How to Stay Connected When Working from Home

One of the pitfalls of working from home is how isolating it can be. If you are used to working in an office environment surrounded by other workers, it can suddenly feel quite lonely when you work alone. That’s why it’s important to maintain a connection to the outside world. So how do you keep in touch when you work from home? Here are some great tips that you should follow to avoid feeling too isolated.

Hold regular group meetings with colleagues

Since you will not see your colleagues face to face, it is important to stay in touch digitally. Regular group discussions with colleagues can really help keep you connected. Ideally, you should schedule specific times for them. It’s a good idea to have a group chat in the morning before work. This way you can also gain clarity about the projects you are working on together.

Take advantage of social media

Even if you want to restrict social media while you work, they can still be useful for staying in touch. To make sure you don’t waste time on them, it’s a good idea to reserve certain times for social media. This gives you the opportunity to stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues without it negatively affecting your productivity.

Use video calls

The technology has come a long way in the last ten years. You don’t have to be in the same room as colleagues and customers to stay in touch. Instead, you can use software for video calls. Whether you use something like Facetime from Apple or Skype, you can feel connected to people much more. You don’t just hear them, you see them, which can make a big difference in making you feel less isolated.

Set reminders for birthdays and events

You can still celebrate special occasions and events like birthdays by setting yourself calendar reminders. This ensures that you stay in touch with your colleagues outside the office at those special times.

Respond quickly to communication

When you receive emails from colleagues and customers, make sure you respond quickly. If you work in isolation, waiting hours or even days just to get a response can be difficult. So make sure that your colleagues and customers don’t feel ignored by responding as quickly as possible.

These are some of the best ways to stay in touch when working from home. It’s not always easy, but if you make the effort, you will feel much less isolated. It can be a real shock to the system when you move from the office to working from home. So allow yourself a period of adjustment to deal with the changes and to adopt a more flexible approach to work.