How To Stay Connected in a Remote World
These are crazy times we’re living in. Who would have thought that all of the bars, restaurants, and casinos would be closed indefinitely in any city of the U.S.? Who would have imagined that stores would run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer? Did you know you could buy toilet paper on eBay?
With most companies having employees work from home or stagger shifts, I thought it was a good time to talk about ways to stay connected and be productive. Although it seems that the world is actually slowing down, we need to stay productive and keep businesses operating. This is a perfect time for the competition to swoop in and be more of a value to your customers.
Let’s talk about staying connected during isolation. I’ve been working from home for about eight months and I find it rather lonely. I’d like to share three ways to eliminate loneliness or the feeling of isolation.
1) The first is to be intentional with your social interactions. Be the first to reach out to your customers and your co-workers. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you. For some reason, if you typically work in an office, I’ve found that your fellow co-workers and others are hesitant to call you when they know you’re at home. Be proactive and contact them first. It not only will improve your mood from the social interaction but it will be good customer service.
2) The second way to eliminate loneliness and the feeling of isolation is to identify who you need to connect with. List the customers you need to contact. List the family members you should reach out to and touch base. List the co-workers that may need your assistance or are feeling the same way you are and need to have some human interaction. Be intentional with who you contact.
3) The third way to eliminate loneliness and the feeling of isolation is to use video-chat programs. WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Google Hangout, Microsoft Teams, or SKYPE are a few programs you can use to stay connected. It’s important for you and your co-workers or customers to see you face-to-face. When you connect by video, you can see emotions, the sparkle in the eyes, smiles or frowns. This type of interaction is not only good for you, your customers, and your co-workers but it is, also, good a way to stay connected with family members especially those who are older. Be intentional with your relationships.
These are three simple ways to deal with the feeling of isolation especially in this time of uncertainty. Telecommuting may be the way of the future for the next several months. If you’re not used to working from home, it can be challenging.
