As the next generation of public servants enters the workforce, it is more important than ever to revise outdated communication norms to meet modern-day challenges and teach young professionals the basic necessities of effective workplace communication. Aspects like clarity and intentionality are fundamental to a strong work environment. At the same time, COVID-19 has exposed some of the struggles and benefits of organizations working online.

Communication at all levels of an organization must be clear and intentional. Whether making a report for a supervisor or asking a colleague for information on a project, having clear, positive, and friendly communication can build rapport in an organization. Building relationships from small, informal interactions can go a long way towards building trust and cohesion as a team. These different interactions and forms of communication must be intentional and can be used by managers to create healthy workplace environments. Careful attention should be paid to how tone, word choice, and delivery style come across. From my experiences in municipal internships, dialogues and conversations are much better than lectures, monologues, and other one-way communication styles.

COVID-19 has changed the way people network and communicate informally. More online meetings have affected informal, personal, and in-person conversations that are critical to workplace dynamics and positive morale. As I enter the local government workforce, I expect communication to be relatively similar to how it was pre-COVID. Most cities in Texas remained open throughout the last year. Since city services like public safety and infrastructure improvements are essential, most local government employees continued to work on-site since the pandemic started. However, local networking events are seen as crucial to many TCMA members. These events being online have allowed for opportunities to meet people across Texas. Though interconnectivity has its positive elements, I hope it remains limited in the future. They are important to team communication and establishing strong teamwork dynamics.

There are ways to capitalize on and improve upon the use of online interconnectivity in the workplace. Young, innovative professionals should lead the way in using creative and interactive meeting styles. Many older public servants are simply not used to online meeting platforms, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. With this, it can be demotivating to have technical frustrations with these platforms. There is an opportunity for technologically adept public servants to utilize new technology in interactive ways. For example, using interactive meeting methods like text chats, live polling, Q&A functions, and having people engage in presentations, are ways to increase citizen and older workforce engagement. The increase in public feedback and boosted morale from innovative public meetings would definitely be worth the initiative, especially if online meetings are here to stay.