Step 4 - Coworking principles to begin with 👑

The first time you establish virtual office "house rules", huh? Research confirms: investing 30 minutes in aligning on behavioral principles, preferably together as a team, or at least as a leadership team, will pay off! 

The one non-negotiable rule for any online office usage is everyone must be online while working, as the value of a virtual office is dependent on your co-workers! 

🥰 Being alone in an online office makes about as much sense as being alone in a physical office. To avoid people accidentally commuting to the old place, make sure to update routine meeting invite links. Some teams have found morning calendar login reminders useful to get the habit going the first 2-3 weeks.

Are there recommended default rules if you are a new online office user? Yes!
 

• When we work, we are all online in Teemyco. When we don't work, we are offline
• For the next 2 weeks, we host all our internal meetings in Teemyco
• If something takes more than 3 minutes to write in the chat, we speak instead
• In our company, we encourage social talks in the kitchen
• Social lunches (also if 1-2-1) are encouraged
• If we have important meetings we lock the room
• It is OK to invite people who are not in a meeting or do-not-disturb-room into rooms
• When in an external call, we signal that by placing ourselves in the phone booth
• When we feel like taking a social break we use the coffee button so that others are notified and can choose if it's a good time to join

Got it. What what can we do more to make our online office usage work smoothly?
 

✔️ Why are we using an online office? Is there something we miss as we don't meet physically?
✔️ Who is supposed to use the new online office?
✔️ When are we expected to be online in the online office?
✔️ Which different means of communication do we use for what purpose & when?
✔️ What is our physical location work policy?
✔️ Who is allowed to change & add rooms?
✔️ What do we do by the end of the day?
✔️ Which rooms are not allowed to be erased?
✔️ Are expected behaviors in the different rooms clear? (If not, use the room description field to clarify)
✔️ When is it OK to invite someone for a coffee break or game break?
✔️ Which rooms are OK to share the links to the room of and with whom may they be shared?
✔️ Which rooms are from now on used for which routine meetings? (link in upper right room corner)
✔️ Who of us adds our virtual office rooms into our calendars so we can book meeting rooms?
✔️ If we want to add more people to our space - who decides on whom to add & who does it?
✔️ Is it ok to create rooms called Batcave, McDonald's, Spaceship.. what are the restrictions?

gabriele@teemyco.com is happy to help your team with more tailor-made advice any time!