There’s no denying that the pandemic had an impact on the way we work. For us here at Forbes, that meant swapping out life at the office for working from home. While I’ve enjoyed having the flexibility to do so, there have also been challenges I’ve encountered while adjusting to this change. How do I connect with new team members? How do I separate being online from being offline? But most importantly, how can I reduce my back pain from working at the kitchen table?
I may not have the correct answers to these questions, but having worked more remotely than in person at this point in my career, I’ve learned a lot throughout the transition. Here are some action items that have helped me make WFH life that much easier.
For teams a little further away:
If your team is scattered, it may be a little more difficult to connect with them in a meaningful way outside of shared work meetings. Allow me to introduce… virtual events! A good virtual event can go a long way to bridge that gap.
Two of our weekly recurring events here at Forbes are the Digital Collab Table and Digital Gaming Hour. At the office, we had a large table where anyone was welcome to pull up a chair and sit with the group. It was effortless to do some work, collaborate with others, and socialize casually. Collab Table was created as a way to keep this part of our office culture alive in a virtual setting. Nowadays, it mainly serves as a way to keep various teams connected in an informal setting, with conversation topics covering everything from weekend plans to your most recent Netflix show obsession. Collab Table continues to keep its core values that make it so charming.
Similarly, the purpose behind Gaming Hour is to not only bring people together, but also provide a common activity to have fun with (and as an added bonus you get a break from work). Once a week, we boot up a Jackbox Game pack and get to competing. As much as I would like to say that I’m a professional at Trivia Murder Party because we’ve played so many times, I’d only be lying. Thankfully, my coworkers allow space for me to lose gracefully and also get to know them past just their work projects without scrambling for conversation topics. The jokes just write themselves while playing!
The key to making these types of events work is to provide an environment that is low-pressure and relaxed. Therefore, our meetings are never required to attend which allows for flexibility based on your personal workload and availability.
If you’re looking for a different way to connect with people, take a look at bots that do the prep work for you. We utilize a Slack plugin called Donut Bot that randomly matches members up every few weeks. It’s a manageable way to get to know others, as Donut Bot can also help schedule your meeting and provide conversation starters. Depending on who is in the channel, you may be able to have a coffee chat with your Chief Digital Officer (I’ve had candid conversations with ours in the past) or simply have an easy way to connect with a coworker who you didn’t know before.
Finally, for those meetings you already have, try having your camera on. For bigger meetings, this doesn’t have to always be the case as I definitely don’t always have my camera on. However, for smaller meetings I try to incorporate this as needed. It’s not only beneficial to look at people’s visual cues for feedback when I am speaking, but it also helps me feel more engaged with others and the conversation.
For teams in closer proximity:
If you are fortunate to have team members in the same general area, consider penciling in a few anchor days, or as my team likes to call them, “field trips”. What works for my team is a cadence of about once a month, just enough to remember that we are physical beings and not digital squares on Google Meet. Field trips can vary based on what is needed – it could be an in-office day (if you still have an office), taking some time for a team lunch, or a group activity such as a movie or an escape room.
Face to face communication comes with many benefits for not only work but also for morale. Messaging back and forth online may distort the meaning and intent behind words or stretch out the time it takes to come to a solution. Having time to talk in person makes it easy to quickly resolve matters with timeliness and permits for transparent conversation. Clearing the air and doing a fun activity can especially boost morale after more intense projects. What’s better for reducing stress than some buttery theater popcorn and an ice-cold soda?
For yourself:
It’s also important to listen to your own needs when it comes to remote working. Your work environment might not be amazing, especially if you don’t have the space to really upgrade your setup the way you’d like (looking at you NYC apartments). However, there are small steps I try to take when my kitchen table is just not cutting it. Coworking spaces or coffee shops allow me to change up my surroundings, they’re particularly of use when I’m in a rut. If I’m not feeling up to spending funds, a free alternative I like to use is the local library!
Working from home also comes with the challenge of being able to fully disconnect. Having an after-work routine can help in getting out of the grind mentality and into a more relaxed mindset. A simple task such as cleaning up my workspace lets my brain know it’s time to put away my job. I’ll even go out for a short walk if I really want to take it a step further (pun intended). What works for me may not for you, but what’s fundamental is to find a routine that can help you disengage from a busy workday.
Ultimately, you need to set yourself up for success when it comes to having a good remote working experience. It’s easy to disengage from others and your own necessities, especially as the culture surrounding jobs has changed in the past few years and even continues to evolve now. Keeping this in mind, the ideas listed in this article cover a various range of effort levels so choose the points that speak to you and fit with your work style. I hope that incorporating even one of these will create a more rewarding work environment. Personally, I am always looking for ways to keep my sanity while working from home so if anyone has ideas for reducing back pain, I’ll gladly take them.
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