We are doing two things:

1. Virtual Watercooler sessions at work. Thirty-minute WebEx sessions where people can drop in and discuss non-work-related topics with colleagues. Good for keeping your work teams engaged and recreating the informal hallway conversations.

2. Podcasting. Using "Cast" which offers a $10 a month plan (https://tryca.st/). The management records a 10-minute morning briefing on their phone which is then easily published for the rest of the group to hear.

Daily standups have helped in keeping our team engaged. We chat on teams and turn on our cameras when we can for meetings.

I've been lucky to have some really good leadership coaching over the past couple of years. Brian Houp, my coach, and I have had a chance to reconnect recently, and one of the things we've been talking about is how extra important clear communication is when teams are remote.

One way I've used our daily check-in is to ensure I'm providing the same updates to everyone on the team, and to ensure that everyone has the latest information about what's going on across our company. When people aren't in an office where they can "read the mood" of things or pick up on cues, it's my role to be intentional about communicating to them things they need to know.

As a manager, I also think it's really important to be aware of the potential insecurity our team members are experiencing. I've tried to be extra intentional about being clear about expectations, feedback and expectations, since team members can't see me and know that I can't physically see the progress they're making and the effort they're putting in throughout the day. I also make sure to remind everyone that breaks are part of the expectation - they absolutely need to take time to clear their heads and step away, and they need to know from me directly that that is ok.

If anything, coronavirus has forced us to embrace technology that we may have been hesitant about at first. Teams has been an amazing platform that we've had at our disposal since 2018 but never fully utilized. Now, I can't see us turning back even after we're in the office again. The ability to share and edit together in a chat, or take control of someone's screen to demo a new piece of software has been a game changer. 

Also, communication has been key! Our team chats every morning over coffee and every afternoon before we shut down the home office for the day (cameras on!). We start by sharing our main priorities and focus for the day and end with recognition for the folks who helped and what we achieved. 

Finally, we have to find ways to have fun. We've had video meetings where we all wear hats or wigs, we've voted for the best home office setup, waved at the kiddos or showed off the cats, and taken each other on tours of our homes.