Government agencies all over the world are urging us to practice social distancing, which is essentially staying home and not seeing anyone outside of the house.
When you must go out, guidelines dictate that you keep at least six feet from you and other people to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that is especially dangerous to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
On Thursday, global health agencies said close to 1.5 million have been infected and nearly 90,000 have died. If it wasn’t for social distancing, that number would be much higher, officials say.
However, social distancing is a bit of a misnomer. Officials only want us to stay physically apart for at least a few more weeks, if not much longer. With technology you already use, we can remain socially close while still practice physical distancing and keep our spirits up as we ride this out.
Videoconferencing
Almost overnight, the world became familiar with videoconferencing platforms like Zoom, Webex, Skype, GoTo Meeting and others.
Across the world, people are using these platforms to not only communicate with coworkers and clients, but also catch up with friends, watch loved ones get married and see their favorite musicians perform.
That was a first – attending a @zoom_us wedding at 4am for our family in #Singapore! They are on lockdown and couldn’t fly home for the ceremony! pic.twitter.com/ZRr57PGYpa
— Sarah Mosses (@SarahMosses) April 9, 2020
For professionals currently working from home, these platforms can help teams and offices stay connected outside of normal work-related uses. If you have regular office parties, consider organizing a virtual party and encourage employees to grab a beverage from their fridge.
Read Next: 10 Inexpensive Home Office Products That Make Working from Home Easier
Chat apps
If videoconferencing isn’t your thing, you can stay connected with your teammates via enterprise chat apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Hangouts.
That moment when Ken Casey from @DropkickMurphys crashes your @MicrosoftTeams meeting 🤘☕️🖤 pic.twitter.com/2W7aEjMNmd
— Death Wish Coffee (@DeathWishCoffee) April 3, 2020
In addition to being helpful for organizing workflows and communicating with your teammates on critical issues, you can also quickly check in on your favorite coworkers and replicate the water cooler and break room discussions you usually have in the office.
Social networking
Just because you can’t get out there and physically meet potential new clients and business partners doesn’t mean you can’t do those same things virtually.
LinkedIn is a great way to meet new business partners and clients, and Twitter and Facebook can help you stay on top of industry news and stay connected with colleagues.
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