We can’t say it enough, “We LOVE our work-from-home lives!” The flexibility and the benefits are unmatched.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have its unique challenges, namely, staying connected and happy when working remotely.
Why It’s So Important to Stay Connected When WFH’ing
True, in our day and age, there is such a thing as being too connected. Think zero work-life balance, doom-scrolling, information overload. You get the idea.
Like other professionals, creatives who work from home are susceptible to burnout, low productivity, and chronic stress. And because our offices are typically in our homes and away from our teams, we’re at a higher risk of feeling isolated and alone.
Healthy connectivity can go a long way to remedy that. Meaningful connections can foster happiness, joy, and overall satisfaction, even in our work lives.
According to one study, 69.5% of workers feel they’d be happier if they had deeper connections with their co-workers. The same source stated:
“When employees work alongside their friends, studies find they’re more committed to their job and enjoy better communication within the team. These feelings of social connection lower the incidence of anxiety and depression and boost output and overall satisfaction.”
Granted, some work relationships will be deeper or more shallow than others. But overall, connectivity can greatly improve your WFH lifestyle.
We’ve let our creative juices flow and come up with several ways to help you find connection and joy while working from home.
10 Simple Steps To Help You Feel Connected & Happy While Working From Home
You’ll find that many of these strategies are everyday practices. But with some tweaks to your daily routine, we think these tips will help you feel less isolated and more in touch with your work team.
Stay up to date on company emails and notifications.
This seems pretty straightforward. But let’s be honest, it’s all too easy for an email to slip through the cracks. Being out of the loop can lead to feelings of isolation and frustration.
Keeping up with incoming messages and company-wide announcements is a simple way to stay in the know. The messages may contain updates to company policy, friendly banter, or a shout-out praising a co-worker.
Either way, staying up to date on your messages is one small step towards feeling connected when you work from home.
Show up and participate in team meetings.
When we say, “show up”, we mean more than logging on for your team’s meetings.
When we say, “show up”, we mean be as fully present as possible.
Granted we all have our off days. But make it your goal to be alert, involved, and engaged. We guarantee two things will happen: You’ll feel more confident and connected. And you’ll inspire your team to feel the same way.
Aim to keep your camera on.
Barring Zoom fatigue, illness, a messy background, or informal video calls, sometimes it can be a good thing to keep your camera on.
When working virtually, video calls are often the only chance to see your team face-to-face. With your camera on, your team can see your facial expressions and body language. This can go a long way to feel like you are connected and working together.
Try a good, old-fashioned phone call.
We have so much technology at our fingertips. But nothing is quite the same as just picking up the phone and making a call.
Nowadays, some of us have legit anxiety when our phones ring. Or worse…when we’re required to make a phone call.
But don’t overlook a classic voice call when building a connection with your teammates.
Don’t skip the small talk.
On a similar note, don’t skip small talk when you join your team meetings and have one on 1:1’s with your manager. Of course, keep things professional. But a little personal interest and courtesy can go a long way to helping you feel happier and more connected at work.
Is your co-worker leaving for vacation soon? Ask how their plans are coming along. Has someone on your team started a new creative hobby? Ask to see some of their work.
If you’re creative, share your side projects.
Similar to our last point, take the initiative and share some of your creative projects with your team. This will take a bit of courage and vulnerability but it can go a long way to helping you feel more connected while working from home.
This is especially true if you work in a creative field like marketing, graphic design, or web design. Sharing your personal work can help your team learn more about you. And it can even spark their own creativity, and perhaps enhance your team’s creative collaboration.
Encourage collaboration and schedule a live working session.
Collaboration fosters connection in the workplace. Teams who share ideas and collaborate are often more productive and efficient.
If you have a shared task or project, try inviting some of your co-workers to a live working session. Whether in person or via video-conferencing, the live session can foster connection and build team morale.
It doesn’t have to be a very long session, 30 minutes to an hour is a good place to start. Just be sure to keep it relaxed and fun.
Host a ‘bring your pet to work’ day.
This one isn’t too much of a reach, especially when we’re working from home with our fur family. But make it official and host a Bring Your Pet To Work day!
Encourage cameos of your co-workers’ cats. Invite your teammates to show off their pups. After all, who wouldn’t love seeing the cute pets who are working hard behind the scenes to support our work team?
Schedule a virtual coffee break.
A virtual coffee break is a relaxed and informal way to connect with your workmates and break up the day. Enjoy some light banter or share funny memes all while getting your caffeine fix.
Virtual coffee breaks can work wonders if you’re trying to connect with colleagues in another department. This is a great opportunity to network and encourage a sense of belonging.
Support your colleagues – give recognition.
Sometimes a shoutout or virtual applause for a job well done can go a long way in supporting unity, growth, company culture, and connectedness.
We can all relate to how good it feels to be recognized for our efforts. We feel better about work and likely have more respect for the person who commended us.
So be generous with your praise. Let your co-workers know when you’ve appreciated their work.
Stay Connected Outside of Work
Healthy connections in the virtual office are key to overcoming challenges such as isolation, burnout, and low morale.
But staying connected outside of the office is important too.
We aren’t suggesting you blur the lines of your work-home life. Instead, invest in the connections that are most important to you such as family, close friends, and even co-workers who’ve become something like a family to you. Having these connections and resources in place can help especially if your first attempts to connect with your work team don’t go as smoothly as expected.
At the end of your virtual workday, try Face-Timing a loved one. Or, meet up for a happy hour in person. On the weekends, round up a few of your friends and do an art crawl in your city.
Outside of the office, these small steps toward connection and joy can make WFH even more enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
Working remotely doesn’t have to feel like you’re working alone! There are simple, attainable steps you can take to build stronger connections with your colleagues and work as a team.
Plus, it’s worth the effort. Healthy connections with your colleagues can increase productivity, collaboration, and overall happiness at work. Not to mention it’s important to the success of the business.
With time, effort, and consistency, you (and your entire team) can feel more connected as you work from home.