Truly, jumping back into a social life after so many months of lockdown can be jarring, and everyone’s taking it at their own pace. I tried lingering at a few of my meetings last week, and I am here to report that it was a great idea. Because the last person at a group mentorship meeting happened to be the hosts, I got some one-on-one face time with them that I wouldn’t ordinarily get to have.
But just because we’re not physically in the same room doesn’t mean we can’t make friends with our colleagues! They both involve putting yourself out there, getting to know someone new, and making a connection. Being single and working from home means meeting romantic partners might require more than usual time and effort.
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From webinars to online workshops, these events are gold mines for meeting new people. Don’t hesitate to interact and exchange contacts with participants. If you live in the same area as a co-worker, you can hang out with them — safely and socially distanced, if need be — even if you both work at home. That may seem obvious, but as a person who knows that I have several colleagues in my area that I’ve never met, I know that it’s not. Cummings has some great ideas about how to integrate phone calls into your professional life, even if you’re not used to it. “If a meeting ended five minutes early and you would have debriefed with a colleague, reach out and see if you can hop on a quick call,” she says.
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Enhance your social circle and combat home-office loneliness with these tips! Even if you don’t make lifelong friends, you’re at least giving yourself the chance to be active and happy through work-life balance. Maybe the most important takeaway for how to make friends working from home is that it has to coincide with your own interests and work life. That is to say, the best way to socialize might just be by involving others in your work-life balance. You should firmly believe that you’re the biggest advocate of your own happiness and urge to make friends.
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It stems from a lack of meaningful human connections, which are essential for our emotional well-being. To understand loneliness, it’s crucial to recognize the various types of connections that contribute to our sense of belonging. Making friends at work is all about replicating some of the things that used to serve us in our work lives within this new paradigm. For example, if you generally had a team outing on the last Friday of the month, coordinate team happy hours at that same time to celebrate the end of the workweek, says Cummings. Pre-pandemic, talking on the phone felt like something we did way back when Facetime wasn’t a thing.
Combating Loneliness in a Remote Work Setting
Sharing your profile and accepting friend requests can be a good way to get to know more about your co-workers if you feel comfortable doing so. If you share photos and tag them in communal pictures or events, you start to build the connections. You can also use social media to find an an in-person or virtual event both of you can attend. If you connect via social media, you’ll have a way to chat with co-workers out of hours.
- Lots of companies have social channels, alumni channels, and community channels on Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- Or, Cummings recommends, you can try something that introduces some of the accidental nature of water cooler conversations back into your virtual world.
- Whether it’s an online book club or a fitness class, participating in regular activities helps you connect with others who share your interests.
- Being an adult in today’s world comes with its own set of complications.
- The camaraderie with fellow volunteers can blossom into lasting friendships.
- If you’re struggling to come up with the right words, ask your new colleague to tell you more about their role or their team.
- But how do you make friends working from home when you rarely spend time together in the office?
- You can find people with similar interests and experiences and exchange ideas.
- Dog parks and organized dog walks are an ideal way to meet other fur parents, talk about your pets, and maintain a more active lifestyle.
- “Most people are flattered when a colleague wants to get to know them better, Cook says.
Lonely employees, in contrast, are less productive and more likely to leave their jobs. I teach English in Madrid, and I have a degree in English Literature and Psychology. And my passion is helping ambitious, creative millennials achieve everything they want in life, career and relationships.
Begin working now if you want to discover some acquaintances and adventures. You don’t need to start communicating with people during training – it is better to devote this time to self-care and your well-being. Work from home is a great opportunity to take better care of yourself, lead a healthy lifestyle and improve your diet. You don’t have to spend extra time traveling by public transport and eventually getting late to your workspace. Another interesting opportunity to make friends when you work from home is to join an interest group. You can join a book club, take up painting, attend a cooking class with your neighbors, or do other activities that you want.
The main secret of coworking is the great chance to work in a relaxed atmosphere, doing whatever you want and love. You can also drink coffee, grab a snack, and chat in a relaxed atmosphere during a break while discussing interests or everyday problems. This space is adapted specifically for freelancers and people who work from home. Understanding each other’s interests will expand the circle of friends immediately. Make an appointment in a crowded, trusted place to organize the most favorable environment for a joint holiday.
For instance, nodding your how to make friends when you work from home head when people are speaking shows you are listening. When it’s your turn to speak, try to use your colleagues’ names. Halpern suggests saying, “I want to build on what Bob said, or, Susan makes a good point.” Halpern explains that people rarely use colleagues’ names and people love to hear their name. “Meeting up with people in-person helps a lot, especially for extroverts,” Duffy says.
Give them their space, and consider connecting with colleagues who are more public and open to interacting on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and beyond. That colleague who’s always sharing recipes and photos of the gorgeous meals they make on their personal blog will probably appreciate your likes and comments on their posts. Make the time to ask people how they’re doing and be open to talking about more than work. Ask about their favorite hobbies or for a book, podcast, movie, or TV recommendation. (Taking them up on their rec might provide fodder for your next chat and it can also help you build and deepen the relationship.) If you’re struggling to come up with the right words, ask your new colleague to tell you more about their role or their team.
In real life or online, friendships are rarely built in a day. If that first virtual coffee goes well, consider planning another. If that goes well, consider making monthly coffee chats a regular calendar item. We recognize that socializing with colleagues can make you feel connected and motivated to work towards a common goal. In fact, fostering meaningful connections and friendships is also essential for well-being and mental health. But do you know how to have a social life when you work from home?
Initiate virtual coffees or cocktails.
When you work remotely, it takes effort to juggle a work-life balance. That quick final email becomes ten — before you know it, another hour is gone. Giving yourself strong boundaries can really help free you up to enjoy more of life outside of work. Friendships can build off the smallest things — it may begin with work-related conversations where you share similar opinions or experiences. These conversations will evolve so you talk about subjects outside of work. You may begin to feel happier disclosing information about your hobbies, interests, or family life.
Friends of friends are a great way to meet people because if you already have a mutual friend with a person, you probably have more in common than you think. Children and teenagers find themselves in environments with people their age and with similar interests. Halpern suggests another way to make friends as a remote worker is to be more intentional during video meetings.
Hop onto social media groups or forums related to your industry or interests. Engaging in discussions is a great way to meet like-minded individuals. So, even if you’re an introvert or you have social anxiety, putting yourself out there might be worth the effort. Your willingness to be friendly will benefit everyone, and it doesn’t have to be rocket science As Cook says, just, “show your humanness and allow others to be real with you as well.” Or, Cummings recommends, you can try something that introduces some of the accidental nature of water cooler conversations back into your virtual world.