This turns a potentially annoying incident into a lighthearted moment and gives the team a shared experience to laugh about. You can even become great directors in your own right by sharing funny videos on Slack of yourself or your pets. These little things make a big difference in building relationships and an environment of fun, camaraderie, and mutual appreciation. Every Friday team members come together to watch a movie using Teleparty and chat about their week. Another ritual could be a virtual team lunch where everyone orders takeout from their favorite local restaurant and eats together while on a video call.
The point is to break up your day with activities that allow you and your colleagues to bond over shared interests outside of work. Bumble now has a specific section for making friends, Bumble BFF. The process of dating and making friends is not so different after all. Whether it’s an app or a website, find your virtual friend and move the friendship to IRL by suggesting to go for a walk or to get a coffee. Working remotely can feel lonely and sometimes awkward but chances are if you are working remotely and seeking friends, your colleagues probably feel the same. Reach out to your co-workers, and turn your remote work relationship into real-life friendships.
Don’t Ignore the Power of Work Friends
In a work setting, you get to know your coworkers from an “all work and no play” perspective but rarely on a personal level like you would if you were working in the same office. However, a quick catch-up before a meeting or in the break room can reveal a lot about someone’s interests, hobbies, or even family life. These are the little things that make up a person, and help you get to know them on a different level, which helps build trust, empathy, and a deeper sense of human connection. This is even more important for remote or hybrid workers who may lack opportunities to interact regularly outside of daily tasks. But creating these connections shouldn’t feel like a chore or add-on.
With 20 per cent of people who report feeling lonely at work almost all the time and 60 per cent of people feeling it half the time — it’s clear friends are super important to have at work. Many companies offer telecommuting as an option, but still, provide a dedicated workplace to come into should employees choose to do so—and seriously consider doing so! Dividing your workweek between time in the office and time at home will help you get valuable face time with your coworkers, and help you strengthen and maintain those important workplace friendships. Creating a chat room that remains open 24/7 is an efficient way to get team members to feel like a family. Whether you choose to create such a chat room on Slack or Zoom, make sure you set up some ground rules in order for the discussion to remain friendly, but professional. Chat systems are often used by remote workers not only to collaborate on projects but also to blow off steam or do fun things like sharing pictures of their pets.
Ways to Make Friends Remotely
Friends of friends are a great way to meet people because if you already have a mutual friend with a person, you probably have more in common than you think. When we talk to someone online — even if it’s how to make friends when you work from home via an informal chat app — it’s tempting to say what you need to and no more. That’s because when it comes to written communication in the workplace, we’re taught to keep things short and sweet.
- Maybe the most important takeaway for how to make friends working from home is that it has to coincide with your own interests and work life.
- We’ve just come off a wild year marked by political polarization, war, lingering effects of a global pandemic, and technological changes that spark every response from unbridled enthusiasm to abject fear.
- It was a wonderful change of pace and a way to have fun with my teammates.
- So clear your desk of distractions—even washing its surface will make you more productive.
It’s that easy to avoid loneliness and make friends when you work from home. As far as remote working goes, there’s a way of inviting other users into your digital working space to further concentrate your mind. You don’t get any of the advanced scheduling tools or partnering technology that Focusmate offers—you need to invite someone you know—but it may work better for you.
ways to make new friends while working remotely
Studies consistently show that having best friends at work results in higher productivity, engaged employees and a safe space where colleagues are happy to pick up and cover for each other. Every boss will like that research finding—and here’s another one. A Gallup study found that remote employees with work friendships were more fulfilled, more loyal, and less likely to seek work elsewhere. All this is essential for making
collaboration easy not just between management and remote workers, but also
inside of a team. Teams that work in traditional offices
often have their daily or weekly rituals that help everyone feel included.
In one study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, light noise (at around 70db) was found to improve focus more than silence (at around 50db). I’ve been working remotely for over a decade, collecting productivity tactics along with my friend Dan Shure. These tricks keep us productive, and can help you find the best way to work remotely—for you. Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that allows team members to create and participate in quizzes, surveys, and other types of online office games. Humor is a great way to break the ice, defuse tension, and encourage creativity by lightening the mood.