With Spring 2021 here, many Americans with pre-existing health conditions who are not priority employees are still keeping out of public due to the Coronavirus. Other workplaces that have moved offsite continue to work away from centers where risk cannot be minimized. With many states rolling out vaccines and with varying degrees of popularity, work-from-home or WFH options will continue for many throughout this year.
With employees offsite for health concerns, some camaraderie is lost because they cannot physically bond in shared workspaces. Some employees enjoy working with others and thrive in that environment. Others who are more introverted might prefer working at home. Whether an employee is introverted or extroverted, management, business owners, team leads, as well as supervisors can still maintain fun work zones and promote team activities. While not all these suggestions are applicable, here are some for casual workplaces where employee bonding and trust-building are important.
Ways You Can Design a Fun WFH Culture
Play camera person with active speaker
Many teachers using Zoom began learning how to connect with their students remotely and under sudden time constraints. If you speak to teachers about how they used Zoom since quarantine began, then you will find a wealth of great tips. One tip for meetings and normal, long discussions and presentations would be to use Zoom and the active speaker button. Then, the camera focuses upon the person speaking and changes the screens automatically to the next speaker. It also gives the effect of having an invisible camera person filming the participants and will make your meetings more interesting.
Go on a home tour to get-to-know coworkers
Another tip from the public about what to do when working from home and making friends is to show people where you live if you are comfortable with that. Do you have a home office? Hobbies unique to you like a custom kitchen? A collection of books, records, or movies? You could take your camera and show people. Things like showcasing your home or what’s around you have become popular with people over the years as more people date long distance or move from their families. By sharing things digitally, you can build new and old relationships.
Remember to use a headset and proper equipment
Have you been watching the court and/ or Congressional hearings in the news, or even the news itself with people who are in a WFH setup? Sometimes, when people are being interviewed they have feedback or connectivity issues. Before you interact with coworkers online or from home, test out your connections and make sure you don’t have reverb. It’s still a job, so tackle the aspect of performance review that’s easily fixed with troubleshooting.
Set up your meetings ahead of time in software calendars and use reminders
Do you know how to schedule meetings and invite people in Google or Outlook to join? Part of running an office from far away is going to involve enforcing timeliness and schedules. You should learn how to invite people in Google or Outlook because then their computer or phone should tell them about the appointment and notify them.
Avoid nonprofessional activities like substances, improper attire, and lock your doors
You might be in the comfort of your own home and feeling comfortable is important. The temptation from working at home is there to be overly casual. Know you have a cold brew resting in your fridge? Have family or friends hanging out? Make sure to lock your doors and establish firm boundaries for what’s important on the clock. You will want to avoid doing things on camera that could get you fired.
Personalize your workplace
This is the most important tip for WFH because it is within your control. If you are in a WFH setup, try maintaining (at a minimum) a clean work environment and, if you have the time and personality, develop a WFH desk or office space. When you surround yourself with accessories and home decor to make yourself feel comfortable, you will have confidence and be open to relating to your coworkers.
Contact us today for more information and tips!