Many offices are starting to bring people into work several days a week, and others are planning to reopen with limited capacity in the fall. With this hybrid work style, you may not be able to rely on the old routines and activities that led to coworker friendships in the past.
However, there are plenty of ways to successfully navigate this new social landscape while the world gets back on its feet. You don’t want to just put your social life on pause, because you’ll miss out on the many benefits of strong work friendships, such as feeling more fulfilled by your job, having a network of close confidants to seek advice from, and overall improvements in your health and wellbeing. Here are a few tips to help you befriend coworkers even when you don’t see each other every day.
Take advantage of IRL workdays by scheduling social time afterward
The building blocks of new coworker friendships can be put together when you’re in the office, even if that’s just for one or two days per week. As you connect more and more with your colleagues and get to know them face-to-face, it’ll be easier to maintain social ties that won’t get unraveled by periods when everybody’s working from home.
If you strike up a few friendly conversations at lunch or before a meeting, follow through by arranging some kind of social event after work. Remember: it’s always better to be specific and have a concrete plan. Asking coworkers “Happy hour later?” is nice, but it can be difficult for some people to read the level of commitment in this super-casual sort of invitation. Instead, you could say something like, “I’m going to The Odeon for outdoor drinks at 6:00 p.m. if you’d like to join.”
Invite coworkers to join you at career events so you can keep learning together
A great way to make meaningful connections with fellow go-getters in your office is by networking together. It can be daunting to bump elbows with leaders in your industry when you’re solo, but with a friend who has similar career goals, it can be fun and fruitful. Check out professional groups like NY Career Meetup where you and your coworkers can practice pitches, meet recruiters, and connect with nearly 5,400 members.
You also don’t need to be networking to enjoy some career-based social time with colleagues. Groups like Learn Teach Code LA (10,600+ members) provide great opportunities to learn valuable skills in a fun, informal environment.
Invite coworkers with shared interests to join you for an event
Just because you met through work doesn’t mean your friendship has to revolve around career stuff. If you’d rather keep work at work, then you and your colleagues can connect through other aspects of your lives that you have in common.
For example, if you and one of your coworkers both like to be active in your free time, you could join a group like Boston Metro Hike Bike & Social Club, which has nearly 2,700 outdoorsy members. If music is your passion, find a group like House Concerts and Small Venue Live Music in Seattle, where nearly 9,000 folks attend low-key shows and connect with people in the local music scene.
Host online social activities to keep the friendship momentum going
The other half of forming coworker friendships in a hybrid work environment is learning how to navigate the times when you can’t rely on the office to provide social opportunities. If you’re able to lay the groundwork for coworker friendships during IRL time, it’s a good idea to build on that momentum by connecting online, too. Some tried and true methods for making coworker friendships while working from home include hosting virtual happy hours, book clubs, and game nights.
It’s a good idea to organize online events around celebrating office accomplishments and milestones. This will help build camaraderie and form a bridge between virtual work and authentic connection.
To shake things up, you may also want to try a few fun alternatives to Zoom. For example, Clubhouse is a new social app that lets you join audio-only conversations as they unfold in real-time. It’s like listening to (or hosting!) your favorite podcast with friends as it’s being recorded live.
Create your own Meetup group to make scheduling even easier
Anybody who’s ever tried to organize a coworker social event knows that it can be tricky to balance everyone’s schedule, keep track of all the details, and communicate the relevant information to everybody who needs it.
Luckily, by creating your own Meetup group, you can have a simple platform to invite coworkers to both in-person and online events. It’s quick and easy to set up, so you’ll be making the most of your hybrid work environment in no time!
Last modified on July 27, 2021
