5 Benefits of Creating Virtual Coffee Meetings With Your Team Members
There is no question that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the work culture. Instead of completing their tasks in the office setting, employees have recently brought their work home, enjoying flexible working hours, lesser commute stress and increased coziness.
However, despite the benefits of remote work, there is one great downside to it and that is less casual interactions between coworkers. Employees no longer meet each other spontaneously around the copy machine or the break room, which has greatly affected their teamwork, communication and interaction skills.
Luckily, with the advancements in technology, workers can now incorporate virtual coffee meeting breaks to connect with their colleagues remotely and feel like a true unit.
Keep reading to learn about the five great benefits virtual break times offer employees.
Enhanced team interaction
If there is one thing coworkers look forward to the most is hanging out. Whether it is during break time by the coffee maker, on Fridays for happy hour or while attending office events and parties, coworkers simply love the idea of gathering with their colleagues, catching up on small talk or discussing upcoming projects and office politics.
However, when working remotely, such in-person socializations are rarer, sometimes even non-existent, which most likely results in driving employees apart and decreasing their interaction.
This is where virtual break time meetings can come in handy to allow workers to connect with each other and develop a genuine bond even outside of the office setting.
Sense of belonging
Despite the benefits that come with working from home, the whole notion isolates team members, eliminating their need to go to the office and feel like a part of the company. This can be especially difficult for new workers who will most likely not have the chance to meet with their colleagues in person, become closer with each other and develop excellent team working skills.
However, with virtual coffee break meetings, everything will be much easier as both new and old employees can meet up remotely for a casual weekly catch-up to improve the sense of belonging and make everyone feel part of the team.
Increased productivity
One of the main responsibilities of company managers is prioritizing employee productivity. It is their job to make sure that their workers deliver their personal best and work together efficiently as a unit to mutually reach company goals.
Unfortunately, the downside of working remotely is that productivity may gradually decrease over time as there will be more distractions outside of the office setting, less communication between workers and poor interaction among each other. All of these will eventually result in low productivity.
However, with virtual meetings, employees can get together at any time to discuss office projects, exchange ideas and complete more tasks, all while grabbing a cup of coffee remotely.
Cross-departmental networking
Collaborative teamwork is essential when building a strong and healthy work culture. It allows employees from different departments to come together and work towards a common goal, project or solution.
While the best results are achieved in office settings, it doesn’t mean that the same cannot happen when working from home. In fact, by incorporating weekly virtual meetings, employees from various sectors and with different job responsibilities or functions can still meet up, exchange ideas and share workloads to work together for the greater good of the company.
Not only will this increase productivity and team interaction, but it will also reduce the time and effort for scheduling in-office meetings.
Team building activities
Probably one of the best ways to create a positive work environment is to host team-building activities. During these activities, coworkers can get to know each other better, increase motivation and interaction and boost team spirit and morale.
Although organizing team-building exercises is a bit more difficult when working remotely, it isn’t impossible. By incorporating occasional virtual coffee meetings, company managers can engage workers in various activities to promote team bonding which is especially important for creating a healthy work culture. Whether it is scheduling remote “happy hours”, kickstarting a hobby club or simply playing games, virtual sessions can certainly bring everyone closer.
Final thoughts
If you are looking for an effective way to improve teamwork, communication and socialization in the workplace while working from home, then incorporating virtual coffee meetings is a great option. Not only will these meetings keep team members engaged at all times, but they will also help you build a strong work culture remotely which is absolutely necessary for employee retention, productivity and business success.
