Stay Connected with your Remote Coworkers!

At Broadstreet Consulting, our entire team works remotely to serve our clients. With team members working from their homes in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and outside of the United States, we have to work hard to develop and maintain a connected atmosphere. Check out five of our tips to stay connected with your coworkers when you work from home!

Be clear in your availability, update your schedule daily.

If your company uses a shared calendar system, make sure yours always reflects your current schedule. Maintaining an up-to-date calendar helps your coworkers know when they can reach out to you and it helps protect your time away from work. If this is something new to you, start by updating your calendar at the end of the day as you prepare for tomorrow and review your calendar in the morning as you work through any new emails or new requests for your time.

Create a workspace that promotes productivity and easy virtual meetings.

When asked about her work from home recommendations, Danielle Bailey, the Director Of Operations at Broadstreet Consulting, said: “Don't have chickens.”

Danielle’s roosters and chickens are occasional guests during our weekly team meetings, bringing a lighter mood to a serious event. The weekly Broadstreet meetings are casual affairs, but not all company’s offer the same virtual expectation. Make sure the space you designate for your home office is clear of unnecessary clutter to remove distractions throughout the day and keep your background clear in case you are expected to turn on your camera during a meeting.

Make time for catching up and chatting with coworkers during the workday.

We know companies are expecting just as much if not more from their remote employees, but you should still make time for catching up with your coworkers about things other than work. Easy ways to work this into your schedule include creating floating meetings during the beginning of the day or lunchtime for employees to have a virtual breakfast or lunch with their coworkers and enjoy the same type of interaction they would have in a breakroom. You can also add a 15-minute buffer to the beginning of team meetings to encourage conversations between employees about their life outside of work.

Plan regular virtual events with your team.

Companies have really gotten creative with the virtual events they offer to their employees, such as guided succulent garden creation, cookie decorating how-to, trivia games, and more! You can plan fun virtual events with your team that are less elaborate by hopping on Zoom and using services such as Kahoot to facilitate fun pre-made trivia games on topics your team is interested in. You can also start up a lunch-and-learn program to let your employees give mini-lectures during lunchtime on topics that interest them. Broadstreet kicked off 2021 with a few lunch-and-learns to talk about productivity hosted by Christian Ortiz, our social media specialist and productivity guru.

When the workday is over, disconnect and walk away.

When the workday ends, it is important to wrap up the day and disconnect yourself from the screen and from your team. Unless you serve in a capacity that requires constant connection, your team can wait until the next workday for you to respond to an email or support ticket. Protecting your time away from the computer will help you focus more and apply yourself during the workday. Establish boundaries with your superiors and your team to ensure that time of rest and relaxation is protected and prioritized.

These are just a few basic tips for staying connected with your team when you are all working remotely. Connect with our team on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and let us know how you stay connected with your virtual coworkers!