Ensure everyone is aligned

The argument

A survey conducted globally in November 2019 reflected that 42% CEOs worldwide considered regular communication with employees essential in harnessing productivity — a judgement formed about ordinary office conditions, before distributed working became the norm. What has changed since only raises the stakes attached to it. However, especially with the present prolonged condition of work from home can make one feel isolated and lonesome. Moreover, without one's colleagues to keep checking in with, an individual can soon find himself out of step with the rest of the team: in an office, alignment is maintained incidentally, through overheard conversations and questions asked in passing, and none of that happens by accident at a distance. Communication breaking down in this way can prove to be detrimental not just for the individual in question, but for the team and ultimately the company itself, since work carried out on outdated assumptions has to be done again. To prevent such a situation, remaining in constant and scheduled contact with one's colleagues is essential — scheduled, because contact that depends on someone remembering to initiate it is the first thing to lapse when everyone is busy. Staying connected through text messages, e-mails and calls ensures a smoother working process and eliminates the possibilities of any misunderstandings, since a question asked early costs a minute where an assumption left unchecked can cost a week. Video calls with the entire team, not only helps people to remain in contact with others, thus ensuring sanity to prevail, but also helps to boost morale. It also creates an office-like environment providing a feeling of normalcy which can be comforting in the present situation.

Premises

Counter-arguments

At such a time when almost the entire world is banking on the internet to help them keep their life on track, communication with colleagues through mediums such as video calling may prove to be a cumbersome task on account of certain network connectivity issues. Thus, establishing a video calling link does not just take up valuable time, but it also does not guarantee effective communication because of disturbances, static noises and lack of resources. Another drawback to online communication is increased screen time. Spending a dedicated number of hours working on an electronic device already has certain harmful ramifications for the body, particularly the eyes. Adding work meetings through video calling increases the visual fatigue experienced by an individual, causing them to develop headaches and feel overly tired.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] A survey conducted in November 2019 predates the shift to remote work entirely, so it records what executives thought about communication in offices. It is also a survey of opinion rather than a measurement of productivity, and 42% is a minority of those asked. [Rejecting P2] Isolation and drift are both real risks, but the premise treats them as one problem when they are not: loneliness is a wellbeing issue and falling out of step is a coordination one, and they call for different remedies at different frequencies. [Rejecting P3] "Constant and scheduled contact" runs two things together. Scheduling contact is what prevents drift; making it constant is what produces the meeting load and screen fatigue the counter-argument describes. Because the argument never says how much communication is enough, it cannot support the conclusion that more of it keeps a team aligned.