Procurement: The Ultimate Guide to Staying Online
Day 6 and you might feel like your online goose is cooked after two long years of virtual meetings and Zoom drinks. And that’s not likely to end anytime soon either. So how do we keep smiling online?
Do you have Zoom fatigue? We’re feeling it too. So, we put our heads together and came up with this index of solutions to help you get through! Here they are, from A-Z.
Workers the world over are Zoomed out! Of course there were face-to-face meetings in the office, but while working from home, Zoom meetings proliferated and sentenced us to countless hours of sitting down (and zoning out.)
We’ve definitely had this problem, so instead of prescribing you with a ‘How To Be Engaged’, we crowdsourced activities from our Procurious staff that would keep them engaged and effusively contributing to meetings – and let me tell you, we were not disappointed.
Here, then, is our A-Z of tried and true ways our staff invented to stay engaged:
A is for Art
In our weekly Zoom meetings, we asked our staff to bring a picture of their favourite artwork. This expertly-curated ‘virtual Louvre’ exhibition rivalled the NGV for variety and fun! And new works are constantly arriving and being adopted as screen savers.
B is for Backgrounds
Besides being invaluable for hiding our living room mess, the Chat Background is an instant portal to favourite locations, dream homes, the sets of favourite TV shows, other worlds: it was kind of a shame to return to our own homes after the meeting finished.
C is for Celebration
Birthdays, anniversaries, and new additions to the team are givens: our team diversified into accomplishments, attitudes, ideas and things we’re grateful for. It was the most uplifting team culture game-changer yet!
D is for Dressups
It’s not like there was a prize for best-dressed, but it didn’t matter: there was a vast Narnia at the back of our team’s corporate wardrobe.
E is for Everyone Else’s Achievements
Undeniably, these are hard times, but the hardship hasn’t – and won’t – preclude us from achieving great things. “Gotta keep those lovin’ good vibrations a-happenin’ with [the team]” because every win is worth relishing. It felt good; it still feels good.
F is for Fashion
A little silliness went a long way to expand the same four walls we see day in, day out. Even though it was less like Paris Fashion Week and more like a Maribyrnong Op Shop, looks were most definitely turned and our models most definitely WERKED.
G is for Group Activity
We found out we had more side hustles than fiverr.com as we threw the challenge out to bring all our special skills to the table. Not a practical everyday skill? Who cares! It sure beats Excel!
H is for Holidays
Holiday snaps ranged from picture-perfect vacations to the odd comedy of errors. And, suspiciously, two of our team submitted exactly the same photo to a screen of raised eyebrows…
I is for Illusions
Turns out magic tricks work just as well over Zoom as they do in person, and provoke the same aghast, dumbfounded, delighted reactions! Try getting a volunteer from the team – you’ll be amazed what they pull out of their hat.
J is for Jokes
Our team’s vocabulary of jokes ranged from the groaniest of groaners, through timeless Dad Jokes, to rollicking knee slappers. The terrible ones are long forgotten; the highlights brightened the whole day. A highlight: “I don’t know what the benefits of Switzerland are, but their flag is a big plus.”
K is for Kitchen
Did you know that scones only require three ingredients? Despite being that easy, the results ranged from Women’s Weekly standard to Better Homes and Gardens landscaping aggregate. But boy did we have a laugh. Turns out Cooking Fails are equally hilarious.
L is for Laughter
With dozens and dozens of memes zipping through our devices every day, it seemed a waste not to curate an exhibition of the very best. Not only is this an inexhaustible resource, it’s an incredibly efficacious antidote to the stresses of the working week.
M is for Mindfulness
It only took fifteen minutes to set up the whole day for success – and not once did a single one of us worry about being on mute!
N is for the Nineties
Or the Eighties. Or the Seventies. Or the Noughties for that matter! While I’ll spare the team the embarrassment, it was like watching a TV special from that era, complete with the soundtrack and all those shops and locations you’d long since forgotten.
O is for Origami
It’s an ancient art that requires little more than a square of paper and a very VERY patient instructor. Well one out of two isn’t bad …
P is for Pets
Fresh from their photobombing and upstaging efforts on important calls, Liza, Pookie, Milo, Frankie and friends lapped up the attention! Pet therapy is the best therapy.
Q is for Quiz
We now know – thanks to the endless volumes of internet quizzes readily available – who is the office Pop Culture expert, who is the fountain of useless information, and who clearly wagged History at school.
R is for Reading
Does anyone else put on a plum accent to read poetry? All it took was a paragraph each (with a cue line) and we ticked off culture and elocution in the same session! (WARNING: do not allow limericks.)
S is for Singing
Share the lyrics on the screen, pump the tunes, for goodness sake set everyone to mute, and let the karaoke assassins reign.
T is for the Truth
Two Truths and a Lie potentially exposes two main things: 1. What incredible backstories team members have, and 2. How astonishingly good at fibbing they are!
U is for Unusual
Voltaire once said, “Let’s explore: if we do not find something pleasant, we will at least find something new.” Well, we definitely found objects, keepsakes, pictures and costumes we never imagined we’d find – boy could our team turn some coin on eBay!
V is for Virtual Drinks
This is not the activity, it’s the forum! It’s the forum that guarantees any activity gets more fun the longer you spend.
W is for Wine
Out of respect for my colleagues, there will be no elaboration on this point.
X is for Xmas in July
How we sang! How we laughed! How we gorged ourselves! And whether you call it Secret Santa or Kris Kringle, what breathtaking junk we gave each other!
Y is for Yoga
At least one wise yogi has adapted this ancient art for the office, proffering stretches that can be done from the comfort of your own chair. Again: be sure you mute everyone.
Z is for Zumba
No one was prepared for how incredibly fun this high-octane, heart-pounding workout was! It was impossible not to join in even a tiny bit. Cameras and microphones were, wisely, optional.
And now the most important point: we don’t for a moment expect anyone to tick off each letter, systematically prescribing these activities to a bemused team. Rather, we guarantee that, upon throwing down the gauntlet, you’ll be presented with your own unique list. Prepare to be delighted by its breadth of creativity, silliness, craftiness, originality and, above all, potential for engagement!
Do you ever feel Zoom meetings get stale? Trust us: your team has the antidote. And in the meantime, check out this article and learn the best ways to bring fresh approaches to your meetings.
