Tips to Connect and Stay Connected with Your Co-Workers

Finnegan Pierson

Today, more people than ever before are working remotely. Even though remote work has been increasing steadily over the past five years, in 2020, there was a surge of people staying home to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This surge of people returning home to work has created several challenges for workforces across the country and the world. One of the biggest challenges is keeping everyone connected and ensuring good communication.

While some apps like KOGT provide tips on helping workers remain connected, you may need some other tips to help with this effort. Keep reading for some effective ways to help ensure team members remain connected and engaged.

Repurpose Commute Time

Now that more people are working remotely, they can roll out of bed and get to work. However, rather than completely ignoring commute time, put some thought into how this can be repurposed. A good idea is to schedule “coffee” with a new team member at this time. Take this half-hour or hour to catch up via a text chat, video call, or phone call. You can encourage team members to sign up for these “coffee talks” with one another and create a rotation through the entire office. By doing this, you can learn from unique perspectives, access social time, and even regain many of the spontaneous conversations that are often lost in the remote working realm.

It is possible to reimagine the commute time after work, too. After all, there is no risk of drinking and driving since no one has to drive. Schedule a cocktail and catch up on some office gossip; this is great for building those former relationships.  

Use the Pomodoro Technique

There are plenty of time management techniques out there. It is smart to pick one of these and keep the workday somewhat structured, especially when working remotely. You can even try to use these time management techniques with a coworker, which will help you hold one another accountable.

One example would be the Pomodoro Technique. With this, you set a timer for 25 minutes. During this time, you work. After the timer dings, take a break with your friend. This will be completely guilt-free since you worked for a solid 25 minutes.

Use Video Regularly 

While this may seem obvious, tons of people are still defaulting to using conference calls just because they don’t like being on video. However, skipping the video at this point is not an option. Especially when there is typically no communication going on in person. Many nonverbal cues are being lost when you default to Slack and phone calls exclusively.

For example, if you were still working in the office, your coworker would see your friendly face when approaching you for a conversation. The solution to not having this type of in-person interaction is video catting. Make sure to have these regularly and ensure that video is a mandatory feature for all your team members.

Improv Meetings

With video chats and calls being the new “norm,” everyone may have up multiple tabs simultaneously. Now is the time to figure out how to make meetings with remote workers much more engaging. This may take some time and effort, but it is well worth it in the long run.

Creating a Smart Communication Plan in the Post-COVID Workplace

Even with COVID cases trending down, many workers are remaining at home. Because of this, it is up to employers to find ways to ensure quality communication now and in the future. The tips and tactics found here offer a good starting point for this.

When it comes to communication, don’t sit back and just hope things work out. Instead, put time and effort into finding ways to promote good communication among all members of your team. This is going to pay off and lead to higher levels of productivity in the long run. Keep this in mind for your remote working employees.