Virtual Coffee Breaks Can Connect Colleagues
Talk around the water cooler builds collaborative relationships, promotes mental health, and creates a caring work culture.
This sort of casual “hallway talk” helps to destress the day and remind colleagues of their connections, says Vincent Georgie, director of the School of Creative Arts.
He shares that message in a video for UWindsor staff and faculty.
“As we’re all adjusting to working at home or different alternative spaces, one thing that we’re losing in our daily lives is the great connectivity, the friendship that we have with our colleagues,” Dr. Georgie says. “How do we build in that social component that we’re looking for?”
One suggestion is to begin sharing coffee breaks over teleconference within or across departments.
He suggests setting a time with friends and co-workers, pouring a cup of joe or tea, and logging on to a shared virtual space, whether Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime.