Try joining Facebook groups of your neighborhood or city and attending their events or make a post about wanting to meet people and make friends. If reaching out to one person specifically feels too intimate, you could put together a group hangout with some people from the office to go get drinks or food locally. You could even plan a more novel group activity like bowling, pickleball, or ax throwing.
Initiate virtual coffees or cocktails.
- “Our work relationships are unlike any others,” says Lauren Cook, a California-based therapist and career coach.
- Next, reach out to your broader department and to other colleagues you find yourself collaborating with on projects.
- Again, it’s just the act of going that can lead to social interactions and help you learn how to make friends when you work from home.
- They also may have shared something insightful that changed how you look at a topic.Find something you can point out and praise them for and how it positively impacted your life.
- Besides WeWork which is in most cities, search for independent coworking spaces in your city and You’d be surprised what you find.
Find a local coworking space, coffee shop, or bar, and don’t be afraid to make small talk. Get to know the people that are literally in your area by going out for coffee and walks, and being open-minded. Bumble now has a specific section for making friends, Bumble BFF. The process of dating and making friends is not so different after all. Whether it’s an app or a website, find your virtual friend and move the friendship to IRL by suggesting to go for a walk or to get a coffee.
ways to improve your work from home lifestyle
How does one join some type of community or social gathering event and make a friend? Talk in a pleasant environment over a glass of protein shake making new friends when you work from home. Regular exercise will help you feel much better, stronger, and stronger.
Guide to Making Friends If You Work Remotely
Consider enrolling in a language class, dance class, sports team, or photography or literature club. Participating in group activities and engaging in conversations can help you enrich your personal and professional life. Moreover, joining online communities and forums can provide a sense of belonging and help you facilitate meaningful interactions and network opportunities. You can find people with similar interests and experiences and exchange ideas. What are your secrets to socializing and making friends when you work from home? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and tips.
How To Make Friends When You Work Remotely
Coworking spaces are designed for remote workers who crave the community of office space. They can be a good way to build friendships as there are opportunities to engage and participate in group activities similar to a typical work environment. Besides WeWork which is in most cities, search for independent coworking spaces in your city and You’d be surprised what you find. The Croissant app is a great tool that can help you find other options.
- To build that friendship, you need to act like a friend would and care about the person’s life, inside and outside of work.
- Use the help of friends and relatives to discover communication channels.
- These conversations will evolve so you talk about subjects outside of work.
- Being single and working from home means meeting romantic partners might require more than usual time and effort.
- Often your work friends become your biggest allies and cheerleaders, helping you attain higher levels of success.
More companies are establishing employee resource groups that bring together like-minded people. For instance, your company might have an ERG for parents, veterans or employees who identify as LGBTQ+. Keswin suggests finding a group that resonates with you and going to a meeting, even if it’s virtual. You might make a connection with someone at the meeting and find out they are in the office the same days as you, and then you can grab coffee or lunch with them.
But interacting doesn’t always have to mean hopping on a video call. Fill in the gaps by joining conversations in Slack, sharing emoji reactions, and liking social posts. The more you engage with a person, the stronger a professional relationship—and personal friendship—you can build.
I want to make connections with people,’ trust really is the foundation… of relationships,” Keswin says. Many companies also have Slack channels that are geared towards employees’ hobbies and interests, such as hiking, biking or pets. Be active on the channels that interest you, and look for opportunities to make natural connections with your coworkers. “Find the sweet spot between technology and connection,” Keswin says. Lots of companies have social channels, alumni channels, and community channels on Slack or Microsoft Teams. Join them and don’t be afraid to contribute to or spark a conversation.
Ways to Make Work Friends When Working Remotely
Just try one with open signups, and you don’t have to worry about a team. The league will put you on one, giving you the unique opportunity to meet people with different backgrounds and interests. So instead of blaming people such as myself for unintentionally giving WFH a bad rep, how about helping us a bit by sharing how you have made friends outside of work? What’s your step-by-step method of befriending a random stranger?
Meet up with people in your area
So how do you create those bonds when you don’t see your coworkers in person? As you all already know, I work from home and have lots of ideas to share from my experience. Working remotely can come with many benefits to employee well-being. However, it can be harder to build strong relationships with your coworkers when you aren’t in the office.
Arrange virtual coffees or happy hours to connect with people. You can mentor students, participate in environmental clean-up efforts, organize virtual fundraisers and make connections based on shared goals and experiences. The camaraderie with fellow volunteers can blossom into lasting friendships. You can find industry-specific groups and even virtual coffee chats for remote workers online. There is also a growing number of communities that host virtual coworking sessions where you can find like-minded people and stay focused.
Still, there are specific strategies that you can employ to fight feelings of isolation, build a social circle, and enhance your working experience. Building connections when working remotely is how to make friends when you work from home absolutely possible! However, if you are one of many employees who feel lonely when working from home, you are not alone. Luckily, there are multiple ways to build genuine friendships when working, even when you only commute to the coffee machine. At Afni, we understand how vital it is to find a community that shares your passions.
After endless chats, years of liking each other’s Facebook posts, and hours of commiserating over everything from micromanaging bosses to the single life, we weren’t just colleagues. Despite remote work’s virtual nature, you have an opportunity to connect with other people in your local community. Begin by researching coworker spaces, meetup groups, and clubs based on your interests to meet people who share your passions.
It might be time to bring this retro fad back, because it cuts down on screen time but still allows you to connect with people in a more organic way. It may feel weird to randomly call a co-worker, but if you use a little planning, talking on the phone can be a great way to collaborate, debrief, or decompress. Working from home has its advantages, but a sense of community is not one of them. Still, feeling connected at work is necessary for our fulfillment in our jobs and lives. Research finds, for example, that people with friends at work are more satisfied with and perform better at their jobs.