3 Tips to Re-Create In-Person Office Magic in Virtual Offices

It's not the conversations in the meeting that make the magic of the office; it's the important conversations that happen in between that do.

As virtual and hybrid offices have become an enforced reality, companies have fallen into the habit of using video conferencing as a transactional part of keeping their businesses running. It's used to connect with a colleague when you have a transaction to make. There is very little room for humanity and accidental networking. Unsurprisingly team members feel disconnected from the broader organisation and end up working in just a very small network of their direct teammates and stakeholders.

However, from experience, we know that the magic of the in-person office occurs during the time between meetings. Those moments of accidental connection where unplanned conversations drive breakthrough innovations.

The good news is that bringing that magic back doesn't require you to go back to the office — you just need to think differently about the virtual office you have. The virtual office isn't a bunch of transactional video calls; it's a place that makes it easy to bump into colleagues from across the business that you weren't planning to meet. It's a place that gives you easy access to your leaders so that decision-making happens faster.

It's a place that makes the moment in between meetings… Magic.

These 3 tips will help you create that magic on Berst.

Tip 1 — Faster decisions happen when the door is open

Problem

Access to leaders is difficult, and when every meeting needs to be scheduled, this can slow down decision-making because everyone's calendar is packed with scheduled meetings.

Tip

Ask leaders to make themselves available to staff for blocks of time for walk-in conversations.

You should say

"I'll be in my office for the next 2 hrs; If you have anything you need to raise with me, jump into Berst and find me."

By asking leaders to pick a time to be available to the staff and then announcing they will be in their Berst office, we promote rapid decision-making. In addition team members who need to speak to their leader have the opportunity to bump into each other improving the opportunity for mid-level leaders to collaborate.

Tip 2 — Build broader networks by hanging out in the lobby

Problem

Building networks when working fully remote can feel difficult when you only meet other people you have scheduled a meeting with.

Tip

Ask new employees to hang out in the lobby for long periods of time during their onboarding period. This gives them an opportunity to introduce themselves to other staff who are joining their Berst office before their own meetings. This increases the size of the network a new starter is able to build, but also allows their network to span across departments.

You should hear

"Hi, I'm new to the company; I just joined the Sales team; which area do you work in, and what do you do?"

Tip 3 — Create space for the moments in between meetings to occur

Problem

It's easy to fall into the trap of using a virtual office to only host meetings. Each meeting has a specific purpose with a defined set of people. The minute the meeting starts, people teleport in, and when it finished, people teleport away just as quickly.

Tip

Encourage staff to join and stay in the Berst office lobby 5 mins before and after their meetings. This creates more opportunities for your team members to connect in the spaces in between meetings, encouraging accidental innovation to occur.

You should hear

"Hey, I haven't seen you in ages; I'm just going to join a meeting in 5 mins; but how about we catch up after I'm done?"

These 3 simple tips will make a drastic change to how your company operates in a virtual office.

Faster decisions, broader networks, and the creation of moments in between meetings where the real in-person office magic occurs.

If you'd like to see how easy it is to put these first 3 tips into action on Berst, find us at www.berst.io or reach out to Omar Andrade or Peter Lee for a live demo.

Want more tips?

Read 3 more tips to re-create in-person office magic in virtual offices