Staying Connected...Virtually
As the third week of working remotely draws to a close, I am starting to feel the pains of not having the in person interactions that I am used to. As a vendor and business partner in the Property Management Industry, my days used to be spent at association events, committee meetings, lunches, happy hours, etc. I had endless opportunities to stay connected to my clients and friends in person on a regular basis. Things sure have changed in a short period of time.
Last week, as week 2 of no in person interaction began, it started to hit me that it could be months before our industry could interact in person again. I have to be honest and say that I panicked a bit. I rely on these relationships on more than just a business level and I know I'd be lost without them. I started seeing social media posts about people holding virtual meetings to stay connected and "see" each other. Several were even being held as a happy hour. What a great idea! Who doesn't love a good happy hour? I immediately created an account on a virtual meeting site and started reaching out to my industry friends to see who would be interested in participating in a "call." I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people were eager to take a break from COVID-19 planning to "hang out" with their friends. Yes, we talk about work and what everyone is doing to deal with this pandemic. However, more often, we talk about what drink is in our cups, how cute our co-workers (kids, pets, etc.) are and how we very much look forward to the day that we can all be together in person again.
If you haven't had the opportunity to participate in a virtual meeting, I highly recommend it. While it will never replace the in person interaction we are used to, it is a good alternative. We are all in the same boat right now and staying connected is the break we so desperately need.
I look forward to giving everyone real hugs soon!
Dani Bressler
Toepfer Construction
Last week, as week 2 of no in person interaction began, it started to hit me that it could be months before our industry could interact in person again. I have to be honest and say that I panicked a bit. I rely on these relationships on more than just a business level and I know I'd be lost without them. I started seeing social media posts about people holding virtual meetings to stay connected and "see" each other. Several were even being held as a happy hour. What a great idea! Who doesn't love a good happy hour? I immediately created an account on a virtual meeting site and started reaching out to my industry friends to see who would be interested in participating in a "call." I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people were eager to take a break from COVID-19 planning to "hang out" with their friends. Yes, we talk about work and what everyone is doing to deal with this pandemic. However, more often, we talk about what drink is in our cups, how cute our co-workers (kids, pets, etc.) are and how we very much look forward to the day that we can all be together in person again.
If you haven't had the opportunity to participate in a virtual meeting, I highly recommend it. While it will never replace the in person interaction we are used to, it is a good alternative. We are all in the same boat right now and staying connected is the break we so desperately need.
I look forward to giving everyone real hugs soon!
Dani Bressler
Toepfer Construction
Dani - I agree! It was so nice to be able to see faces/smiles and "connect" earlier this week. Our company is using (Microsoft) Teams for internal "chats" and meetings and we are also using a virtual meeting/software for use with external clients. I'm amazed at how easy and productive staying virtually connected is - thanks!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
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