This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.
Alice Waters.
As we all start managing the transition back to the office, it is worthwhile to look back at the last three months and take stock of what we’ve been able to do. In addition to completely changing our routines and habits overnight, we’ve also managed to not only keep in touch with our colleagues, but reconnect with old friends and distant family members.
A crucial part of the OKW experience is the camaraderie we enjoy with our co-workers. Sharing stories and learning about each other enriches the professional relationships we have and makes work not only easier, but more fun. So what happens when we’re asked to stay home, away from the office and each other? Well, we improvise ... in a manner of speaking.
SHARE
We were using Slack in our office long before COVID-19. But starting in mid-March, it became the de-facto conduit for all but our most important communications. Our Wellness Committee created a dedicated #wellness channel and provided several themes over the course of each week, encouraging our colleagues to participate and comment. Among these were “New Coworkers,” where we’d get to meet OKW’s furry friends, and “Show Us Your New Desk,” a showcase of our Work From Home stations.
CREATE
For the foodies and amateur chefs in the office, we created the #MakinIt channel where we shared all of our recipes for both cocktails and meals. Taking the initiative one step further, the Wellness Committee organized several activities that asked our colleagues to tap into their natural creativity. Although at first, few of us truly thought we’d be working from home through all of spring, but before we knew it, summer had arrived. One of our creative activities was to create a triptych that embodied the transition or change between spring and summer.
GATHER
Of course, there’s no better way to enjoy each other’s company that to get together. We quickly got into a groove with weekly Skype team calls and GoTo Meetings. That was soon followed by virtual Happy Hours with themes to encourage group participation. Some of our themes for these gatherings involved scavenger hunts, trivia, and mixology, all of which were designed to not only engage our colleagues, but to create a space where we could all talk to each other.
And that’s just scratching the surface. We’ve asked our staff to share their favorite recipes, hosted open discussions on our favorite optical illusions, first concerts, competed in a Taco Tuesday competition, and sent frequent brain teasers that test our minds in new and imaginative ways.
All of this is to say: though we’ve been apart for a long time, we’ve done our best to keep in touch and, against the odds, learn more about each other despite the distance separating us. It has been challenging and it has required real, meaningful effort to do so without overwhelming our peers.
We hope you have also been able to share more of yourselves outside your work responsibilities with your coworkers. We’d love to hear what other avenues for engagement have worked out for you.