Brighton Chamber of trade logo
Phone icon01273 719 097
Profile icon
Forgot password?
> Login

Not a member yet?

Sign upClose

Welcome back ! Here's what happened in the last 30 days

User Logo
Profile Icon
Update Profile

07

Blogs Posted

> See all

04

Chamber events

> See all> Post event

07

New members

> See all

00

Member hours

> See all> Post hour

12

Member notices

> See all> Post notice
brighton chamber of trade logo
  • Home
  • About us
  • Chamber events
  • Our members
  • Chamber blogs
  • Activity hub
  • Why join
  • Contact us
  • Business support

Join our mailing list

Join now
< Back
< Prev BlogNext Blog >
How Social Media can make working remotely a little less remote?

Wed 19 / 08 / 20

How Social Media can make working remotely a little less remote?

By Loch Associates Group

Throughout the lockdown period and Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and their employees have had to develop new ways to communicate effectively due to the sharp rise in working from home. According to Office for National Statistics, 5% of the working population saw home as their main place of work prior to the pandemic but this rose to almost 50% during the height of the pandemic.


With this rise in home-working, we have also seen the rise in platforms such as Zoom used for meetings webinars and networking. But what about replacing the more informal parts of working in the office? The coffee machine chat? The passing questions? The afterwork drinks, and perhaps more importantly the need to train, develop and coach members of your team.

It’s now been replaced by interaction on social media which ironically many employers raised concerns about when staff were accessing their social media at work. However, it’s those incidental interactions on social media that are now helping break up the working day, allowing you to check someone’s understanding or offering some advice and in some cases role model behaviour.

We round up 3 ways to replicate the office interaction and vibe at home…

1. Get that face time

We’ve all been seeing our colleagues via team meetings on Zoom, but what about the chatter with the colleagues you sit with in the office? Why not utilise apps such as FaceTime and Houseparty? This may raise eyebrows for some, but it can help to replicate the feeling of being in the same room as someone else. Being able to overhear how a more junior colleague is interacting with clients or customers is important in identifying potential skills gaps or where improvements need to be made. Equally they then do not lose the interaction with more senior colleagues who they rely on to understand the business norms or pick up hints and tips from. It also gives the opportunity to ask a quick question – do you know where that file is? I’m not sure how to respond to this client?…. Knowing someone is there to answer quickly can increase confidence and help productivity. When it gets too loud or intrusive you can just mute it for a while. 

2. Instant messaging

Microsoft Teams, Slack, even WhatsApp. Instant messaging services can not only provide those informal conversations you miss from the office. If you were in the office, working on an article just like this, for example, you wouldn’t email your colleague across the room to say: “Is there anything you’d add to point three”. You’d read it out to them. Keep that casual conversation going whilst also avoiding clogging up email inboxes by using instant messaging platforms. Often team chats can be used on this forum for everyone to be kept up to date at one time. Be careful though – these chats would be something that an employee could disclose or ask to be disclosed if they felt the content was inappropriate or discriminating in anyway. 

3. The home office pub

We have already mentioned that the use of Zoom has risen for things like team meetings and networking events, but what about the more social aspects of work like the afterwork trip to the local pub? Keep that connection between employees going by hosting a get together on Zoom. Use the screen share feature to host quizzes and unlike a more ‘important’ Zoom meeting interruptions from the kids and pets may bring some amusement! You could even have a go at learning a tik tok dance together – that really would cover off a few social media platforms!

Here is ours – https://www.instagram.com/p/CBcxcLnHKUw/?igshid=1jzmyzu9nw9gw


Sally Bedeau, HR Consultant at Loch Associates Group


Sally Bedeau, HR Consultant at Loch Associates Group

You might also like:

featured image

Fri 10 / 11 / 17

Connecting to combat loneliness

> Read more
featured image

Wed 01 / 04 / 20

How can we keep connected in these unconnected times?

> Read more


If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk

brighton chamber of trade logo
+44 (0)1273 719 097info@brightonchamber.co.uk
About our eventsSponsor an eventBrighton SummitConstruction Voice
T&CsFAQsJoin our mailing list
Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce © 2019
Web build and development by MadisonDesign collaboration Madison and Reborn

We use cookies to make your experience using our website better.