The proverbial watercooler is a longstanding tradition in the American workplace. As staff gather to hydrate, they also socialize, share news, and exchange innocent gossip. As many companies shift from in-person work to a virtual office, it may seem like this practice is disappearing. It’s true that the social element of face-to-face interaction cannot be replaced, but that doesn’t mean that the watercooler is gone for good. On the contrary, many remote employees have found a way to establish a virtual watercooler and interact with their colleagues online. One of the most common ways to do this is by hosting a video conference call with custom Zoom office backgrounds.
Virtual Watercooler
If you’re managing a remote team and looking for ways to establish camaraderie, a virtual watercooler meeting is a great strategy. These meetings can be used to address non-work-related issues and discuss any personal news that other team members may want to hear about. The meeting can be treated as an addendum to an existing team meeting or it might be added to the schedule as a midweek treat. You should use your discretion in determining whether attendance is optional. Mandating attendance may take away the easygoing vibe but making it optional may cause division amongst your team.
It’s important to look up how to use virtual background in Teams before a virtual watercooler meeting if you plan on hosting the meeting on a video call. You may also consider other formats, such as a chat channel, for a virtual watercooler. Though this medium doesn’t lend itself to the expression allowed in a video call, it does replicate the fluid come-and-go nature of the original, in-person watercooler. If you choose this option, you should keep the chat logs open to every team member and ensure it’s available throughout the workday.
Building Team Chemistry
The watercooler isn’t just a place for small talk. It’s a place to get to know colleagues, make social connections, and build the foundation of chemistry that can make a team successful. Without a tool for bonding, virtual teams can become unengaged and ineffective. It’s imperative that you find a way to address this and facilitate opportunities for team growth and unification. Maintaining clear branding is key to unification. When you aren’t in the office, you don’t have the benefit of a shared physical space, but you can recreate the effect with a virtual background for Google Meet.
Another way to build team chemistry is to assign specific roles and partnerships to each member. You might task one of the newer team members with a big responsibility like social media management, for example, but partner them with a more experienced employee to provide guidance. Giving your staff clear tasks and providing the support they need to succeed will ensure that your entire team is successful — and using team projects to facilitate collaboration is a surefire way to build chemistry. Reward and recognize effective collaboration by giving more responsibilities to staff who successfully work with their teammates.
