Admittedly, this whole social distancing thing is tough on everyone. Having a rather gregarious personality, I love face-to-face meetings with clients at Buddy Brew or sharing wins with my team during happy hour at Park & Rec. These get-togethers energize and connect me to the people I work with as well as to those we assist.
Unfortunately, the current pandemic situation has required us to work remotely as are so many of our clients. However, just because we’re distanced doesn’t mean we’re disconnected. The key right now, more than ever, is communication.
I don’t think it’s possible at this time to over-communicate. Communicate often and clearly. Communicate when you have doubts, questions, concerns, feedback, updates, wins or losses. The more you communicate the less anxiety your team will experience. Here at Marketing Direction, we’ve implemented quite a few ways to stay in touch with one another that you may find helpful.
Hooray for technology!
Thanks to some major advances in technology, we have access to an array of apps and systems that can bring us together, virtually speaking. Think about your office activities before the coronavirus hit and bring them back in an online setting.
For example, you can recreate the morning coffee break by setting up a video chatroom link that workers can join in the morning for a good old-fashioned watercooler chat. A few of our clients are doing this twice a day: at 8:00 a.m. and at 4:00 p.m. It’s small talk that only needs to last a few minutes but can help fight the feeling of isolation that can occur when working remotely for a long period of time.
Why not schedule a virtual happy hour?
It’s been proven that spending time on non-work activities with coworkers strengthens working relationships. An article on CNBC Make It references Brandon Jung who leads business partnerships at GitLab, an IT company. Since he is no longer able to meet business clients in person over meals and at conferences to pitch products and services, he’s turning to virtual happy hours to bridge the gap.
“I’ll say to [clients], Hey, I’ll make a margarita — do you want to sit down and chat about what you’re dealing with?” Jung says. While it’s not a permanent solution, he says it’s helped him stay connected with clients to discuss how GitLab can solve their business problems, particularly during a stressful time for all companies.
At Marketing Direction – before the pandemic – we scheduled an in-person ‘happiness hour’ every month. We try not to talk about work during these events. Using GoToMeeting, we now conduct a virtual happiness hour during which we reconnect and learn more about each other in a fun and safe environment. In fact, we’ve had more team members show up virtually than at the face-to-face gatherings. And, since Marketing Direction always picked up the tab previously, we now send team members a Publix gift card in advance so they can purchase the ingredients for their favorite libation or snack. So grab your glass of quarantini (or whatever your beverage of choice may be) and raise a toast to your team.
A great way to learn more about each team member/employee is with a ‘Question of the Month.’ Each month during our virtual team meetings, one of our team members is assigned to present a question to the group. Past questions include: What food do you not like and why? Who was your favorite band in high school? What was the first concert you went to? These questions give us so much more insight into the people we work with and create a bond that may not have been there before. Plus, it’s fun.
Keep everyone informed and involved by sending an internal news update. At Marketing Direction, we send out a regular ‘Insider’ e-newsletter to keep team members engaged and up-do-date.
A check in call or email from team leaders reassures team members that you are there for them. They may already know this but it’s nice to remind them especially now. A simple email with the subject line like ‘How are you doing?’ is one way to stay in touch during times of uncertainty. Don’t be afraid to make a phone call either. The more interaction co-workers receive from you the more valuable they will feel and the more productive they will be.
Send small gifts to your team members to brighten their day and remind them they are not alone. We recently sent a sweet treat for our Marketing Direction team from Toffee to Go and the response was overwhelming. A token of appreciation can also be sent to acknowledge a special occasion since one of the major dilemmas with remote working is the lack of visibility around milestones and achievements.
Schedule daily online stand up meetings using GoToMeeting or Zoom or MS Teams – whatever your virtual meeting app of choice is – during which everyone in your company checks in with updates on current projects, successes or idea sharing. Seeing everyone’s smiling face starts each day on a positive note. Be sure to foster collaboration throughout the group so that it’s not always you leading the meeting. An idea would be to set up a contest since friendly competition helps unite groups and promotes support of one another.
Some tips on using video
There is a lot to keep in mind when using video, like looking presentable. We all joke about looking professional from the waist up, but in reality we’re wearing shorts or pajama bottoms! And, try as we may to eliminate background noise, inevitably a dog will bark or children will interrupt since they’re stuck at home with you. But, that’s ok, because in this environment the more we can smile and laugh the better we will feel.
While we should strive to maintain decorum, not everyone has a designated home office space. This just means you need to get creative. I’ve seen some clients ‘meet’ on their back porch.
Understandably, some folks are uncomfortable being on camera, but skipping video really isn’t an option now that we are unable to communicate in person. I highly recommend you utilize video as it will provide insight into how your team is doing. Be sure your web cam is on, too, because seeing you reassures them and provides a much-needed daily dose of human interaction.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of communication. The challenging times we currently face require messages that are forward thinking most especially. Explain to your team how the company will function as work schedules start returning to normal. Sharing your plan makes it more tangible to your team and gives everyone something to look forward to in the days ahead.
Positively,
Christy
