Many people enjoy the freedom of working from home. There is no commute, they are more productive, and there is less office drama.
However, these benefits often come at the cost of less social interaction, leading to feelings of isolation. When working from home, you actually have to make the effort to spend time with people, which isn’t always easy.
People often do not realize how much social interaction there is when working at an office until they begin working remotely from home. While isolation can be a downside to remote work, it does not have to be. Getting out to spend time with friends and family and spending time with your coworkers virtually are great ways to socialize when working from home.
1. Set Up Casual Spaces Not Related to Work
There are many platforms that can be used as a virtual workspace, with Slack being one of the most popular options. While you can create many work-related channels depending on the needs of your team, the platform can be more than just a dedicated online workspace.
You should consider creating spaces similar to a virtual “water cooler” for you and your coworkers, going further than just setting up channels related to working. These spaces can be created specifically for “office” socializing among your coworkers and yourself. Your team can use these spaces to share news they have, hobbies they are into, playlists they enjoy, recipes they use, inspirational things, and stuff they feel like venting about.
Setting up a dedicated chat space unrelated to work promotes genuine human connection within your work team. The space allows your coworkers to become relatable humans with interests and lives outside of work instead of just virtual work colleagues.
2. Make an Effort to Talk to Coworkers Face-to-Face
Seeing someone’s face is crucial when forming connections with said person. These connections are incredibly important when forming relationships with your coworkers. Face-to-face conversations allow for a higher level of connection while also reminding you that the virtual person you work with each day is an actual human and not a bot.
Eye contact, body language, and even simply hearing someone’s voice give emotional context that is often very needed to understand someone. These interactions are not just more engaging but also very meaningful.
Typically, video conferences are done for team meetings and one-on-one meetings. However, you should try using video conferencing for other colleague catch-ups to put humanity back into your everyday chats.
3. Try Using a Co-Working Space
Co-working spaces are a great place to meet similar remote working professionals and socialize with like-minded people. By just spending a bit of time at a co-working space throughout the week, you can get a decent amount of social interaction and feel much less isolated than you might if you stay at home the entire week.
You can easily search the internet to find popular co-working spaces in your area and look through what each offers to find one that works for your needs. People that use co-working spaces are often very familiar with the work-from-home vibe and can make a great support system.
You can also use co-working spaces to make important networking connections vital to your career. You will meet professionals from many different fields of work in these spaces.
4. Get Out of the House
Co-working spaces aside, it is incredibly important to get out of your house at least once every single day. Whether you choose to run an errand, walk your dog, or just sit at a park and take in the fresh air, it does not matter as long as you are getting out of your house and changing your scenery.
It is very easy to feel isolated when you are constantly cooped up inside your house all day. When planning your day, it is important to include time to go outside or somewhere other than your house.
You could try signing up for a social activity, such as a fitness class, a walking group, or a book club. You can also try working outside of your home sometimes, as well. Other than co-working spaces, you can try sitting at your local coffee shop or library to get some work done in a space that is not your home.
A few hours in a different space will allow you to be much less distracted when working. Any sort of human contact and fresh air allows one to feel less isolated and be in a better mood.
5. Have Virtual Lunches, Movie Nights, and More
In an office, coworkers often connect by getting coffee or lunch together on breaks. But if you’re working remotely, things are a bit different. Despite that, you can still do these things virtually with your remote work team.
Set up video conferences just for lunchtime so members of your team can eat together and chat like they might in the office. You can also hold open virtual coffee breaks, so coworkers have the opportunity to connect further throughout the day.
These virtual hangouts are great for team morale and allow the bonds between coworkers to strengthen. You can even extend these hangouts to after-work hours, as well. Try offering game nights and movie nights so that you and your coworkers can have fun together and bond outside of work.
We wrote a blog on how to stay social while working remotely, and you should definitely check it out if you want to become more social remotely.
Conclusion
Working from home has become increasingly popular but often comes at the cost of feeling isolated. This is easily fixed by remembering to set aside time for socializing and taking care of yourself.
Interacting with your coworkers outside of work chats can develop a great support system amongst the team. You also need to ensure you are getting out of the house regularly.
Do not forget to spend time with your family and friends. Socializing is a very important part of being human and is needed to maintain good health.
