How do you show someone you are the one in charge? Many times, we communicate important things about our relationships through the use of space. Unfortunately, space, or what we academics refer to as proxemics, is one thing that is absolutely missing from the virtual workplace.

Space is one of those signifiers that clearly communicates status, power, and even intimacy. Think about walking into the big corner office with the big windows or sitting across a big desk, talking to your boss. No words have to be said for us to know who is in charge.

We need to be aware of the communication tools we lose when we manage online. When it comes to power and influence, research suggests that online communication reduces the perception of status differences. That can be a good thing. Sometimes. But sometimes we need to activate our power to persuade or communicate the seriousness of a situation.

One of the ways to compensate for the loss of space and status signifiers is to reconsider how we motivate people. For instance, instead of using socially constructed status differences to persuade, we may need to rely more on the influence that comes from interpersonal trust; support and respect may work better than a corner office and a fancy title.

In real life, we use space to communicate important relational information. Status isn’t the same in the virtual workplace. It is just one more communication tool that needs to be revamped as we become more effective in the online workplace.