In the coming days and weeks cloudThing will be talking a lot about using Microsoft Teams to keep on top of your personal health during this difficult time and part of that is making sure you pay attention to your relationships during isolation, both professional and private.  

When working from home it’s very easy for your personal and professional life to become increasingly blurred; only contact colleagues when you need something means you miss out on the vital social interactions, small talk and bickering that turn a group of individuals into a team.  

We’re doing our best to combat this at cloudThing and as we’ve had a flexible working policy for a long time, some of this stuff we were already doing but we’re making an extra effort to do it now.  

From posting pictures of your pets to showing that you’re having a beer in a different room of the house to the one you’ve been sat at all day, it’s so important to make use of your Microsoft Teams channels. 

Assign a space that can act more as an informal WhatsApp group for your employees to have virtual small talk and respond to each other in their own time. 

It’s simple things like this that remind us we’re all human and all doing our best – even when we get frustrated during work.  

It’s an old saying that you spend more time with your colleagues than your family and you might just start to miss (some of) them.  

Making time in diaries just to chat is totally fine and should be encouraged as it’s something we all need as we’re are isolated.  

You’re not the only one being driven mad by your kids while working and a sympathetic ear can help you still feel like a team, as well as remind you you’re not alone in all this. 

The fridge is your best friend and your worst enemy when working from home.  

We’re certainly guilty of checking it every time we walk past, hoping some hidden, tasty treat will have magically appeared to take back up to the desk.  

Your colleagues can give you the strength to resist and show off a little bit by posting their incredible lunchtime masterpieces.  

The people you work with will become some of the only faces you see outside your immediate family.  

Whilst we recommend setting up Skype or Teams sessions with friends and family, you’ve access to a lot of people who can all debate, agree and joke with you through Teams on your favourite hobbies. You’ve reclaimed some time back from your commute, you owe it to yourself to spend that time talking about what’s important to you with others. 

It’s going to be oh-so-tempting to just sit on the sofa, after a long day of sitting at your desk; especially with the anxiety of what’s happening with the outbreak.  

Don’t let your health suffer though!  

Let your colleagues motivate you to dust off that exercise bike, go for a walk or do some push-ups.  

Strap on that fitbit and make it a competition!