Watercooler Talk is encouraged “It's easy to isolate yourself when working remotely. I regularly reach out to team members to solicit opinions on the decisions I make and just to discuss non-work related things. – Lisa Allocca , Red Javelin Communications When you're not following a 9-to-5 workday under one roof, the small talk should be used to your advantage. Why? It shows that you value socializing and human interaction, not just crunching numbers and meeting revenue goals. A virtual "watercooler" platform creates a space for your team members to engage with each other that isn't directly related to 24/7 work.
Host a virtual happy hour every week or once a month, host games and team building activities, schedule one-on-one video calls with team members, and more. TIP: Show that your company is focused on phone number list more than just signing paychecks and exceeding KPIs by regularly engaging in water cooler discussions. 4. Use video chat when possible “Much of our language is non-verbal. When managers are forced to limit the nonverbal cues available to their direct reports, they increase the chances of miscommunication, defensiveness, and conflict. Managers need to communicate with their teams in multiple ways and through multiple mediums to keep expectations clear, reinforce priorities, and help understand and overcome barriers to maximizing their team's work while out of the office.
While more than half of all human communication is nonverbal , managers need to adjust their strategy to keep remote employees engaged, especially when they don't see them from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. Video communication allows you to gauge their reaction to a change in a task, discuss their performance, introduce new policies or check on their behavior - a "picture" is worth a thousand words here. You can tell a lot more during a video call than hearing your employee's voice during a phone call or deciphering a text message. As soon as you notice something is wrong, ask your employee - send them a private message or schedule a one-on-one call, don't call them in front of everyone.