You’re probably working from home right now; and you’ve probably been working from home for most of the past year! This has been the way for a lot of businesses across the world – all due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plenty of organisations have actually found that working from home works really well for them, with many employees citing better productivity, easier morning routines, and more time with their families as just some of the reasons WFH is preferable. However, there is one pretty large downside to working from home, which is the social aspect.
Just as many employees consider the socialisation you get when going into the office just as important as the advantages of remote working. So, what are some of the ways in which you can boost social interactions with your remote colleagues? TechQuarters are a managed services provider based in London. They provide managed IT services London based companies have been using to go remote during the pandemic. “We’ve been helping companies go remote for many years, in fact” says TechQuarters, “and we definitely know how important it is to keep that social interaction up when you’re all working from home.”
Company Quizzes
Sometimes it’s necessary to bring everyone together to socialise, and there’s few better ways to do that than a quiz!
Quizzes proved to be very popular during the pandemic. It’s a great way to get together with your friends regularly, taking turns planning questions, with a healthy dose of competition! “At TechQuarters, we have a company-wide video meeting every week,” says TechQuarters, “and often we host a quiz with a prize for the top 3 contestants.” Quizzes are also a great way to keep you and your colleagues’ brains sharp throughout the day. “We include an eclectic mix of questions. Some of it is company based, such as info and stats on our IT support in London. But there’s also pop culture questions, geography questions, science questions!”
Coffee Breaks
Since the dawn of the modern office, coffee breaks have been an integral part of the office culture! Many friendships have been made in those small interactions, and it may have resulted in you talking to someone you don’t spend as much time with. “We really encourage our employees to socialise with people from different departments,” says TechQuarters, “especially when you’re working from home. You’re only going to be communicating with people in your department, or who you are in a project with.” Scheduling digital coffee breaks, where you video chat with someone in the company you don’t normally interact with can be a fun way to have a 5-minute break from work and hopefully some interesting conversation.
Digital Breakfasts
It’s important to remember that it’s not always about work! Having a long morning can be a refreshing start to the workday, as is having a different meal to your usual routine. “At TechQuarters, we’ve done digital breakfasts where we all make, or order, something fancy to eat,” says TechQuarters, “and we have a video meeting to have a chat, see what everyone’s chosen to eat, see which breakfast we think is the best!”
So, does a digital breakfast sound like your kind of thing? Or perhaps you’re more of a quizmaster! It’s so important to find creative ways to bring your company together when adopting remote working. “Our teams work hard to deliver the award-winning IT support London requires, and we’re always looking for ways to make this new way of working fun and varied.” Says TechQuarters. Hopefully these suggestions work for some, or even inspire them to make new social traditions for their company!