by Sarrah Salah, Graphic Designer 

Working remotely, TCG’s WinTeam stays connected through weekly meetings to provide updates on ongoing or current projects and to maintain a team rapport. One of the topics each of us presents is our professional and personal good news for the week. We share our personal hobbies/interests, passions, achievements, and family activities from the previous week, and that provides an avenue for our team to get to know each other outside of work-related discussions, creating a productive and collaborative dynamic. 

Our weekly meeting transcends the immediate team and allows us to recognize employees throughout the company for special efforts and achievements. This builds awareness of what other employees are working on and connect their dedication to TCG’s core values. When you are in the habit of recognizing your peers’ achievements, you form an understanding of their capabilities, interests, and values, all of which make work more efficient and pleasant.

In a virtual office environment, you can miss out on “water cooler” talk that can help build connections with your teammates. At TCG, with staff distributed across the country, we take deliberate steps to connect through other means and communicate regularly about what’s on our mind, work or otherwise. For example, I stumbled upon knowledge of my supervisor’s favorite soccer team, a rival of my husband’s, in conversation over our kids’ similar sports interest. Both are huge fans of their teams and are equally passionate about letting each other know who’s better. Meanwhile, I’m entertained with watching the rivalry on the sideline. Utilizing this section of the meeting to share these topics actually helps establish and grow the relationships that are necessary for good teamwork and workplace morale.

Joking and teasing aside, when we need support, we can rely on each other to help out. I do not only feel just at home (literally) but I feel at home at work.  TCG has definitely cracked the code of finding the sweet spot between an incredibly flexible virtual office setting that maintains and fosters a collaborative and engaging work environment.