Do a Daily: Create an office environment — virtually

We are all Zoom fatigued, and the thought of yet another online meeting makes some of us want to sigh — and maybe even cry. I thirst for a real office environment. I want to get out, see people and get a change of scenery. Even more important for me is to work with people again and feel connected to them. It is vital to who I am and what I do in my work life.

So I had an idea: With Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet or whatever you use, it’s very easy to set up a work group. No meeting agenda is needed; just treat it like a virtual office. Each person is in their little square working on their own projects, but they can look up and see fellow team members. Imagine working side-by-side with your team just like the old days at the office. If you have a question, just look up, and ask it. Having the ability to ask a question without sending an email, text or chat seems glorious to me.

If you need to have a more involved conversation — the times when you might have previously popped into a conference room — then go jump into a breakout room. These virtual group meetings are also great for collaborating, training, brainstorming sessions. Schedule a daily group work session, or you can even have a meeting on the fly: As a manager/mentor/team lead, when someone comes to you with an issue, why not send out a group chat with a link to an instant work session and talk through the problem together, so you can find a real-time solution. Not only will you find a resolution through knowledge-sharing, but you’ll unite your team at the same time.

Think about blocking a 2-hour online work session, and let me know how it goes.