between 1983 and 2014, according to research reported this month in the Harvard Business Review. Meanwhile, employment in other occupations increased less than 40% during that same period.