Working Collaboratively Outside of a Typical Office Setting

Staying at home for months on end is isolating enough - so don’t let your work feel the same way! Luckily in this technological age there are plenty of ways to stay closely connected with your team so that the ideas keep flowing and things feel as normal as possible. Yes, even the typical office chatter and events can occur virtually. Incorporating these collaborative methods into your work day is sure to bring your team together and keep morale high during these unusual times. 

Keep An Open Line of Communication 

You’re used to catching up with coworkers and throwing questions or ideas around the office. Just because you’re now working miles away from your desk, it doesn’t mean that the communication has to halt. There are some great platforms out there for immediate contact during the workday to check in with team members so that you can feel whole again. G-chat, a text group chat, Slack, Whatsapp, or even good old email chains are great ways to help converse throughout your day.

Have a Designated Place for Brainstorming

As creatives, you like to bounce ideas off of each other to develop the best work possible. In an office, you would probably speak between your desks or gather in a conference room to put your minds together, but in a remote setting it’s going to look a little different. Hopping on a Zoom video conference or keeping a project management platform like Monday, Asana or Trello to add ideas and action items to your projects are some great ways to collaborate while socially distant. 

Have Fun While You’re At It!

The office setting isn’t all work. Briefly chatting with your coworkers about their personal lives was a daily occurrence, and team events were something you looked forward to. Take the time to connect with your coworkers about what’s happening in their world, or schedule something like a virtual happy hour, trivia night, lead meditation and/or book club meeting to give some breaks in the work day!

Collaboration is the key to success, so it’s important that we still find ways to connect while working together from a distance. Wishing you and your team the best of luck!