As for me, I like building friendships at work, but there is a caveat. I like having people I can turn to throughout my day and people who feel like they can turn to me. The idea is that we can vent to each other, chat about nonsense, troubleshoot problems, etc. The caveat is that everyone needs space from work from time to time. By honing in on a specific audience, promoting your events strategically, and making attendees feel valued, you can create a fulfilling cycle of community building.
When you work remotely, it takes effort to juggle a work-life balance. That quick final email becomes ten — before you know it, another hour is gone. Giving yourself strong boundaries can really help free you up to enjoy more of life outside of work. When you make friends, you want them to get to know the real you — not the one they see inoffice chats. I have mixed emotions about this, I watch on the daily how beneficial being a friend can lessen the size of hammer you have to swing during the day. When work ethic is compromised and seniority and experience do not matter I do believe that this will affect overall quality of work and productivity.
Five tips to navigate remote work friendships when working from home
More than half of those surveyed said they’d met a close friend through their work or a spouse’s work. We emphasize remote-friendly practices and are committed to employee well-being. We provide access to remote positions in various industries and multiple cities, giving our clients suitable options. We are a leading choice for individuals seeking both professional growth and a sense of belonging in the virtual workspace. Moreover, joining online communities and forums can provide a sense of belonging and help you facilitate meaningful interactions and network opportunities.
- If you feel like you’ve missed the boat on ordering anything custom, allow us to introduce you to CVS Photo.
- Go on hikes, pub crawls, walk around a city alone, and strike up conversation.
- Instead, go to the museum or happy hour or have your co-worker over for dinner.
- Only 8 percent of job switchers said the same when a comparable survey was fielded in September.
Specifically, I think talking on the phone versus email or IM can really help. Being on the phone with someone facilitates ‘small talk’, which is really important in getting to know someone a bit better and to check in with them personally. Slack, Zoom, and other online collaboration tools have made working from home a more social affair than ever. If you’re lucky enough to have an employer who organizes virtual parties or happy hours, make every effort to attend.
But interacting doesn’t always have to mean hopping on a video call. Fill in the gaps by joining conversations in Slack, sharing emoji reactions, and liking social posts. The more you engage with a person, the stronger a professional relationship—and personal friendship—you can build. In the early days of the pandemic, almost every company tried to offload the stress of staying connected with structure.
Ways to Make Work Friends When Working Remotely
Dee Ann Pizzica, engineering manager at Atlassian customer BRD has worked mostly remotely since 2009. She always starts her weekly staff meetings with a different icebreaker question. Learning how to make friends in a remote work environment is a good skill to learn. Even if you don’t make lifelong friends, you’re at least giving yourself the chance to be active and happy through work-life balance. Social media and special-interest forums are a great way of meeting people in new places.
Take advantage of this, ask a few questions and get chatting – you never know what you might learn. Some offices may have rules about your background, but if yours allows for some personalization, consider that. Pizzica has had plenty of conversations with fellow team members that started because of something she or they noticed about their background. No, you’re probably not actually insane, but this definition applies to an assumably large amount of lonely remote workers. If what you’re doing hasn’t yielded a new friend, acquaintance, cohort, partner in crime, or crony, you need to try something new. So learn to cook, play an instrument, or try the downward-facing dog at yoga in the park.
How to Make Friends When You Work From Home
One of the very first things you should focus on is being open-minded. This gives people a chance to be themselves first before passing judgement. It’s very easy to judge people based on their looks or the limited pieces of information we may know about them such as their job title or the company they work for. You should approach friendship by being open to meeting new people and sharing new experiences. Blocking out time in a planner and intentionally scheduling time for your friendships can help ensure you commit to seeing other people.
Once on the call, I will start with a bit of small talk. I like to ask how they are doing and follow up on any things we’ve talked about before. For example, if they told me they were going to Vegas last weekend, I will ask how the trip went. It’s important not only to just check in with them but to show that you care and are paying attention by bringing up previous conversations. To build that friendship, you need to act like a friend would and care about the person’s life, inside and outside of work.
- Sometimes I schedule breakfasts and dinners with coworkers that are free at those times too!
- “Finding out more about the other person and taking a genuine interest are key,” wrote Elise Stevens, who is a career tactician.
- One really fun idea that one of my other remote coworkers came up with is video call happy hours.
- Companies like Afni stand out as ideal workplaces for remote professionals.
The Power of Connection-Cultivating Meaningful Relationships in a Digital World
The hybrid work environment can create serious obstacles when it comes to sparking work friendships. This is especially true for people who remotely onboarded at companies during the pandemic. They didn’t have a chance to meet people during orientations nor spontaneously in kitchenettes, the lunchroom, etc. You should leave the proverbial door open to organic friendships.
You can find people with similar interests and experiences and exchange ideas. Friendship is not built from one interaction; it grows gradually. According to the mere exposure effect, we unconsciously like those we are more exposed to. Scheduling an informal how to make friends when you work from home chat is great, but this chat needs to be repeated for a friendship to develop.
If you do find one or two people who seem more authentic than others, don’t hesitate to reach out (in an appropriately contemporary way, of course). It’s entirely possible that you’re spending up to five hours a day on your work’s Slack or Teams chat, but you’re feeling more disconnected than ever. Imagine if you couldn’t drop by a co-worker’s desk during your very first job, or go out for drinks after work with your colleagues. For some, an entirely remote job can be devastatingly isolating, and sadly, there’s no clear return to work in sight. Working at home can be isolating as you have limited opportunities for spontaneous social interaction. However, if meeting people in person is not manageable, you can still combat loneliness by establishing virtual connections.