Staying Connected in Remote Work: How a Company Playlist Became Our Secret Weapon

As we surpass the 130-day mark of remote work at c|change, one might expect a surge in podcast consumption, but instead, many of us have experienced a decline. With an influx of information about the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to allow our minds to wander, it's no surprise that podcasts have taken a backseat. However, the desire for connection and engagement remains. In an effort to foster company camaraderie during these unprecedented times, c|change's Culture Club sent out an email inviting employees to share their all-time favorite songs, which would later be compiled into a Spotify playlist. This simple initiative has led to a unique way of connecting with coworkers and enhancing our relationships in ways we never anticipated.

Either way, I needed something to listen to. Until one day I received an office-wide email from a colleague, titled “PLAYLIST.” All caps. I’m intrigued. I opened to a simple message from c|change’s Culture Club, which typically plans company outings and teambuilding events:

“Hi all, please respond just to me with your favorite song of ALL TIME. (A song that we will be able to find on Spotify) Deadline: EOD Thursday. THANKS! Culture Club.”

What would I consider my ALL-TIME favorite song? How do I choose?

I selected Noisettes – “Don’t Give Up,” a song that has always given me confidence, starting when I first heard it as a shy college sophomore in theater school trying to bolster my confidence around more outgoing actors.

Once my colleagues had contributed their songs, a link to the Spotify playlist was shared with the company (and now with you).

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (or at least talk to someone else!)

Listening to this playlist of the team’s eclectic songs—from Frank Sinatra to Whitney Houston to Basement Jaxx—I was quite entertained, trying to match the song to the colleague (to my surprise I didn’t get many correct). Not only was I learning new things about my coworkers, I was also feeling connected and engaged, especially as the email thread continued and people who’d missed the original deadline shared their favorites.

This long period of social distancing and remote work has been a difficult adjustment for everybody. At c|change, I think we’ve risen to the challenge admirably, but it still requires an extra effort to feel connection with each other, to continue to deepen our relationships as coworkers and as a company. At the same time, though, that effort can have even more of an impact than it may have in-person.

That’s something our friends at Eagle Hill Consulting discussed in a recent article, “Extreme teleworking can connect us to colleagues in unexpected ways.” President and CEO Melissa Jezior writes:

One positive I’ve found as I telework with my colleagues is a much deeper connection to their humanity. Extreme teleworking has provided new glimpses into each other’s home lives and personal spaces, a view we probably would never have had in ordinary times. I see my colleagues’ books, plants, artwork and laundry baskets. I’ve met my coworkers’ spouses, partners, children and pets. I see the views from their windows, and I see their struggles as we muddle through the days and weeks.

While I would have never wished for this pandemic, I am thankful for the new, deeper connections we’ve found thanks to technology and telework. Going forward, I hope we can find ways to keep and enrich these deeper relationships with our colleagues. And communication will play a critical role in nurturing these new connections.

The Spotify playlist was one such unexpected way to engage with my colleagues and deepen my relationships with them. Our Culture Club and company leadership have been doing that in other ways as well throughout our time of, as Eagle Hill calls it, “extreme teleworking”:

• For one Friday virtual happy hour, c|changers sent baby pictures of themselves ahead of time, and then we tried to guess who is who.
• At another, we played Trivial Pursuit, and the competition was fierce.
• And at another, we played an online version of Cards Against Humanity.
• The Slack channel #puppypics introduced everyone to each other’s new office mates, our pets, including an adorable new puppy.

Through creative approaches like the shared Spotify playlist, c|change has managed to maintain a sense of connection and engagement among its employees during this period of remote work and social distancing. As we continue to adapt to our new reality, it's important to find innovative ways to deepen our relationships with our colleagues, even if it's through something as simple as sharing a favorite song. By embracing our core values and prioritizing communication, we can continue to nurture these newfound connections and grow stronger as a team, no matter the distance.

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