Staying in Touch Whilst Working Remotely
It seems most of us have now settled into new working habits as remote options look to be sticking around.
A better work life balance and more flexibility has also enabled other change with individuals seeking out new working lifestyles such as those turning to location independence with the growing popularity of info at digitalnomads.world to help newcomers along.
There have been plenty of surveys and studies around this change, and isolation has been an increasing concern for those feeling out of touch with their friends and colleagues, so what’s the best way to stay in touch with business colleagues when meeting up in person may be a much rarer occasion?
Schedule some after work video catch-ups – One way to get together with some colleagues and friends is to schedule some after work calls – hopping on to Zoom or Teams with a drink and a snack is a great way to reconnect if meeting up in person isn’t a possibility and is something that many individuals have been doing in recent months to explore social excitement again too and can be a great way to bring the team back together too.
Schedule an out of work meet-up too – With big teams working from home and some businesses scaling back in office space or hardware acquisitions, some space in the budget may be freed up – reaching out to team leaders or HR and asking if there’s space in the budget can be another great way to bring the team back together and explore some social time together too – it may only be a once in a blue moon experience, but if it can be something scheduled in from time to time it may help to close the gap and feel more connected too.
Seek out alternative social events with workmates – With countries opening up and services becoming more easily available with restrictions being removed, it’s a perfect time to arrange a weekend trip here and there to tackle to gap – it’s still a tough one for some as it’s not always easy getting people scattered around to meet up, but those willing can make a great time too. Given this may be the future for many with remote work remaining permanently, coming up with solutions early will be the best way to keep the team connected and to enjoy more social activities too.
Other changes may be on the way with trials for four day working weeks and other flexibility measures, and it could lead to this gap and separation being more than before, so ensuring social options can stay on the table before more change is a great way to keep teams connected and build strong team bonds that may not be formed in the office any longer.