We all say hello and goodbye as one would do in an office, and we use status updates to let our colleagues know when we’re in and out: having lunch, on the school run, in a meeting, deep working, on holiday, off sick etc.

Weekly touchpoints help foster relationships. We have a weekly team catch up every Thursday, which includes team updates as well as a thought for the day. As part of this time, we split into ‘breakout groups’ on Zoom so that we get to spend time with others on the team who might not necessarily be part of our working day. This increases rapport and eases communication between people who may not meet often. It also reduces feelings of isolation.

“I love how we use Slack to stay connected socially and can use huddles whilst working so it is as if we’re sharing an office. We’re encouraged, as an organisation, to be able to work when and where we want, so flexibly (obviously within reason), which means we can each work at our best in different contexts.” – Jo

Our smaller respective teams also have calls/chats/catch-ups/one-to-ones throughout the course of the week to maintain the rhythm of regular conversation and connection.

Making time for social conversations is a priority in our team culture. Lots of us miss the buzz and banter that makes up the good part of office life. At Kids Matter, we replicate this on Slack with emojis, gifs and impromptu video calls. When there are big events going on, we run sweepstakes for fun and there are dedicated Slack channels for spontaneous convo when people are itching for a chat or a break.

We all love a Monday because we see each other face-to-face on our #stayingsocial channel for topic-led convo, for example: movie of the moment, favourite/worst item of clothing, if you could be on a gameshow… – you get the drift? We’ve had some hilarious moments in these chats.

“Because we have several different group chats on Slack, you never really feel alone or disconnected from the rest of the team. Someone is always sharing a new recipe they’ve tried, what they’ve been reading or watching on TV lately or sending funny gifs!” – Lydia

We do, of course, have in-person team days at least twice a year, which are excellent, but the Zoom team days that intersperse the summer and Christmas events are always preceded by a little something in the post – Lydia’s delicious baking, chocolates, fun post-its and many other wonderful things.

The wellbeing of our team members is of the utmost importance to us. We are a community and we all take on the responsibility of caring for and about one another. Checking in with team members and asking how they’re doing is part of this culture of caring, as is regular feedback in order to promote personal and professional growth, empowering us to do our most inspired work.

Now, more than ever, job seekers are evaluating their own happiness at work and whether or not their needs are being fulfilled. We want our team members to thrive in their roles. We aim to make sure every team member is clear about how we will work together remotely, how we keep each other updated, and how frequently.

We know that people are motivated to be the best they can be when they are connected, confident, valued and motivated. All our processes and technologies, as well as our team culture, enable us to connect with our strengths, cope under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Ultimately, we want our team to be fulfilled in their jobs and to love working at Kids Matter!