With the unprecedented changes COVID-19 has brought to the world, it’s old news that millions of people have made the transition to remote work over the past few weeks. Social distancing has caused Americans and people all over the world to abandon their desks and hunker down in their homes.
If you’re one of those people, you’ve likely set up your devices, picked your new desk-away-from-work, and started moving on your tasks. One day passes, and another, and a third. All seems fine, until one day your coworkers’ faces in the corner of your screen aren't enough to make you feel like you’re still part of the workplace. Did you know that the second-most reported challenge of remote work was loneliness? Digital discussions cannot replace face-to-face interaction and put us at risk of depleting company culture.
So, how can we revive company culture and boost morale when we are rooms, buildings, and maybe even states apart? If you’re lucky enough to have an office manager dedicated to culture, this may be easier said than done. After some brainstorming and collaboration across our own team, here are some of the best ways we’re initiating discussion and interaction.
Utilize Slack for Open-Ended Conversations
Talia and 11 others joined #wfhdistractions
The votes start pouring in and “several people typing” appears at the bottom of your screen. Slack is arguably the backbone of both in-office and remote work communications. The platform fosters discussion and creativity and offers an open-door policy style of communication. There’s the option for various channels with dedicated themes, private messaging, and much more.
One useful tip to help capitalize on remote work is to create dedicated channels for different elements of interaction. A “Daily Poll” could offer a siloed space for a quick break to answer some fun questions but can be easily muted and ignored when heads-down on a big assignment. Keyword: muted. Slack also offers the option to disconnect from any non-essential communication, something that cannot be as easily done physically in an office.
Slack conversations can be kept fairly simple. Maybe you ask your team channel to share a fun fact about themselves. This allows for engagement between coworkers, but also a way to get to know one another better. It’s no surprise that some people prefer to communicate behind a screen rather than face-to-face. Use this to boost interaction and foster employee relationships.
Face-Timing In Place of Face Time
Kite Hill has invited you to join a meeting
You’ve been working from home for a week now. How many times have you asked your work best friend to get on the phone with you, just to get some face time? Or to show off each other’s incredible views and adorable pets? While Zoom is an extremely helpful tool that is utilized each and every day by people all over the world, it doesn’t have to be strictly for client communications.
Try hosting a water-cooler conversation session with your coworkers. Utilize the time to decompress, to brainstorm, to share some audible, authentic laughs. We’re no longer able to congregate at the kitchen island for light-hearted conversations, so it’s vital to still get that verbal interaction in any form.
Don’t Forget to Stretch
Screens down, arms up
Have you gotten up and walked around during the day yet? Have you gone outside to get some fresh air? It’s puzzling to think we sometimes forget the basic need for movement even when we aren’t glued to our desks. Remember that midday coffee run you normally take with your seatmate? Now, it’s time to do it on your own, even if it’s turned into a walk around the block.
One of the best things you can do for your employees is to invite everyone to take a few minutes and get up, walk away from their screens and just stretch. This can be critical to productivity and motivation levels. This is another place to utilize Zoom - get everyone on camera, standing up and stretching away their mid-morning stress.
Don’t let a computer screen separate you from your employees and coworkers. Make those digital connections and use the technology available to you at your fingertips to ensure morale stays high and your employees stay safe.
- Talia Firenze, Account Associate