Building connection and culture when you're not in the same building

We all felt it immediately – we miss being with our team members! So how do we continue to build and maintain a sense of camaraderie when we’re no longer gathering at the office water cooler?

Posted on 04/30/2020 by Austin Chamber

  • Kristie Gonzales - President & General Manager, KVUE

The KVUE team is using humor and creativity by showing up to virtual meetings in hilarious costumes.

  • Tam Hawkins - President & CEO, Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce

    The Austin Black Chamber is having “Fri-Yay” days, which is a modified closing happy hour where we use digital technology to connect while ordering from our member companies. It’s important now more than ever to support the business community! Personally, we attend church service as a whole family, and it was such a profound joy to have Easter service in Jerusalem, with renowned singer, Kirk Franklin, in the background. We were on the Zoom call for hours having cocktails during brunch.

  • Kristin Marcum - President, Elizabeth Christian Public Relations

    It’s all about Zoom and Google Hangouts right now! I connect with my ECPR team by Google Hangout every Monday morning. Outside of work, I’ve done everything from baking classes with my youngest son to a hip hop dance class with college friends to a weekly happy hour with my neighborhood girlfriends and Barre3 classes by Zoom. As the only adult in a house with three boys right now, I’ve never appreciated technology so much.

  • Mellie Price - Managing Director, Commercialization, Texas Health CoLab; Executive Director, Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs

    We have SO MUCH ZOOM TIME and together time at UT/Dell Med right now that our form of support is to give each other a break from video meetings and encourage going out to walk/get sun/pet a dog/see the kiddos, etc!

  • Leslie Wingo - President & CEO, Sanders\Wingo

    We are working with Impact Speaking Lab as they have created a training for co-workers to connect and create during this crazy time of COVID-19. Given what people are dealing with and at this heightened level of uncertainty, we are working with them to give people peace of mind while being productive. My team is in the second module and it is so refreshing for people to share openly and honestly and allow us to see them for who they are. IT is amazing!

Here at the Chamber, we've all become Zoom enthusiasts. We have a highly social and engaged team. We love playing with different backgrounds and using the chat and reaction features. (Pro tip: You can touch up your appearance under video settings.)

Each Monday, we rally the troops for an all-staff check-in to make sure we're all marching in step together.

Our Employee Committee has led the way with hosting themed Zoom gatherings including: Thirsty Thursday happy hours at 5 p.m. to toast each other for jobs well done and weekly, themed Coffee Breaks that include: meet the pets, chamber cribs, dream vacation backgrounds, keep your lid on (hats / wigs), school spirit, and FriYay.

Related Categories: COVID-19 resources, For businesses, Innovate Austin