While more and more offices close, opting in for working from home for their staff during these challenging times, we’re realising how important the work culture is. Working is far more productive when in an office environment, but it’s also a way for us to be around colleagues who are sharing the highs and lows of work with us.
They understand the pressure points we’re facing and the projects we’re working on. There is no other than a great bunch of work colleagues and call us crazy, but we know many of you out there get a lot of enjoyment from being around those you work with.
We all have work besties or workgroup. You’ve commiserated, celebrated, and tolerated together. You’ve probably got silly inside jokes, hidden alerts, and childish stories together. Even know each other better than some of your outside friends or even family!
Yes, work besties are great, what will any of us do without them during this period of isolation?
So right now, many of us have been fortunate enough to be able to work from home. While this is such a fantastic perk, it does come with its own set of drawbacks. One of the biggest things being that we’re without our work friend support groups. But there are ways of bridging that gap without having to see each other physically.
Cyber mates
Let’s go back old school style to when we communicated with friends primarily through instant messenger. Back then, we had a choice to go out and be in the open but still opted to stay in the comfort of our own homes. Now we don’t really have many other options, so why not go back to sending each other messages? Whether it be to update each other on work things or just to catch up.
Meme it out
Would it be wrong to assume that we all enjoy a funny meme now and again? Memes are a fantastic way to illustrate how we are feeling in a dramatic and comedic style. Why not brighten your work bestie’s day with an image of a dog hugging a cat? Or whatever you enjoy seeing. Sometimes you don’t have to speak to say how you feel, let meme’s bridge that distance between you.
Phone a friend
If it’s the sound of your work bestie’s voice that you are missing, why not give them a call? Chances are you’re going to be doing a lot of communicating about work things anyway. That’s the thing about office working, you can work and have a social chat simultaneous, and it’s so easy. When working from home, you’re typically alone, and without the social aspect, we all need as humans. Whenever you’re feeling a little cabin fever, pick up the phone and give them a call, it’s a sure-fire way to feel a bit more normal during this time.
Appy times
My favourite recommendation is to look into apps. Social messaging apps such as Whatsapp is the hub of social interaction when person to person contact is hard to come by. Starting group chats with your colleagues can help make the working day feel a little more business as usual. There’s plenty of social apps to choose from, the best part is you can share voice messages, text, call, send images and gifs so really what more could you want? On another note, there are so many games apps out there that will allow you to play games with peers. My favourite right now is words with friends, think of it as an online scrabble game you can play with anyone (especially friends!). Something light-hearted and fun is an excellent way to feel connected while bonding and competing with colleagues.
Remember that working from home and being away from your colleagues doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Camaraderie and harmony amongst your work friends is now more important than ever.
ABL Recruitment team
