How to Create More Meaningful Connections When Everyone Is Working From Home

I’ve always loved the old adage: “You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes” — that people’s interests and personality are revealed by the small ways they present themselves. Before remote work, when people were already working in offices, all this meant was that you could learn a lot about your teammates just by seeing them in person and absorbing (sometimes unconsciously) small surface clues. Noticing their workspace, the trinkets or photos they were holding, what they chose for lunch, etc., made it much easier to find common interests and spark conversations. It created bonds that organically contributed to the culture of the workplace.

Sometimes I think about this after a stressful day of Zoom meetings—where the daily opportunities to notice those little details have been replaced by the grid of heads that has become the hallmark of remote work. If noticing coworkers’ shoes is a symbol of our natural ability to connect and socialize, we’ve never been so “barefoot.”

Remote work is the way

I don’t think going back to the good old days is the answer. Remote work has so many benefits, both in terms of personal time management and how work gets done — especially with the rise of collaboration tools. Gone are the days of having to take photos of your notes on the office whiteboard after a brainstorming session, replaced by helpful tools like Miro. I also don’t miss the weird social norms in the office, where putting your head in a digital device was considered like not paying attention. Remote work allows you to focus, offers flexibility, and sometimes even offers unexpected surprises that are unique to digital collaboration — like encouraging normally silent team members to speak up.

While many companies struggle with remote and office work policies, the future will undoubtedly be “barefoot.” The question is, how do we embrace this without also losing our coworker relationships that foster understanding?

go barefoot

The decision to go barefoot wasn’t easy, even for us—a company already accustomed to digital collaboration tools. Like everyone else, once the pandemic subsided and we had to decide whether to return to the office, there were strong opinions from leadership and employees. In fact, understanding the rationale behind those strong opinions was what led me to figure out how to craft those little moments that add up to create culture.

Create “interest signals”

Just because your public workspace is a small rectangle in the Zoom grid doesn’t mean people shouldn’t make an effort to make it their own. That means keeping it tidy and clean, with good lighting and nice, clear image quality. But also coordinating everything within the frame, from the color of your background to your coffee cup to the art on the wall. Encourage employees to ask themselves: What does my Zoom rectangle say about me?

Voice is also an important indicator. Make sure your voice is clear and not causing background noise. And notice if you see people starting to wear their work uniforms. Instead, look for small ways to reward self-expression every day.

Small social gestures can be great bonding tools, too. For example, one of our remote team members didn’t work in our physical office before the pandemic. But every day since he started working remotely, he starts his day with a “good morning” message to the team in Slack and ends his day with a “good night” message. When I told him I really appreciated the gesture, he responded that he was just mimicking what he would do in an in-person office.

Everything is an opportunity to start a conversation and a moment to build community, so organize spaces and habits accordingly.

Create moments to connect, in real life and online.

Whether you realize it or not, company culture has a huge impact on your business—both the way your company treats its employees and the quality of its products and services. So, even with a remote workforce, put in the effort and resources to build a thriving culture both online and offline.

This could mean anything from large annual meetings where you get your entire remote team together for a few days and enjoy the outdoors together, to smaller local meetups for team members in the same city. On a smaller virtual scale, you could just formalize group opportunities to play online video games together during lunch breaks, talk about your favorite shows, or catch up. Whatever you choose, treat it as seriously as other aspects of your job, and make sure you build in moments to connect frequently.

go all or nothing

Not wearing shoes means making a concrete decision, so don’t make the mistake of being vague — like sending people back to an empty office part-time. The world of remote work is full of examples of companies that have tried to impose optional or mandatory “in-office” days that ultimately failed or caused employees to quit.

Workspaces aren’t typically designed to be small. Those who show up feel hopeless and hopeless. Others face unique challenges—empty desks where it’s still hard to find a quiet space to take a call, broken conference room technology with no tech support to service it, and a general resentment toward coworkers who are allowed to avoid the office. It’s the quickest way to erode a community, and it’s not worth the trouble.

Work culture shouldn’t be all about work and career advancement. Teams should have a certain level of common interest and everyone should collaborate. This makes work better and allows for more respect. This is even more true now that many companies have replaced the reliable structure of the office with more casual and remote ways of working. So, as digital tools become the primary channel for communication within the office, take every opportunity to remind employees that they are human beings too, with stories and personalities worth knowing.