FOR THE LOVE OF LEADERSHIP ARCHIVE
Signaling being “active” at work 🙃
I was recently chatting with a group of friends when the conversation turned to something both fascinating and alarming:
How to signal being “active” on virtual work days 😬
Not being active - just signaling it.
As in, the tricks and tools people use to keep their online status “active” when they’re away from their computer.
Things like:
- “I’ve trained my kids to jiggle my mouse whenever they walk past my desk.”
- “I downloaded an app that keeps my status ‘active.’”
- “I go inactive every so often so it doesn’t look like I’m using a tool.”
I spend most of my time helping people navigate their workplace dynamics on a pretty macro level. But this gave me very micro-level insight into the impact of our culture and leadership.
It made me wonder: How much time and energy are we spending on optics instead of outcomes?
On things like:
😯 Moving my mouse just to prove I’m working, even if the actual work isn’t on the computer.
😯 Chiming into the Slack chat just so people know I’m there.
😯 Checking email every 5 minutes because we’ve set an expectation for immediate responses.
If we’re sticking with a virtual/hybrid environment, it’s time for a change.
Instead of thinking about, “How do I make it look like I’m working?”, I’d love to see the conversation shift to, “How do we create an environment of trust?”
When we have a culture of trust, we assume that everyone is managing their time professionally and responsibly; we rely on outcomes as the indicators of productivity; and we are confident that we can have conversations to hold people accountable if needed.
The need to always be available isn't always a leadership-driven problem.
When I first left the Army and started working fully remote in 2012, I took my phone everywhere, afraid my boss might think I was slacking off if she called and I wasn’t immediately available.
This was on me, not her.
I’ll never forget the day I called to see if it was OK to go for a walk and she said, “Laura - go for the walk and please stop calling to see if it’s OK.”
Regardless of where we learned to always look “on,” leadership is where we make the shift.
If you’re wondering if people on your team feel pressure to always appear “on,” try the following:
1️⃣ Take a quick inventory to identify the current state
2️⃣ Set clear expectations about response times, communication, and availability
3️⃣ Model it yourself so people trust it’s true
I’d love to see these “signaling strategies” become a thing of the past because seriously, what if we took all the mental energy we’re currently putting into signaling productivity into actually productive activities 🤯
And what if we felt so trusted and confident that we not only stopped giving time and mental energy to our “active” status, but also felt safe to take risks, make mistakes, have difficult conversations, or even just go for a walk?
Much love,
Laura
PS - When you’re ready, here are a couple of ways you can engage with my work:
- Join me in Wonder, a free monthly gathering where we explore challenges through the power of inquiry.
- Book a consult and let’s chat about how I could support you or your team.
Laura Buckley is a leadership consultant and facilitator helping leaders build cultures where people can thrive. Because when your team thrives, your organization does, too. With 15+ years of experience as an Army officer and dietitian, she brings expertise in team dynamics, behavioral change, and trust-building to drive real impact.
