Bouchard Insurance Blog Keeping Colleagues Engaged While Keeping "Socially Distant"

If there is one thing our colleagues enjoy, it's socializing. Working in HR I recognize the strain this time of working from home and social distancing can put on an organization that thrives on interactions with others. Many of us in the organization have taken a part in bridging this gap. We know it's temporary, but we're taking it as a challenge to stay engaged.Here are some of the ways we've been connecting...Daily EmailsOur fearless leader (CEO), Doug Bishop, has put his writing talents to use and become quite the blogger by sending out a daily communication.They've run the gamut of sports stories, challenges to our colleagues, words of encouragement, motivational quotes, and of course our company's response to the pandemic. I speak for myself and I'm sure our organization as a whole when I say this is giving us a sense of normalcy in a time that is anything but normal. Challenges on our Company IntranetBeing a social bunch, this has been a fun way to engage with each other. Our incredible IT team built an intranet that launched this January. The "B-Hive" as we call it performs like a social media platform. We're able to like and comment on photos and posts that our colleagues are sharing. In the two weeks that we've been remote we've challenged our colleagues to share their work from home spaces, pets, best WFH attire, mugs, and healthy snacks... At this rate, we'll likely know more about each other than we did going into this!Virtual 5KWellness is a core focus of ours at Bouchard, and we didn't want to lose sight of that during this unusual time. We're all out of our normal routine, so encouraging each other with a virtual 5K was a fun way to stay engaged and active.We created a race bib to print at home and encouraged colleagues to run the 5K distance in their neighborhoods.Afterward, colleagues shared their photos to the intranet.Zoom CallsHow incredible is technology? Joining a global company last year, we've become familiar with Zoom meetings. While I'll admit they were a bit awkward at first, they now feel like a pretty normal way to have that personal connection during a remote meeting. We also use them in recruiting when candidates are applying from outside of our market. Teams have been using Zoom to have their normal huddles, and scheduling virtual happy hours instead of in person outings.Our CFO, Matt Elsey, even included his pet goats on a callThese are just a few of the ways we've been able to stay connected. At the end of the day, finding a way to reach out in this time of isolation is what has made all the difference.About the AuthorTaylor Devine is the Talent Coordinator for Bouchard Insurance. Taylor coordinates wellness initiatives within the HR Department. | Connect on LinkedIn