Working from home and coffee with colleagues

Being digitally social is no longer something new, many of us are already used to chatting and seeing friends on social networks like Facebook, Skype and Whatsapp. Having digital, social meetings at work is perhaps more of a novelty. It is perfectly possible though, and here are some examples:

At SLU Skara, all members of staff are invited to a daily digital Zoom meeting. There is no agenda and no chair, and anyone interested can join.

The library organises a daily coffee break in Zoom, with between 8 and 20 people participating. Those who wish to join in can come and go as they please. The library has also set up a 'coffee break' channel in Teams, where any subject can be discussed and where people post pictures of their pets, their home offices etc.

'A lot of people will post funny gifs and comic strips, but we also discuss serious subjects not related to work', says Anna Kågedal, head of division at the library.

Tips for homeworkers:

• Assign someone to post regularly to your 'coffee break channel'. Posts could be positive feedback to a colleague, a picture of 'home office of the day' or fixing a coffee date with someone.
• Have a digital coffee with someone you know at another university.
• Take a lunch walk with someone who lives in your area.
• Have lunch with others at the digital language café, run by staff from the library every Wednesday 12–13. Staff and students at SLU are welcome to practise Swedish and meet people from all over the world.

Keep an eye out for digital activities posted in the events calendars on the staff web!