Here’s a no-frills guide to help you nurture meaningful connections from the comfort of your home office. Working remotely can feel lonely and sometimes awkward but chances are if you are working remotely and seeking friends, your colleagues probably feel the same. Reach out to your co-workers, and turn your remote work relationship into real-life friendships.
- As you all already know, I work from home and have lots of ideas to share from my experience.
- As Patricia starts a new role remotely, we revisit some key tips on how to make friends at work while remote!
- If you don’t have any kids or aren’t planning to, the same idea works for your pets.
Diversify Your Conversations
Blocking out time in a planner and intentionally scheduling time for your friendships can help ensure you commit to seeing other people. Whether it is a virtual coffee date, a joint workout, or a catch up in your lunch hour, make a plan and stick to it. It can help you get to know your co-workers better and show you the brighter side of the workplace. My life is full of Zoom meetings, so when someone suggests a separate, non-obligatory Zoom hang, I almost always say no. Even if I like someone a lot, I just can’t hang out in that small rectangular box all day without feeling like I am becoming Siri or something.
Q4 2024 State of Remote Work: 10 Best…
Doing an activity can break through initial awkwardness as everyone has something to focus on other than just keeping conversation going. You could hang back at the end of a meeting and chat, you could bring Starbucks into the office (who doesn’t love a free latte?) or connect over drinks at the open bar at a work event. If someone is in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee, take 30 seconds to chat with them. It’s just important to have a conversation, because small talk establishes a relationship between two people and makes our interactions feel less transactional. One really fun idea that one of my other remote coworkers came up with is video call happy hours. We don’t do them very often but I find them to be very helpful in creating connections.
Social Circle
When you work remotely, there are often opportunities to travel to the main office or possibly travel to clients with other coworkers. If you do get to see your coworkers in person, it is important you make the most of your time with them. A remote happy hour is basically a video call meeting with no actual work agenda! I’ve done a few of them one-on-one and I’ve also participated in some group ones. You schedule them for the end of the work day and everyone can bring a beverage of choice while chatting in the video meeting. People in an office often schedule happy hours right after work so why can’t you do the same if you are remote?
It doesn’t have to be just simple messages and email exchanges. You can go beyond such communication and hold virtual meetings with your coworkers or clients. Another strategy to expand your social circle is to leverage virtual platforms.
Just because you’re in the market for new friends doesn’t mean your colleagues are, Duffy says. If your company hosts a retreat or if you find yourself visiting headquarters, use it as an opportunity to socialize with your colleagues. Get a group together for a meal or ask colleagues to join you for coffee or a cocktail.
But you can have a little hang time with folks without committing to a whole extra meeting. It’s the virtual equivalent of lingering at the conference table to gossip. Kimberly Cummings, a career coach in NYC, advises trying to recreate as many of these casual professional encounters as possible to stay in the loop.
- In reality, the exciting water-cool chats, lunch breaks, and laughs with your colleagues don’t have to be replaced with silence and the glow of your computer.
- Don’t hesitate to interact and exchange contacts with participants.
- At the same time, the main component is missing – socialization and the opportunity to make new friends when you work from home.
- Feel free to put yourself out there, start conversations, and participate actively in various activities.
Some people love sharing the things they wish they’d known when they were in your shoes. 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. Volunteering is a noble endeavor and a fantastic way to connect with others and make a positive impact on your community. You can volunteer in community organizations and nonprofits and meet people who share your values and interests.
Intentionally plan time for friendships
If you’re in the same area, you may even get the chance to meet up. According to Statista, 60% of the world’s population use social media and millions more come online each month. Try to build in time to have social chats before or at the close of a meeting.
However, you could pay attention to your team’s communication throughout the day and notice any exceptional work that also lightened your workload. Shout out your co-worker in a group chat and thank them for a swift save on an important project, or compliment them for always completing their work quickly or on time. They also may have shared something insightful that changed how you look at a topic.Find something you can point out and praise them for and how it positively impacted your life. A compliment might just brighten their day and encourage them to perform better at work.Genuine compliments can make someone feel good — they make you feel good, too. You might even build a friendship based on the kind words you offer one another.
If you think something is hard, you’ll find excuses not to do it. But if you see it as easy and fun, you’re more likely to follow through. Consider making a friend virtually the same as you would making a friend in person. Find a way to connect with them outside of the work setting and take it step-by-step from there. You could follow and message them on a social media platform or get their personal email to make a connection. One way to minimize the uncertainty of approaching a coworker is to be upfront about how much time you’re asking for and what you’re interested in talking about.
Build relationships over video calls
Most towns and cities have some sort of interest groups that might pique your interest. 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.
It might sound cheesy, but ultimately you have to put yourself out there. Remote working doesn’t have to mean being chained to your home office and staying indoors all day. Coworking spaces allow you to mix up the mundanity of remote how to make friends when you work from home working to get out of the house and meet new people. It also gives you a chance to create a healthy barrier between work life and home life.
Work-from-home jobs offer flexible schedules and a comfortable working environment. Yet, the lack of social interaction can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Our guide will give you essential tips on how to make friends when you work from home. If you don’t have any kids or aren’t planning to, the same idea works for your pets. Dog parks and organized dog walks are an ideal way to meet other fur parents, talk about your pets, and maintain a more active lifestyle.
A friendship is a perfect foundation for a relationship, and who doesn’t want a When Harry Met Sally kind of romance? There are plenty of online communities, apps, and websites that can aid you in your search to find a friend. Yes, Facebook might be stale but you can still get value from the platform.
