Remote work can be invaluable to people with a cancer diagnosis. It saves time and energy from a taxing commute. It can protect you from germs and illness while your body is immunocompromised during treatment. It offers flexibility to continue working around doctor appointments or long sessions in a chemo chair. But the lack of face to face connection can cause loneliness in some people. A recent article on Glassdoor recommended some tips to help combat. A few of my favorites:
- Schedule Social Breaks
Taking a break away from actual work will not only make you more focused and productive when you get back to what you need to do, it is also a good way to get to know your colleagues on a more personal level. Throw a 15-30 minute meeting on the calendar with a coworker for a virtual coffee session. Talking face to face, even through Zoom, and about topics not related to work can help you get to know each other better and have a more meaningful connection.
- Organize a team-building activity
See if you can block out a few hours at the end of the day at a slow time of year and get your team together for a virtual scavenger hunt, trivia game, or even just a more social Zoom call. Once again making connections that go deeper than the projects you're working on together can go a long way. - Make time for personal connections during meetings
Take 5-10 minutes — when appropriate— at the start of a meeting to catch up. You can discuss TV shows you're watching, food you're going to cook tonight, a funny thing your kid said at dinner last night, etc. Bringing a social, human element to meetings will not only help put people at ease but can be a wonderful tool to have that connection you may be missing from an in-person work experience.
For even more tips, read the Glassdoor article here. Also check out the archived recording of our webinar on Balancing Remote Work & Cancer here and read more about Working Remotely here.