Find your watercooler

Build in moments of casual connection, however you happen to work

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to find your water cooler, even if it
is a metaphorical one. There are lots of benefits to

(00:24):
having strong relationships with your colleagues or other people in
your professional network. If you aren't going to automatically bump
into each other at a water cooler, then create other
contexts for connecting. There are plenty out there if you
choose to look. Today's episode was inspired by the fact

(00:47):
that in my recent Better work Day challenge, a lot
of participants mentioned that they don't cross paths with colleagues
as much as they used to. I absolutely love hybrid
and remote work. In many cases, it is way more efficient.
It also allows companies to recruit talent that might not
have been available before. But it does mean that fewer

(01:10):
people are gathered around a water cooler having casual conversations
in the break room. Any given conversation about what you
did over the weekend is not going to be that purposeful,
but over time, casual interactions build rapport, which allows people
to work together with more trust. But just because people

(01:32):
aren't hovering around the proverbial water cooler in the course
of a regular day doesn't mean that there is no
way to connect. One pretty easy idea is to sign
onto zoom calls a little early. Often the host will
open up the meeting a few minutes before the appointed time,
just as a regular meeting room would be open before

(01:53):
the actual meeting. If you're in just two to three
minutes before, that is a chance to say hello, to
ask what people are up to, or to mention that
you saw another former colleague recently, or whatever it is.
There's no one there will oh well, I am sure
you are capable of using the time to delete another

(02:14):
email or two if you don't have to race off
to the next thing, Especially if you are running the
virtual meeting, it's great if you can stick around for
a few minutes to chat with anyone who wants to
catch up. People don't have to stay, but maybe some will.
It's wonderful that there are many virtual professional development events

(02:35):
these days, but it might also be worth going to
a few more in person events then you might have
gone to in the past. Maybe your local professional association
has a happy hour every month or two rally a
colleague to go with you, so you have someone you
know and then see if you can bump into a
few more people you know. Tangentially go to a conference

(02:58):
or two as well. Chatting in the hallways outside sessions
is very much the equivalent of a water cooler. Or
perhaps there's a place people in your industry tend to go.
In New York City, historically there have been a few
restaurants where lots of media people have lunch, Or maybe
there is a wine bar that tends to draw up

(03:18):
and comers in the non profit world. Whatever it is,
it might be worth checking out. You might also try
working elsewhere. From time to time. A local coworking space
probably has a water cooler and you can chat with
people there when you take your breaks. And if you
do work in an office, I actually do find the

(03:40):
water cooler or whatever your equivalent is. I know people
who shut themselves in their offices and pride themselves on
how productive this is, But the truth is it really isn't.
I am not saying you want to spend your whole
day gabbing, but if you work with people, connecting with

(04:00):
those people as part of the job, feeling like you
can trust each other and that you like each other
means that people won't assume the worst or take feedback
the wrong way, or any of those other things that
can tank a whole team's productivity for days. If you

(04:22):
work a hybrid schedule, make sure to plan to chat
with colleagues while you are in the office. Organize a
coffee break or a walk or something. If you have
an in person meeting, try to go a few minutes
early to chat with people before it starts. I know
some people like to keep work in friendships totally separate,
but to me, people are people. Even if you aren't

(04:47):
best friends with your colleagues, it helps to be friendly.
So find your metaphorical water cooler, and hey, if you
go to the actual water cooler a lot, maybe you
you will finally be fully hydrated too. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

(05:10):
the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(05:35):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.