We’ve all been brushing up on our effective communication of late, and whether you’re on your 5th or 50th article on the subject, we’re all learning new tips on how to continuously stay connected with our employees.

But what about those colleagues who aren’t in our immediate teams or regulars in our virtual meetings? The long-forgotten morning coffee natter about last night’s episode of Love Is Blind, or that friend that accompanies you on your lunchtime trip to Pret, despite it being your new year’s resolution to never go again. 

Under our new restrictive circumstances, we’ve shown great creativity at maintaining the human interactions that normally come so naturally to us. As some struggle with self-isolation and the realities of not everyone being able to share their new remote office with someone, it’s important we stay connected not just for work but for our wellbeing. 

We’d like to share some virtual spaces we’ve created here at Creativebrief. These easy-to-implement ideas better connect the company community and make sure no matter how small your team, you keep those relationships with familiar faces: 

The Creativebrief ‘Kitchen’

And through the power of Whereby, The Creativebrief Kitchen was born. Whether the morning coffee is calling or it’s the afternoon recharge, our team can jump in and out of the live link and instantly connect with whoever else is logged in. Pop the kettle on and take a moment of escapism from work-related topics (as once done in a previous office life) and catch up with those only occasionally seen colleagues.

Breakfast and Lunch Hangs

In the same style as above, twice a week we've set up breakfast and lunchtime hangs. Food envy prevails as we nostalgically remember just how lucky we were with Soho's endless food options while we share which Netflix series has got us gripped this week, with one colleague recently becoming Sunderland til they die! 

Album of the day

As Creativebeats goes on tour, so does our album of the day wall chart. Despite the lack of a shared sound system, our dedication continues. And during that rare moment when we’re not listening to Radio 6, we all tune into the likes of Jimmy Hendrix, De La Soul and the wonders of ABBA’s Greatest Hits. 

Fitness channel 

The slightly dreaded (but ever so important) reminder to stretch and move has been added to our calendars to make sure we take 15 minutes to unstiffen ourselves from our not always comfy office chairs. There’s also a channel that creates a space to share all things fitness to get us up and moving. This week, Barry’s Gym is giving us a 30-minute workout to get us those abs we’ve been dreaming about for years. 

More personal huddle

At the end of each week, we sign off with an update from each team and reflect on the progress the company has made as a whole. As we move to our new virtual realities, we've taken a tip from Creative Equals to kick things off with how we're feeling. Whether this is happy or anxious, we are working on opening up the huddle to our mental health status to ensure every one of us is managing and if not, what we can do to help. 

Socialising beyond the virtual office

The social committee wouldn’t let social distancing derail their agenda, kicking off last month with BrewDog’s online bar. You can order beer through their Twitter, enjoy the music and feel that sense of community your team might be missing. We’re also continually getting updates on the latest virtual developments including the great news that The National Theatre is streaming live plays every Thursday. All the while they’re keeping us guessing about our summer party but leaving us with no doubt how brilliant it will be. 

As we come to accept the reality that this may not be over anytime soon, it’s important we adapt and create new social environments to focus not just on work or ticking days off the calendar, but our mental wellbeing. We hope by sharing our own virtual spaces we’ve given you some inspiration to stay connected and keep your company community close.