How to Stay Connected While Socially Distancing

We are all innately social beings. Communication plays a big part in our lives as it is a human need and a fundamental social necessity. We connect with one another to share knowledge, to work together, build relationships, and generate new and innovative ideas.

So how do we stay connected while practicing the art of social distancing? We’ve put together this short piece with top tips to keep connected.

Embrace video conferencing

Fortunately, technology has enabled us to seamlessly connect with people of our choice anytime, anywhere in the world. We now have access to more sophisticated and effective methods of communication. People can interact with one another through electronic mediums and this has paved the way for corporations and businesses to better connect with partners and employees.

It is also always better to have face-to-face interaction, albeit virtually. At times, information can get lost in translation through text messages and emails, and a small problem can grow into a big problem simply because we didn't make the effort to see someone face-to-face to work out a solution.

Now, various video conferencing tools also possess functions such as scheduling meetings, screen sharing, email, chat functionality, voting analytics and many others which make it very convenient for corporations and organizations to carry out daily meetings to stay connected in real-time.

Check-in on your colleagues

Research conducted by Gallup found that having a friend at work helps you perform better. In the same study, they found that women who have a work buddy are 63 percent more engaged and connected to their work than those who don't have one. Some of the other ways a work friend can help you feel more in tune with the rest of the team are:

• They can help you get recognized. Perhaps many of your coworkers don't know how hard you work or how committed you are to the success of the team. Yet, your work buddy probably knows. Whether in a meeting or via team email, a good work friend will be willing to highlight your successes for the rest of the team to see.
• Maintain that office “buzz” with a team group chat. Every office has a culture made up of various employee personalities and ways of doing things. When you're not in the office, you may not pick up on who's having a bad week. At the same time, celebrate the small and big wins and recognize your teammates for the effort and hard work that they have put in to ensure that they stay engaged and motivated.

Engage in a reasonable amount of non-work related small talk

While it’s incredibly important to focus on results and getting our work done, the success of most businesses today rely on the ability of teams collaborating, sharing ideas, and trusting one another. The best way to build trust is to get to know your coworkers and develop an emotional connection.

One of the ways productivity can be improved is by focusing on building good relationships. People who like the people they work with are typically happy and engaged, and therefore more productive. By contrast, working in an environment where people don’t know or like each other can be demoralizing, and as a result productivity will normally fall. Small amounts of time taken for non-work-related conversations as an investment in our organization’s culture that will increase productivity in the long term.

The key word is balance. A healthy amount of socializing and small talk is beneficial to the overall well-being of the work environment. Work and healthy social engagement, rightly balanced in the workplace, are not opposites but complementary ways to keep your organization on track and effective.

Be available and innovative

Many remote workers can also create tailored schedules based on when they are the most productive. Rather than micromanaging your team on when they're getting the work done, focus on what they're consistently achieving and be available to them. Setting benchmarks for success based on results rather than activity levels builds trust and long-term employee satisfaction.

Another way to stay connected with the team and overcome this obstacle is to be innovative. When others see you as the source of great ideas and creative solutions to problems, they're more likely to engage with you and keep you involved in discussions.

Challenge the status quo and offer up new ways to make the team more efficient. Try to identify your team's pain points if any, and proactively volunteer to re-engineer it.

BONUS TIP: Create a shared music playlist!

Researchers discovered that we have a dedicated part of our brain for processing music, supporting the theory that it has a special, important function in our lives. Listening to music and singing together has been shown in several studies to directly impact neuro-chemicals in the brain, many of which play a role in closeness and connection.

New research suggests that playing music or singing together may be particularly potent in bringing about social closeness through the release of endorphins. Perhaps create your own shared playlist to build the bond between your people.

Is your business new to working from home?

Facing challenges to keep your team connected? Please feel free to contact us to discuss how we can support you.