Remote but not alone: How Distributed Workplaces Can Foster Community
Justin Omega
Director of Digital Media
Los Angeles, CA-
When the Covid-19 pandemic kept millions of office workers at home, many of us saw an opportunity for a productive little break in our routines. Our home offices gave us the freedom to tailor our workspaces to our own tastes, even if that meant breaking a few workplace rules (some of us work better with music on, some of us don’t). Even those of us with school-aged children found a way to wear a few different hats, grateful for a one-minute commute and a chance to get down to work on our own terms.
For most of us, though, the bloom came off the rose as those first weeks turned into months. We might not have missed the commute, or the coffee, but many remote workers missed something even more fundamental to their overall job satisfaction: socializing.
As it happens, we rely more than we might think on the informal back-and-forth connections we form in a centralized work setting. Research has shown that remote employees can be as productive as those who work side-by-side, but that they find their work to be less enjoyable and even more difficult. Personal interactions with coworkers can give us valuable little opportunities throughout the day to recharge our batteries, and just being around others who depend on your work can provide a nice reminder of how much your efforts matter.
But how can we support or even recreate that sense of community in a distributed workplace? Here are some ideas that, while seemingly trivial on the surface, can go a long way toward fostering a sense of common purpose on the job.
4 ways you can foster community with your team working from home
Show of your home office
Have fun
Share your interests
Show your thanks
Show Off Your Home Office
Make the most of your home office by sharing it with your colleagues. Forget about finding the blankest wall in your home or picking the perfect virtual background, and simply let your coworkers see your place for what it is. When the time’s right, even give them a little camera-eye view of your place.
Think of this as an opportunity. Most of us don’t get to organize and decorate our offices, kiosks, or desks exactly the way we prefer. At home we can, so why not share it with your team?
If your pets or kids enter the picture, all the better: your coworkers might not have had a chance to meet them otherwise. We’re all in this together, and every bit of detail about your home-office surroundings helps create stronger connections with your team.
Make Time for Fun
Some of the most valuable working relationships seem to blossom away from the office. Lunch breaks, happy hour get-togethers, and pub quizzes aren’t just opportunities to blow off steam: they’re chances to get to know the people you work with each day, and to discover what really makes them tick. Distributed work needn’t put an end to all that.
Virtual karaoke can be a blast (and you can even keep your performances private in case they’re a bit too embarrassing). Move that happy hour online. Jump into a virtual pub quiz or put together a virtual cycling team. One way or another, find a way to recreate the relaxed after-hours connections that let you get to know your coworkers in full.
Share Your Interests
The pandemic didn’t just send us to our home offices. It also kept us from the communal hobbies—book clubs, cooking classes, watch parties—that enrich our time away from work. Consider taking those activities online.
If you enjoy cooking, teach your colleagues a thing or two. Organize a book club, or just gather the team for a Netflix Party session. By sharing your passions and learning more about what means most to your colleagues, you’ll remind yourself of your own value, in and away from work.
The very act of celebrating your teammates’ successes can make you feel more present and relevant in the daily life of your team.
Show Your Thanks
Some of your least demonstrative teammates might just be those for whom words of recognition and praise mean the most. In a distributed environment, it’s especially important to find ways to acknowledge the contributions of each team member and to highlight recent accomplishments.
The very act of celebrating your teammates’ successes can make you feel more present and relevant in the daily life of your team. That sense of connectedness and mutual importance can be easy to lose in times like these, and it deserves all the promotion you can give it.
Staying productive in a distributed workplace can take reserves of focus and self-discipline that aren’t always necessary in a shared office space. Taking time to learn more about your colleagues away from work can help you contribute more fully to a successful, resilient team.