Aakash Shetty
Mar 23, 2021
My team got more engaging and productive after ditching zoom. Remote work became enjoyable. And we got faster and better results. The secret? Moving from a conferencing tool like zoom to a virtual office!
Remote work is stressful. With constant eyes on a video screen. Zoom fatigue is real. It brings down team morale, energy and productivity. I can’t have my team beaten like that.
I tried creating a water cooler effect. I tried creating virtual rooms with icebreaker exercises. Basically everything in the playbook. But there seemed to be a weird social awkwardness around video conference tools which never left. If this has to work, it has to come naturally.
The solution I found was simple. Simple in the sense of getting rid of all the hassle for communication. Getting rid of unnecessary links, scheduling and letting my team work just like back in the office. Whenever they want, teammates can now connect with one click for collaboration, feedback or for a casual chat.
In short, making sure they know that somebody is there if they need to talk or need help. We are a team after all.
So, we ditched other video conference tools and started using a virtual office.
A virtual offices main feature is its virtual rooms with an instant audio channel (like clubhouse without the noise). An audio first channel for quick conversation and collaboration works way better than having your team on a video conference call. It allows the team to feel more connected while being flexible and spontaneous. Bringing together the benefits of remote and office work.
So now, rather than scheduling and creating links for video chat, teams work in separate audio channels where they can move as they please or simply choose to focus. The meetings are more productive and engaging.
Once a week, we have a time-boxed event. Where teammates can join any channels and work with different teammates. The goal of the meeting is not to be productive, but simply to chat and exchange ideas while working. Just as if we were sitting next to each other.
With its instant voice/video call and screen-sharing features. Virtual offices are intuitive, beautiful and simple to use. And has boosted team energy and bonding around remote work, making it enjoyable and productive.