Culture Dynamics In Chat Spaces
In remote work environments, you set the tone for your team culture in your chat space.
Leaders, I'm talking to you. If you haven’t already, it is time to create some fun chat channels.
Why?
Fun chat channels hold space for people to share about who they are, what they care about, and what’s happening in their world outside of work. Making space for this kind of interaction signals that people are valued as individuals not just for what they can contribute to the company. It should go without saying that this is super important for team morale. Also, it’s fun.
Benefits:
When people proactively show up and engage in these spaces they find that they have things in common and feel more connected to their team members.
The positive feelings generated in these chat channels boost feelings of belonging and fuel collaboration.
Tips:
Amplify the positive impact by creating more than one fun chat channel. Create focused spaces around different interests. Doing this makes it less intimidating to chime in, be a little vulnerable, and share the kind of personal anecdotes that lead to authentic connections. Creating niche channels can unlock even more engagement and connection across your team.
Model the engagement you want to see in your culture. Make an effort to chime into different channels to prompt engagement. Ask a question and then make time to enjoy engaging with the answers that roll in. If you have trouble making time to do this, intentionally add it into your schedule. Your presence matters.
Encourage others to show up. For example, let your new hire know that the team is looking forward to getting to know them in the chat channels.
Don’t forget to express your appreciation for folks that are showing up. Send a direct message to let someone know that you see them and that you value what they add to the conversation.
Audit your channels. If a channel goes dark, send out a quick poll and see if it’s time to retire it.
You’ll know that you’re doing it right if your channels are popping off with people chiming in with thoughts, photos, emojis, and comments.
Enjoy!