“Sorry, was I on mute?” As virtual meetings have become an inescapable fact of life recently, those of us leading remote teams are facing new challenges for connecting with our colleagues. Water-cooler chats, coffee runs, and even half-hearted head nods in the hallway are all so last year. Now, managers must inspire real-world enthusiasm with nothing but a laptop and their spunk. These three tools can help:

Send Tangible Gifts

One of the best ways to bring your appreciation off the screen and into the real world is by sending your colleagues a physical item. It doesn’t have to be elaborate – sometimes, even a handwritten card is the best gift. But tangible objects have a much greater lifespan than a thoughtful email or witty DM. To express genuine concern, appreciation, or excitement for your employees, send them something – an actual, tangible thing – that shows you’re still human.

Cards are inexpensive and straightforward, but there are limitless options. You could send personalized pens printed with a team motto or inside joke, for example. Or print photos from your last in-person gathering and write personal, handwritten notes on the back. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t even need a reason to send a friendly gift! But it will show your employees you remember and care about their lives off-screen too.

Host Office Hours

Did you dutifully attend your professors’ office hours in college? Yeah, me neither. But it’s time for office hours to make a (virtual) comeback! One of the joys we’ve lost in an online environment is the spontaneous conversations that happen when coworkers stop by your office or peek over your cubicle to chat. Sure, the interruptions could be annoying sometimes. But we shouldn’t neglect the importance of human connection in remote work.

Set up an open Zoom room for an hour, and invite your teammates over to chat for as long or as little as they want. Talk about work, weekends, or weddings – anything is fair game! Show each other we can still have regular conversations in an extraordinarily strange world. As a leader, giving your employees direct access, informal opportunities, and uninterrupted time to talk with you is the best team-building activity of all.

“As a leader, giving your employees direct access, informal opportunities, and uninterrupted time to talk with you is the best team-building activity of all.”

Share Personal Anecdotes

Photos on your desk. A sunburned face. New shoes. By working remotely, we’ve lost these important contextual clues. In the past, small things could help strike up meaningful conversations, open unexpected connections, and form lasting friendships. Now, with virtual meetings limited to our faces and manicured backgrounds, we’ve lost the environmental cues that bond us together. In the past week, my Zoom background has rotated between a trendy office, tranquil beach, and outer space – but I’ve barely traveled past the mailbox!

To overcome this sterilization, get intentional about sharing personal anecdotes. When people ask, “how are you?” be prepared with a witty story to share! Talk about something you recently did, saw, or bought. As a leader, you should share something about yourself first to initiate a conversation where people feel comfortable telling a personal story about themselves. Offer others a way to relate to you, and they’ll reciprocate.

“Offer others a way to relate to you, and they’ll reciprocate.”

If we’re not intentional and proactive about how we connect with others, our relationships with coworkers will remain frozen since the last time we met in person. But as the boss, you don’t need to wait until life returns to normal to spark new connections. Take charge, show personality, and say thanks. Better yet, write it down and mail it – I’m planning another trip out to the mailbox next week.

Adapted from Greg’s upcoming book, The Entrepreneur in You →