Socialising in a Virtual World

Being in a fully remote role

Every morning, I wake up, walk down the stairs to my office and begin work. I make a coffee at my leisure and the only noise I hear is the tapping of my keyboard and the steady flow of traffic outside my window. At the end of the day, I begin my 10 second commute to the next room.

I haven’t always worked in the virtual world. Before I became a civil servant, I worked full time as a secondary school English teacher. My work life was filled with noise. From the constant hum of the classroom to the shouting and laughter of teenagers that filled the playground. In the few brief moments I had the time to go to the staff room, I would enter a brief but frantic conversation with colleagues sharing the pain and joy that comes with such a hectic job.

Building camaraderie

Moving into the virtual world has been a big transition. I was incredibly grateful to my team when I joined. My manager set up daily huddles with the intention to discuss work, but we inevitably moved into other topics. On the surface, what can seem like mundane conversations are vital to our well-being, especially for workers who could easily go a full day without speaking to another person. Whilst I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by colleagues who are willing to host regular huddles, it can sometimes be difficult to build relationships beyond your team and area of work.

Extending your circle

I wanted to extend the social aspect of virtual working. After 6 months into my role, I set up a book club. Members have been steadily building over the months, and as word of mouth gets around, colleagues forward invites to others to join us in our monthly chats. I set up a form each month with a choice of 5 very different books. Our books have ranged from crime to comedy as well as heavier subject matters.

We get out of our comfort zone and read books we wouldn’t necessarily normally pick up and each month we get ready to discuss the group’s chosen book. Often, we build up to our meeting over the month by checking in with each other on Teams messages to share our thoughts - of course avoiding any spoilers.

Advantages of a social gathering

I love hosting book club; mainly because I miss discussing literature, but for a myriad of other reasons, too. It is a place where people of all backgrounds and grades come together to discuss a shared topic that is isolated from work. It is informal and a great way to meet people across the department you may not normally come across. In the office you can strike up a conversation with someone in the staff room, but online this kind of spontaneity is much harder. I have met colleagues in book club who have inspired me to read other books and who have challenged my initial opinions of characters and novels. We disagree at times, but it is informal and above all enjoyable.

Top Tips: Setting up a virtual group

1. Think about something you enjoy that you would like to share with others. It could be anything from discussing a sports activity to a crochet class.

2. Decide on how you will meet – will you meet in person or virtually? You want to make it as inclusive as possible to appeal to a wide range of people.

3. Choose a day each month and a regular time to meet. Add it to calendars so that time is blocked out.

4. Use your department’s internal social media to spread the word and invite colleagues to join.

5. Remember to avoid talking about work. Make this a safe space where people can come together to talk about something that is completely unrelated to their job.

Setting up a virtual group will allow you to appreciate the benefits of both socialising and networking as well as sharing something mutually enjoyable with colleagues.

Let me know in the chat if you have set up any virtual social groups in your department and how it is going. I look forward to hearing some inspiration!