What a week it’s been. Given the current events, staying positive and focused enough to continue with your workday can be a challenge. As our office is embracing physical distancing and our new work from home policy, we wanted to make sure we took extra initiatives to take care of each other. All of the ideas here are ones different groups within our company kicked off this week and I can say for myself and others they’ve made a big impact. Sometimes it’s the little things that can turn around your day, especially during a trying time.
1. Video coffee talks
Every morning at 10 AM our marketing team hops into a Zoom to say hi and enjoy some coffee with the team like we would getting settled into a workday at the office. Love it or hate it, this also helps you get out of bed and get put together for the day. No one needs to know if you’re still wearing sweatpants, but this at least gets you on the track for productivity and feeling better about your day. For our Customer Support Manager, getting dressed now means adding a fancy hat. Each day a new hat is debuted on their team video chat for a laugh.
2. Friday lunches through Grubhub
Every week in the office we’d have a catered lunch on Friday to celebrate the end of a successful work week, and decided why not continue this at home. Everyone gets to order their lunch to support a local business, and take a break from their grocery stockpile. Grubhub is also currently offering no contact delivery if you’d prefer to have your food left at the door.
3. Google Hangout water cooler chat
As you know, things can get twitchy when you’re stuck inside all day, and you may need a break or a new face to talk to. We organized an all-day Google Hangout for people to come and go when they need a break from work and want to socialize. Many people join at lunch as a nice way to have a meal with someone, albeit virtual – it beats TV.
4. BigTime coloring book
For many, trying to get work done with kids at home can get a little crazy. We put together a 5-page printable coloring book to give little ones some “work” to help parents catch up on emails or just enjoy their coffee while it’s still hot. It’s been fun to see everyone’s kids artwork, and quite a few of us have even downloaded the pages ourselves to enjoy some coloring zen breaks. You can print it out for yourself here. (Share your masterpieces with us by emailing marketing@bigtime.net or tag us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!)
5. Virtual sales incentives
Leave it to a sales team to find an incentive wherever they are! For a virtual twist, the top seller of the days gets to pick the theme of their team video chat the next day. So far we’ve seen some awesomely awful 80s outfits and a sports team theme that had our VP of Sales looking like he was on a private jet as the team owner, thanks to the power of green screen. Any way you can add a little creativity, competition and humor to the day is a plus for morale.
6. Wellness Slack channel
Our office loves Slack as we typically have a mix of full-time remote workers and in-office employees, but this week we’ve really stepped it up a notch adding new channels to build remote communities. One of the best ones so far is our wellness channel where people are sharing mindfulness tips, at-home workouts and new recipes to try.
7. Kids and pet social hour
Adorable kids and cute pets are a no brainer for a morale boost. Just when it’s reaching the 3 PM slump we scheduled a brief kids and pets social video call for people to stop in with their families and hang out. Although the current situation is less than ideal, it’s a nice plus getting to know our coworkers better and meet the important friends and pets in their lives.
We hope you found an idea or two in this post to borrow from us, and if it sparks a new idea please share it with us – we’d love to hear from you.
If you’re currently shopping around for time and billing software to better manage your remote team, we are hosting a guided product tour every Thursday at 11 AM CT for the next few weeks. You can RSVP to save your spot here.
