How to stay engaged when we are all hiding from COVID-19

“Everything has just blown up!” Said a friend who works at AWS during brunch.

Eventually, conversations just devolve into work. But now, with COVID-19, we have something new to discuss. Or, so we thought. This brunch took place in Seattle, and last weekend a few cases popped up about 8 miles from where my partner and I work.

It’s changed the structure of the upcoming week and month by putting a temporary end to all work travel, canceling huge customer events, and actively encouraging work from home. The following week started looking and feeling pretty light for everyone.

Or, so we assumed.

Enter the AWS employee and brunch mate.

“Everything has just blown up! People are in quarantine, and no one has anything better to do than watch TV. Streaming already chews up so much bandwidth, and now everyone is locked at home watching Netflix or surfing YouTube.”

Enter the challenge.

Copious companies have created work from home opportunities, so it’s not a new concept. It helps businesses stay competitive; it gives employees flexibility and improves productivity.

But now, many are forced, encouraged, or opting to work from home to avoid a virus spreading throughout the community. I live only 10 miles from the nursing home in Kirkland, WA. I’m also 27 and not at high risk of perishing, but I am at risk of contracting it and spreading it to others who are at high risk. As a result, I am opting to say home.

But alas, I still have work to do. It’s not a vacation for me. And it’s not for many others. The job still needs to be done.

Enter the question.

How do you stay relevant, engaged, and productive when all the vices of being home are around you? For many face to face is the primary way we communicate. How do you carry on when that’s ill-advised or prohibited?

Enter the solution.

Video.

The times of video as a master tool of procrastination are over. You can improve your productivity and engagement by using video, especially when large portions of the world are working from home. Laptops open and phones in hand.

Instead of sending an email over to your client, employee, or manager, try video.

Platforms like Zoom or Webex let you have meetings virtually. Remove that little piece of tape that covers your webcam and turn it on. Be present. On your next 1:1 meeting, try FaceTime. Or another social media app that has video calling enabled. Create that human connection.

Send your client, customer, or prospect a short personal video message. So you had to cancel your onsite meeting. You can still have that face to face interaction and create engagement.

Just because we are all locked up in various places, does not mean life stands still. And as much as I wish could hit the pause button on my job, I can’t. Create face time when you can’t be in person. Make yourself relevant. Keep them engaged and be present.