The great thing about having access to an online space is not only that you can be together as a team.
Remote/hybrid workers often struggle to overcome bottlenecks because it is so much harder to understand their co-workers’ current workload or physical location.
There is a fear that “I will interrupt them during a meeting” or “I feel social but know that they are busy”. Such worries can leave team members feeling disconnected and emotionally distant from their colleagues.
Having conducted hundreds of hours of research; we came to understand one unique trait of high-performing teams: freedom of psychologically-safe communication.
This means that not only do team members feel as though they have access to communicate with colleagues- they are culturally comfortable in speaking their minds. At Teemyco, we understand that the best way to build such a culture starts by feeling together.
With this in mind, we wanted to share some tips on how we use our rooms in the Teemyco virtual office to signal levels of availability to each other: no more worries around interruption!
📲. Phone Booth- I’m on a voice or video call with an external party, so it’s a bad time to talk.
🔙. Back soon- I’m away from my keyboard.
🛎️. Get me if needed- I’m off camera/voice, but available to chat if you want to invite me to your room.
🎉. Kitchen- I’m feeling social!
📚. Deep Focus Corner- I’m in deep concentration, please only contact me if necessary.
🧑🤝🧑. F2F mtg- I’m having a physical meeting, it’s not a good time to chat.
🛋️. Lounge- I’m working, but in a relaxed way.
🎵. DJ Booth- I’m listening to music while I work, feel free to join me! (💡 Pro-tip, leave your mic while playing on so that everyone can listen to the same music together.)
Additionally, we also use pop-up rooms at Teemyco for other scenarios. For example, if we have a new hire we typically create a personal room for them to use on their first week. This helps them feel more comfortable knowing where to go, and also reminds other members of the team to pop by and say hello when they get a free minute.
If we have something to celebrate, we create a room in its name so that everyone on the team can have a reason to gather together. In our office, we make sure to acknowledge our wins big or small since it brings us together in our work as a unit, and reminds us that what we do is worthwhile. 💛
Why not put in place a list of “House Rules” for your team to make asynchronous communication and collaboration a cultural objective? It doesn't need to be totally serious, you can dedicate the second floor to team games and fun if that makes sense for your organisation!
Have any other room tips to share? We would love to hear from you! Simply click on the “Feedback” button to get in touch, or reach out to us at info@teemyco.com.
Teemyco is free for up to 25 users!
Sign up to invite your team to build a culture of togetherness.
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