How to make the most of your days in the office.
In a hybrid world of work we need to be thoughtful about how we spend our time in an office. No one wants to commute just to sit in a bunch of Zoom meetings all day. Here are some ways to make the most of your days in the office. Leave the heads-down work for virtual days.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping leaders and organizations crack their activation codes – finding the simple tweaks to enhance both performance and engagement.
One of the biggest challenges I’m seeing these days? It’s companies still trying to figure out how to navigate this whole hybrid working thing. Most organizations – at least the ones in my orbit – are managing hybrid workforces. And hybrid is probably here to stay.
Yet many are struggling with their teams resenting the mandate to return to an office some number of days per week. And leaders are asking me for help in managing this.
My answer? Lay off the mandates. And help your teams find ways to make their in-person time as productive, engaging, and just straight up fun as possible.
Over the past several months I’ve seen many leaders test out many strategies for dialing up the goodness on their teams’ in-person days. Whether the focus is on driving connection, productivity, continuous learning, innovation, recognition…there are so many fun ideas to choose from. And today I’d love to share a highlight reel with you.
Next time you’re planning a commute – by force or by choice – here are some things you might play around with.
1. Rock a desk swap. I don’t know about you – but when I’m visiting a client, I can generally bet I’ll find them sitting at the same desk in the same corner every time.
And I get it. We’re creatures of habit. No shame. But these days – rather than hard-wired phones and dinosaur desktops, most of us are working on light-as-air laptops and smartphones.
So try packing up your stuff and swapping desks with a colleague. Give yourself the gift of having a different view, being near new colleagues, maybe overhearing a different team’s jargon.
You never know what will spark an idea or help you make a new connection you didn’t know you were hungry for.
2. Do a speed-dating-lunch-hour. When you’re commuting in, I think a human lunch break is a must-have if you can swing it. But rather than the traditional
30 – 60 minutes with one person, try setting up a speed dating situation.
Invite a few colleagues, ask them to invite a few, and so on until you have critical mass. Then set it up.
Pair everyone up, set a timer for 2 – 3 minutes, and every time it buzzes, have people switch.
You can offer up some conversation starters, or let people have whatever conversation feels right.
It’s a fun, light way to build new connections.
3. Set up a brainstorm corner. I love this one. Have a dedicated corner of the office filled with post its and markers. Make the space and its purpose known so people use it.
Anyone struggling to generate ideas or solutions can pose a question on a wall. And throughout the day, as people walk by, they can read the questions and post their own suggestions or insights under the question.
Rather than a formal brainstorming meeting, this is a great, inclusive and creative way to draw people in and generate lots of possibilities with zero fear of saying the “dumb” thing.
4. Have some 15/15 meetings. As in – you meet with someone for 30 minutes. Each of you brings something to the meeting – something you need advice or coaching on.
You pose your challenge, and your peer spends 15 minutes coaching you or offering advice. After 15 minutes, you swap roles. Your peer poses their challenge and you reciprocate.
Could you do this virtually? Sure. But there is just something special about the intimacy of sharing space that sometimes makes it easier for us to be vulnerable – to ask for help and feel trust with someone in the same room as us.
This is a great way to leverage all the expertise and wisdom of our peers. To learn, informally, tapping into the diversity of experiences our colleagues have had.
5. Drop some secret kindness. Look around the floor. Who else has shown up today? Does anyone present deserve a bit of recognition or gratitude for something big or small?
Handwritten notes – even just a sentence or two – have become quaint and memorable. Seriously – when’s the last time you got one?
Grab a pack of index cards and just jot down a handful of notes to the others who’ve shown up that day. These can be super simple.
James – just a quick thank you for your advice on that sticky situation. I gave the feedback you suggested and we turned things around.
Or, Shayla – saw you dropping those ideas in the brainstorming corner. Thank you for sharing your time and insight – it helps us all move forward with more creativity.
Leave these notes (signed or unsigned – your choice) for your colleagues to find. You’ll make their days.
6. Teach a “class.” Like – on coding or data analysis. Or one on cooking or knitting or Italian. Seriously – just something that seems to grab the interest of those around you.
What’s something you know, a skill you have, that others might like to learn more about?
Remember – not every minute of productivity has to look like work. Building connections with our colleagues, spending time learning new skills, practicing teaching and coaching others – is legitimately valuable. It drives engagement which, in turn, drives performance.
So come on. Write that syllabus and they will come.
OK. Those are my 6. What did you think? Does one pop for you – will you give it a try? What secret in-office strategies are up your sleeve? Would you be willing to share? Shoot me an email anytime at rachel@leadabovenoise.com with your great idea. I’d love to add it to my collection!
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to crack its activation code- dialing up performance and engagement. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
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