Perhaps forever, we have taken for granted how we build relationships at work.
I’m not talking about the relationships we forge to get work done, I mean the meaningful relationships that make us happy, connected and part of something bigger.
These relationships are often built in the spaces between the work, no matter how many ‘back to backs’ we have, there are always spaces, even if it’s just a crack.
As humans we instinctively fill these spaces by looking for connections and over time these become more meaningful as we let each other into our worlds outside of work.
But, we have lost these spaces in the remote working world, the start and end of meetings while you wait in the room, while you walk to the next meeting, make a coffee, sit and have lunch, walk to the train, share a commute.
But do they need to be lost?
Being deliberate about creating these spaces is the way to open up the opportunity for people to connect in the same way they would if they were physically together.
It starts with having principles and practices that allow for these spaces to be reimagined. Make a quick list of the times when your teams used to connect and talk about how you can recreate them.
And if you are stuck in back to back Zoom meetings all day and can’t see how you could create these spaces, take a good hard look at your meeting culture and seize the opportunity that being able to collaborate and share information asynchronously has delivered us. Then repurpose some of that time to create spaces for meaningful connection (and more meaningful work!)
Personally I don't think we’ll ever completely replace the feeling of being in the same space as other humans. But, with a little thoughtfulness you can replicate the social connections just as well as we did in the old days.
Long live the remote team.