Recently during one of our company’s monthly Townhall virtual meetings our Business Director suggested for us to share anything we wanted to with each other for the sake of chit chat. His suggestion was met with pin drop silence and crickets. It was definitely a hard hit for many of us as we were faced with the realization that we were slowly drifting apart. Being the tight, family oriented team we are, this revelation is scary.
Many of us relish the human connection. The water cooler sessions, face to face meetings, human collaborations, etc… The past two years has definitely shaped the way we interact with each other especially our colleagues. If you’ve ever heard of “being seen and not heard,” it’s the opposite for people working from home. You can bring your human to work even if you can't go into the office. How? By honoring relationships.
Recently I was on a work call with my boss and mid conversation he had to pause our meeting as his son needed something from the kitchen. He jokingly said as he was the closest to the kitchen it was his duty to help his son out. Two years ago when we started virtual work calls, this would have been a big faux pas but now, this is what we consider the norm. Say goodbye to our tidy office cubicles.
If you are one of the lucky ones that gets to work in the comfort of silence consider all of your colleagues, your boss, your team, and your clients as well your family and friends. These relationships are your biggest resources, and your most valuable asset right now. Keep connecting on a human level. Use virtual work meetings to check in on your colleagues. Exchange parenting ideas or recipes.
Just because we can’t have physical lunches together anymore doesn’t mean we still can’t do lunches. Take virtual lunch breaks together. Keep connected with your colleagues by scheduling a lunch date with your lunch buddies, or even your whole team, where you can enjoy a meal together. Use this time to catch up on each other’s lives or gossip about your favorite soap opera.
This pandemic has forced us to pause, slow down and rethink the way we work and communicate. In this new era, businesses will better listen and respond to their clients and team. What it really comes down to is that we are all trying to create the ultimate workplace from home.
