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An average day in the workplace is likely to be peppered with dozens of social interactions. In fact, you really don't need to try too hard to build relationships with your colleagues because you’ll bump into each other in the kitchen or cafeteria, work together closely on projects, and go for the occasional beer after work.
Of course, things are a little different at the moment. Last month, 62% of Americans worked from home due to the coronavirus crisis, a figure that has doubled since mid-March. In manufacturing facilities, two colleagues who may previously have worked side-by-side will now have to maintain social distancing, which greatly cuts down on their opportunity to socialize.
This means it’s necessary for remote workers to find new and creative ways to connect and maintain meaningful relationships with their colleagues. But first, let’s dig into why workplace relationships are so important.
Why Are Workplace Relationships so Vital?
Fostering positive relationships with colleagues can have an enormous impact on both your mental and physical health. The Society for Human Resource Management’s Employee Job Satisfaction and Employee Report revealed that developing meaningful relationships is the number one contributor to employee engagement, with 77% of respondents listing this as a priority. Morale, job satisfaction, retention rates, and output all improve when employees feel connected to one another. When employees have supportive teammates who can step in to help with tricky assignments and provide advice and guidance, their workload is also reduced.
A recent report from Buffer and AngelList found that 20% of remote workers struggle with loneliness, which means it’s all the more important that employees benefit from the camaraderie of their colleagues during this time.
5 Ways to Maintain Meaningful Colleague Relationships During Remote Work
1. Be Available
Like so many others, you’re likely juggling an intensified family life alongside full-time work, and are probably enjoying the added flexibility remote working brings. While it’s acceptable to be spending some of your usual working hours home-schooling or indulging in long, head-clearing walks, you still need to be available to your colleagues.
Communication is key here. No one expects you to be at your desk from 9 to 5 every day, but your teammates would benefit from seeing your schedule so they know when they can get in touch. Don’t allow yourself to slip completely off-grid – if you’re stepping away from your emails for a couple of hours, let your teammates know.
2. Be Sociable
Office chatter tends to happen fairly organically in the workplace but, while working remotely, you’ll need to put in some effort to make it happen.
If you’re not accustomed to video conferencing, you might slip into a routine where these meetings become stilted and formal. To avoid this, try allocating some time at the beginning of each meeting to have a quick, informal catch-up with your colleague(s).
For video conferences with large groups of attendees, it’s much harder to facilitate a natural group conversation. Instead, organizers could kick-off the meeting by asking everyone to answer a fun, ice-breaker question. This could be something as simple as “what’s your favorite animal and why?”
Schedule some one-to-one meetings with your teammates such as a virtual lunch or coffee date. These will provide an opportunity to engage in more meaningful conversations.
3. Be Visible
If at all possible, opt for video conferencing over audio calls. It’s far more collaborative and you’re much more likely to engage with your colleagues when you can interpret their facial expressions and body language. You will also be less inclined to be distracted and attempt multitasking when you know everyone can see what you’re up to.
4. Be Fun
This is the perfect time to get creative and come up with some remote team building ideas. Think about the activities you would normally do in the workplace and try to translate them into a virtual environment. Some possibilities include:
- Virtual birthday celebrations – ask everyone to bring a celebratory treat along to the meeting.
- Team quiz – each attendee writes a different round.
- Virtual happy hours (a virtual version of after-work beers).
- Early morning yoga sessions.
- Morning and afternoon coffee breaks – give team members the option to duck in and out of these social meetings scheduled at set times each day.
- Teach your co-workers a new skill every day.
- Weekly award ceremony – for example, an award could be given to the person with the best Zoom background.
- Bring your children or pets to the (remote) workday.
5. Be Thoughtful
Everyone’s experience with the coronavirus pandemic is unique, and you might not be aware of your teammates’ individual struggles. Be mindful that people have lost loved ones, are caring for sick relatives, or might be especially vulnerable to the virus. At this time, more than 73% of Americans are feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge for up to two days per week. If you think someone could be struggling, reach out and offer to help. They might benefit from having someone to speak to or being able to share some of their workloads.
It’s almost impossible to avoid coronavirus news and many people will be keen to talk about what’s going on. But for those who are already struggling in one way or another, this could make things even harder. Use your common sense and be sensitive; don’t allow every meeting to descend into coronavirus debate or analysis and, if you sense someone isn’t engaging, change the subject.
Image Credit: Vadym Pastukh / Shutterstock
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