5 ways to stay connected to your team when working remote

According to studies by Microsoft, one of the biggest challenges when working remote is that people feel more disconnected. I made the same observation during the first lockdown. Here are 5 things I changed to keep my team connected:

Meetings are for social connection, not for work

1. A daily 15-minute Coffee Break. Just have a nice chat with your team. Video is mandatory because it's good to see each other daily. Don't talk about work. Make if fun. Lough. Share personal stories if you like.
2. Two 30-Minute Afternoon Coffee & Cake Breaks. Same as the good morning sessions, but longer. Not everyone is a morning person.
3. Random donut sessions. A slack bot randomly pairs team members for a 30-Minute session. It's not about work. Talk about whatever you want. About hobbies, you last meal, your kids, anything is ok.
4. Every other week, we do a Demo & Celebration Session on Friday. Although we talk about work, it's about showing each other what is going on and what everyone is working on. We celebrate wins and share stories.
5. Gaming. Hang out and play some video games, or you could have a recurring Dungeons & Dragons session (which is my personal favorite). We meet 2-3 times per month to delve into dungeons together.

Honestly, I feel more connected with my team now than I felt before the pandemic. Of course, you should meet in person from time to time, it’s important. But not as important as you might think, you can keep the social connection in a remote setting too. All while having a lot of fun.