Raise your hand if you are tired of hearing the word Zoom? People talk about Corona fatigue but nobody seems to mention Zoom fatigue! If you are running a team you and your employees might be getting a little sick and tired of video conference tools. Here are a few ways to change up the pace a little and add a little spice into your work life.
Snack Time!
Don’t just ask everyone to show up with their favorite snack and beverages. It’s far more enjoyable when someone else is paying for it! Even a simple $10 gift card to any online site is enough to buy a nice little treat to enjoy during a Zoom meeting. Hit up your company’s HR team or your direct manager for the budget and make it happen! Your team will thank you for it.
Meet in person when possible!
There are times when we have to break out of our Zoom comfort zone and the “Groundhog Day” loop of life. Assuming it is physically possible, i.e you live close enough, weather permitting, there’s an open air meeting spot, etc, once in a while meet your team in person. If you live in a warm weather climate you can have a picnic lunch meet up in a local park. Book it in advance so even people who live a bit further can make arrangements to come.
Is this a bad time to segue into the fact that Calendar.AI is developing a feature which will let you know what time to leave for meetings in order to make it there on time?
Be Present
Obviously this isn’t true for everyone, but for some people coming into an office means leaving their problems at home. So if we’re constantly on video conferencing from home we may be inclined to have our problems “in the office” with us, distracting us from the tasks on hand. Managing remote teams means being present and mindful at all times. Keep note of your employee’s body language, their energy levels, their tone, and if they aren’t using a virtual background, their surroundings too!
Be Flexible
In an office setting it’s considered rude to be late for meetings or reschedule meetings multiple times. But with everyone working remotely and with their families possibly at home as well, you need to be a bit more flexible regarding people’s schedules. Don’t be hard on people for the sake of proving a point or for your own ego’s sake. If you see someone is having a challenging time concentrating on the Zoom because their 4 year old keeps interrupting, tell them very calmly, not to worry and to reschedule at their convenience.
And by the way, for the sake of scheduling, if you use Calendar.AI you can send them a scheduling link with your built in availability, making it that much easier for them to reschedule with you. For that matter, get your entire team on Calendar.AI and say goodbye to back and forth emails trying to schedule meetings!
