Say good morning
With a few simple words and a smile, you could really brighten up someone’s day. Start your morning off with a positive experience and everyone involved is bound to have a better day for it.
Give a compliment
Nothing warms one’s heart more than a genuine compliment where one is due. Has someone given a great presentation? Closed an important deal? Has a great Zoom background? Let them know you think that. Make your compliments real and simple to get the best effect. Make sure you don’t overdo it, though – you want your colleagues to know you mean every word of it.
Connect over coffee
You may not be able to meet at the water cooler, but you can still share a ‘cup of Joe’ together. Offer to take a coffee break with someone, just because. They’ll love it – not only because you’ll have thought of them, but because it’s a simple moment of connection. If you’re in the office, take them their hot beverage. Nothing says camaraderie like remembering the double caramel macchiato with soy milk that they love so much.
Celebrate their birthday
Know that special feeling when someone remembers your birthday? It doesn’t take a massive celebration, but if you bring a few balloons, a nice card or a birthday cake, it will always make their special day even more exciting.
Be considerate
Even if you want to listen to your favorite tune or have a very important phone call coming up, try to remember the other people who have to work at your office, too. Hold conversations in a closed room, use headphones when possible, don’t talk too loudly next to others trying to concentrate on something important that they need to get done. A little effort really goes a long way here.
Volunteer together
There’s nothing that helps a group bond like working together towards a goal important to them. Find a meaningful volunteer opportunity to experience with your company – nothing raises team bonds better. Something like renovating a house or volunteering in a soup kitchen can help you and your coworkers get to know each other better and that, in turn, will make you communicate and work together like pros.
Kindly keep some distance
During the days of social distancing, people can feel anxious or awkward about certain things that were previously normal. If you see someone in the office and naturally go in for a handshake or a back-pat, ask if it’s okay. This shows respect to the circumstances, and gives them an option to determine what’s right for them.
These days you may not find yourself in the office as much as you used to given the worldwide pandemic. But if you do, it’s the smallest things that can make a world of difference.
