If you live or work in Orange County, you probably know by now that residents have been instructed to observe Safer-at-Home guidelines unless working for or operating an essential business. For those who have been forced to run their businesses remotely, it can be difficult to find ways for co-workers to stay social while isolated at home.
As humans, we crave contact and connection with other people, so relationships are crucial. When working from home, it’s important to maintain social connections as frequently as you can, whether it’s during the workday hours with co-workers and clients or after hours with friends and family. Since face-to-face interaction is limited, it’s forced many people and companies to get creative.
At KWSM, we recently interacted on our group webchat and shared different ways that we’ve been staying social while social distancing. Here are some ideas you can incorporate and share with your own business:
Hold a virtual happy hour
Our team gathers for a social happy hour time at the end of each workweek. We discuss weekend plans, share new movies we’ve seen, books we are reading, and work on puzzles together to unwind and transition into our Friday evening. Even though we currently work remotely, we still meet virtually every week to continue to build relationships between co-workers and maintain positive social interaction.
Make time before and after meetings to catch up
Our KWSM team members save extra time before or after a call to share how their day is going. Instead of moving from one meeting to the next, we reach out to see how others are doing, tell stories, and encourage each other along the way. Checking up on each other during internal calls and virtual meetings can help foster a sense of belonging and build self-worth, even when isolated at home.
Stay in touch throughout the day
Our go-to place beyond Blue Jeans and our KWSM Facebook group is Marco Polo. Marco Polo is a video messaging service mobile app. Team members at KWSM use Marco Polo to send words of encouragement, photos, and videos to keep each other in the loop. It’s a way to communicate in real-time with co-workers throughout the day and quickly bounce ideas and questions back and forth. You can download the app here.
Start a step challenge
KWSM’s “step into spring” challenge will start soon. During our step challenge, we split up into teams to see who can get the most steps by the end of the month. Even though we are practicing social distancing, there are still ways you can get a healthy amount of steps each day. Creating competition that promotes an active lifestyle can encourage co-workers to work together as a team and focus on their wellbeing while at home.
In the workplace, fostering a social environment supports mutual respect, trust, and belonging among peers.
Ready to be part of a dynamic, connected team? We want to work with people who are social and passionate about what they do.
CLICK HERE to learn more about joining the KWSM Team.
