Company “Speed Dating” & Camaraderie
When a company is forced to shift entirely to remote working, there are widespread implications. In the short term, people tend to notice the perks, like the removal of a commute or the lack of distractions when able to isolate fully and focus entirely on a task.
Over time however, particularly within the context of mobility being heavily restricted in non-work hours, there’s a risk of the comparative lack of direct communication mounting. It’s easy to start feeling isolated from your colleagues and from the business at large. For anyone that lives alone at the moment in particular, there is a significant risk of loneliness and a lack of face to face communication taking its toll.
We’ve launched a series of initiatives to help ensure staff remain engaged and up to date. We’ve upped the frequency of our ‘All Team’ meetings, with everyone from around the world dialling in almost every week.
But we’ve also launched what we’ve named our ‘Speed dating’ scheme. This pairs random colleagues together, and the pair is asked over the course of the following week to link up for a video call and find some common ground they previously weren’t aware of. With a truly global workforce, this has already proven invaluable in building connections with colleagues across teams and locations.
On my first call for example, I spoke with Vladimir Somers, who was new to the company and clearly starting in a challenging environment. We discovered that we had a shared interest in astronomy, and in particular, astrophotography. Vladimir had recently visited Chile, famed for its vast open spaces, dry climate and perfect conditions for seeing the night sky.
The incredible photo below is evidence of Vladimir’s talent in this area!
My second meeting paired me with Alexis Elder. We quickly realised that we were both alumni of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and so had many shared experiences.
In particular, we shared a passion for Eastern Carolina barbecue, UNC basketball and Franklin Street’s many watering holes.
Just as the sporting press reported last week how technology was helping professional sports teams, we’ve found these kinds of schemes to be invaluable. Not only providing extra touch points with colleagues, but also in deepening connections in the longer term.
Has your business introduced any new schemes as lockdown moves into extended weeks for much of the world?
Atrium Sports is changing how sport is organised, played, commercialised and experienced around the world.
Atrium Sports puts best practice technologies within reach of sports at every level, to enable them to create new content, engage fans and open commercial opportunities that help grow sport.
