How to cope with the isolation of working from home?

In working from home, we don't lack tools to communicate with others or organize meetings when we need them: telephone, email, instant messaging, video calls, etc.

What is missing in telework is proximity and spontaneity: the social link. These are those little moments when we informally exchange our little stories. These are our little rituals of going around the office in the morning, taking a short break for coffee. These are the opportunities to pass each other in the hallway, to say hello and to check up on each other.

But then how do we maintain the social bond? How do you recreate this atmosphere and these rituals?

Crossing paths and saying hello with micro-blogging

Expand your corporate social network. You make your little morning post, and colleagues will come to read it and react when they themselves take a look at the company social wall. We tell about our little day's troubles or our crush, which makes us human in the end. Professional but also personal anecdotes, which sometimes lead to exchanges of good practices. An opportunity to wish our colleagues a happy birthday. It does not allow us to bring croissants to celebrate, but with a nice picture, the intention is there...

Meeting in a virtual cafe with a video conference room

Strengthen internal communication with the Digital Workplace. The virtual café: a video conference room that stays open, where you can go when you need a break. An effective trick to strengthen social bonds in these times of confinement. It's where you'll find the people who are already there. This is not a video conference organized with participants who have been invited in advance. We recreate the simple happiness of the meeting, at random, over a coffee that everyone can take on his own. Of course, we can also force a bit of luck and suggest to colleagues that they get together so that they don't take the risk of going alone.

Rediscover the office atmosphere thanks to webchat

Do not cut off all communication. Because staying confined doesn't mean isolating yourself, continuing to talk to your colleagues. Take advantage of the different spaces of exchange that your collaborative platform offers you.
In a chat room, it's like talking to each other while you're in the same office. We exchange informally: I ask a person a question "have you seen my message on the XYZ folder" and the others hear it. It may not be of direct concern to them, but they don't mind it either. It's nice-to-have information: it can be useful for them to know about it later on... I can also ask open-ended questions to everyone. Maybe one or two people will answer me: "who would be available at 3pm to help me on this case?". Sometimes nobody has an answer. This is still an exchange that breaks the loneliness of telecommuting. The important thing is to maintain this social link.

Be careful though, when there are too many people, you can end up with the disadvantages of an open space where everyone talks at the same time and therefore too much noise!

Good (co-)teleworking to all! And above all, take care of yourself.

Try out the free, no-obligation offer that Jalios offers companies and organizations for organizing teleworking: crisis communication, teleworking collaboration, videoconferencing, webchat, collaborative spaces, etc.
Jalios and its partners are working for you!