And unfortunately, this means that you have lessened your chances of meeting new people and making new friends. To make friends with your colleagues, you’re going to need to let your guard down a little bit. You don’t need to share deep secrets, but you should try to make interactions about more than just work. Introductions are a great way to get started, but often they lead to dead ends.
If you know anyone who struggles with loneliness or social isolation, share this post. No matter what your approach, be that person who genuinely wants to know more about others, and then listen to them like they are the only person on the planet. A step-by-step online training course that shows you how to write copy that’s powerful, persuasive, and 100% YOU, so people will love – and buy – what you sell. The Covid-19 crisis has forced masses of people into work-from-home scenarios and just about every university student into a study-from-home experiment.
Yes, You Can Still Make Friends at Work If You’re Remote. Here’s How.
Places like San Francisco’s The Assembly or The Wing in New York City and DC are prime for mingling with fellow business owners and freelancers. If you’re into setting up meetings with semi-strangers, be intentional about asking people you admire or may have met in passing to meet you for tea, a walk, or something else. Outside of meetings, attending other work events, such as happy hours, team-building activities, or office parties can help you spend time with your coworkers in a more chill and fun setting. Similar to building friendships, it’s a lot easier to find romantic interests if you get out of the house.
It’s that easy to avoid loneliness and make friends when you work from home. Unfortunately, the older we get the more of a back burner our hobbies take. One of the best tips in making new friends is joining a club or group that is centered around a hobby of your choice.
Find ways to connect with colleagues
Even the introverts among us have a need for some type of human connection at work. Long-standing research has shown that 72 percent of people who report having a “work bestie” are satisfied with their jobs, compared to 54 percent of those who don’t have a best friend at work. Research shows us that workplace friendships are linked to increased job satisfaction and overall employee well-being. Work feels more fun and like less of a slog when we can hang out, chat, vent, make inside jokes, and share memes with our friends. Plus, work friends can be a super helpful source of support, advice, and opportunities. Having someone to chat with can definitely brighten up the day and make it feel like less of a grind.
- Some offices may have rules about your background, but if yours allows for some personalization, consider that.
- Membership is free for all but donations are encouraged to keep their services running.
- Some people love sharing the things they wish they’d known when they were in your shoes.
- It can be a great way to interact socially with new people if you wonder how to make friends when working from home.
- And some people intentionally keep their networks on social platforms small—or separate from their professional life.
- When it comes to meeting new people, working from home doesn’t always cater to that need.
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Ideas for Making New Friends While Working from Home
Even if I just go to work there twice a week, it’s worth it for the human interaction. I’ve not just made new friends, I’ve made new friends who actually get what freelancing is about. This is extremely helpful in times when I want to share a win or maybe vent out some frustrations. There are plenty of activity-specific clubs out there, whether it’s something like running or pool. And it can be great fun meeting other like-minded people, especially if they’re in the same stage of life as you (for example, they have children). But more and more remote workers are choosing to work from home – be it to save money, or because they want to spend more time with their family.
- The great thing about taking a class in real life is the fact that there are so many to choose from.
- Working remotely doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor, especially now that more people are doing it and getting comfortable connecting with one another online using a variety of tools and apps.
- If your team is planning a virtual team-building game session, we would advise you not to miss it and use this opportunity to interact actively with your remote team.
- When we work remotely, we may work away from other people, but that doesn’t mean our work is separate and doesn’t affect theirs.
- You can surely make friends while working from home if you follow the tips we shared above.
Big Orange Heart – a charity dedicated to supporting and promoting mental health and wellbeing in remote working communities – is a great place to start. Not only do they give free mental health support to remote workers, but they also offer access to a private Facebook group and Slack channel to allow remote workers the world over to connect. Membership is free for all but donations are encouraged to keep their services running. Bumble now has a specific section for making friends, Bumble BFF. The process of dating and making friends is not so different after all. Whether it’s an app or a website, find your virtual friend and move the friendship to IRL by suggesting to go for a walk or to get a coffee.
If your organization has any clubs, groups, or committees, now’s the time to get involved. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. Don’t let it dissuade you, however, from tapping into the random chat every once and a while. You might get the sense of someone’s personality, likes, and dislikes that would make you interested in linking up with them outside the depersonalized, emoji-filled world of messaging apps.
It is not possible for you as a virtual worker to visit your coworker’s cabin and greet them. However, you can always ping your virtual colleagues and reach out to them. Introducing yourself to your colleagues virtually how to make friends when you work from home and greeting them can be a great way to interact with your virtual colleagues. Marisa Franco, Ph.D., was previously a professor at Georgia State University, where she became an academic expert on friendship.