As the coronavirus outbreak deepens, more and more companies are having employees work from home. That means many of us—including those of us at Pioneer—have had our workplaces turned inside-out and upside-down.
Rather than meet in person, we now meet in “virtual spaces.” Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee with a co-worker, we now sip alone. And rather than leaning on our normal work routines, we search for new rhythms that jibe with the reality of staying at home.
Without question, these disruptions can ratchet up our stress level and leave us feeling disconnected from our teammates and our work.
Still, all is not lost: With a little ingenuity, we can help each other navigate these new virtual workplaces.
Here at Pioneer, we’re trying out several ideas to keep our teams well-informed and well-connected while they’re working from home. We’re hoping these ideas can help your organization, too.
1. Check-in with your teams often.
Take time to see how your team members are doing. Ask how you can help; find out what they need. Be encouraging, be a sounding board, and above all, be transparent—in times of uncertainty, people want the truth.
2. Leverage virtual collaboration tools—they work.
At Pioneer, we use Google hangouts (with video ON) and Slack as our primary means for digital collaboration. In particular, we’re big fans of Slack, and we use it for all sorts of conversation: team updates, family pictures, funny stories, client successes, wellness tips, team recognition, and more.
If your company doesn’t have a standard tool for video chat yet, give FaceTime, Zoom, or even Houseparty a try. Check out the recent team dance party we had in the headline picture above :)
3. Bring people inside your new office space.
At your next virtual meeting, introduce your family to the team. Or give them a quick tour of your home office, even if it’s only a chair and a laptop. It's downright comforting (and sometimes even amusing) to see how we’re all managing the new norm.
Recently, we did an activity where everyone had to “show and tell” one thing in their home. It was a blast to see makeshift offices, adorable kids, high-spirited pets, and even a grade school photo (can you say mullet, please?).
4. Remember: Self-care is good for sanity.
During high-stress times, you need to take care of yourself, too. So go for a walk. Do an at-home workout. Or take a quick afternoon nap.
Once again, we use Slack to share tips on well-being. If you were to scroll through our channel, you’d see advice on conducting a killer home workout, eating delicious and well, and getting the most from our health benefits. You’d even find us recommending books, movies, and binge-watches to each other.
5. Hold virtual coffee and happy hours. They’re almost as fun as the real thing.
Working at home doesn’t mean that you have to stop socializing with each other. We’ve discovered that holding a virtual coffee break or happy hour is a great option for those extroverts who thrive on social interaction.
Oh, and don’t forget to bring a glass of your favorite adult beverage to the party!
6. Don't lose the office humor.
Sure, the coronavirus outbreak may be unsettling, but sharing a laugh with each other can go a long way toward alleviating anxieties. Fortunately, we’ve found that office humor does well in a virtual space.
One of our team members posted the meme below and asked us what our "co-workers" (aka kids, pets, a spouse, or a friend) were doing. The responses were hilarious. My favorite was, "My co-worker won't stop jumping on the kitchen counter and licking the dishes in the sink."
A New Way of Working
At Pioneer, we believe these ideas (and more!) will help us get through the next several weeks or months—and blaze new trails for better ways of working that last far into the future.
We’d love to hear what’s working for you and your teams. Go ahead and share your stories below . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Nelson is the Director of the Change Practice at Pioneer Management Consulting, a business strategy, business operations, data analytics and organizational effectiveness management firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
