Importance of Staying Connected While Working from Home

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With the rise of the modern trend of working from the comfort of our homes due to the pandemic, the workplace and culture have drastically changed. Work still remains work with all its responsibilities, and it is important to stay connected with your coworkers in the most optimal way possible in order to do high-quality work where everyone can thrive. Luckily the modern video conferencing technology allows us the possibility to easily communicate, there are just a couple of things that we can do in addition to making our work from home feel like working shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues in person. Here is an overview of how and why to stay connected while working from home.

Stay accountable with a partner

Doing work alone can feel somewhat comfortable because it seems at first like there is no one there to bother you or waste your time, and that is when you realize that it might be too good to be true. And in reality, it is. When there is no one there around you, you simply start to be less productive. People are usually more alert when there is some light level of competition going on. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are competing with your colleagues, but it does in fact help you stay at a good level of productivity with the rest of the office. That is why it is ideal to have an accountability buddy, where you can check up on each other’s progress, goals and achievements. This win-win situation is ideal for boosting your productivity while making the work you do more meaningful and fun. A good way to facilitate productivity is to challenge each other just slightly more each time so that more work can be done in the long run.

Invest in a reliable connection

One often overlooked aspect of working from home is losing internet connection or having connection disruptions because it is often taken for granted. This affects some types of work to a lesser degree, however in a scenario where you have to work from home, you can never be sure when you will have to contact some of your coworkers. That is why more and more people are switching over to extremely fast fiber internet connections, which ensure the best speed and stability.

Virtual team-building

When people usually think of team-building, they imagine traveling, camping, or playing team sports. However, this is not the case during the pandemic. Many people are forced to work from home for months on end, and the social bond between the employees starts to weaken. The best way to combat this is to find ways to organize team-building events over the internet with fun activities outside working hours. Cooking contests are a great way to save time while preparing dinner for your family, while also bonding with your coworkers. Online book clubs are a great way to create extremely productive habits, where you and your colleagues can all develop critical thinking, and come up with amazing ideas while also reflecting on the meaningful work that you do. All of these activities should be spontaneous and feel natural, this makes people feel more at ease and more eager to open up.

Listen carefully

One of the key factors to a successful workplace is communication. In an ideal scenario, communication is partly done through body language, however that is not so easy to do over Zoom or Skype. That is why paying extra attention to the aspect of listening to our colleagues is of crucial importance. This way it is easier to choose the right questions and develop a more focused working environment.

Reflect on group achievements

With the difficulties at work induced by the pandemic, it goes a long way to celebrate the little achievements of your team. It might be more difficult to stay positive and motivated while working from home. So, a great option is to dedicate special attention to holding celebratory events over Zoom, as well as sending emails thanking your coworkers. This inspires people and reminds them that their work is not in vain and that it is highly appreciated and it usually results in greater productivity.

Staying connected is more important now than ever before, this is especially the case since so many jobs now are done online from home, luckily the nuanced modern technology has allowed for a number of ways to conduct work and still stay connected in these difficult times. If you want what is best for your team and the working environment consider getting a productivity accountability buddy. Virtual team building is another great option that can enhance the social bond between your coworkers. None of this is possible without getting a stable connection such as with the fiber internet connectivity. In addition, there are a few valuable skills that people can develop while working in this format, and that include listening carefully and developing a good sense for asking the right questions, as well as paying more attention to inspiring others through celebrating small wins during the day-to-day work.