Loneliness is something most people experience at some point and with more of us working remotely, it’s something that can creep in more easily than we realise.
Loneliness Awareness Week, led by Marmalade Trust, plays an important role in bringing this into the open, encouraging people to talk about loneliness, reduce stigma and think about the small actions that can help people feel more connected.
At See Media, we’ve been a remote team since before Covid, so staying connected is something we’re used to actively thinking about and building into how we work – not just internally, but in how we collaborate with clients and the communities they serve too.
Keeping connection part of the day job
For us, connectivity starts with the basics. Regular team meetings, constant Teams chats and making sure we’re not just talking about work, but actually checking in with each other. It sounds simple, but those day-to-day interactions make a big difference, especially when your office is your spare room or kitchen table.
We also try to make space for a bit of fun each week. Our regular Friday quizzes and activities, each run by a different member of the team, have become a weekly staple. Harriett’s picture quizzes are, by now, pretty infamous, and somehow Sally manages to win pretty much everything, regardless of the topic. It’s light-hearted, but it gives everyone a chance to switch off for half an hour and just enjoy being part of the team.
Connection beyond our own team
As much as we value staying connected as a team, a big part of what we do is working closely with clients and we genuinely love getting out and seeing people face-to-face.
Whether that’s meeting clients, visiting schemes, or speaking to residents, those conversations are often where the best ideas come from. They also ground what we do in real experiences and real stories, which is especially important when we’re talking about issues like loneliness and community connection. Just take our work with Stonewater and its recipe book project at Presentation House in Bedford as one example.
Being intentional about informal moments
One of the things you miss most when you’re not in an office is the informal side of work—the quick ‘water-cooler’ chats, the background noise, the feeling of not working on your own.
We’re currently looking at how we can recreate some of that through a breakout space on our new intranet. The idea is simple: a place where people can log in, have their cameras on and just work alongside each other. No agenda, no pressure, just a way of feeling a bit less siloed.
Some of the team also choose to work from co-working spaces, including in Leeds and Shrewsbury, which gives them that bit of in-person interaction as part of the week. It’s not one-size-fits-all, but we think having options helps combat the chance of loneliness creeping in.
Making time to get together
While remote working is a big part of who we are, actually spending time together in person still really matters.
We make sure that happens through our quarterly meet-ups, which are always something to look forward to. They’ve included everything from darts and escape rooms to mini-golf and have given us time to properly socialise and strengthen the relationships that underpin our work. And, of course, no See Media gathering would be complete without good food and plenty of conversation (and an optional trip to the pub to finish up).
A useful reminder
Loneliness Awareness Week is a good prompt to step back and think about this more deliberately, not just within our own teams, but in how we work with others and support the communities our clients serve. For remote teams especially, connection needs to be built in, protected and prioritised.
At See Media, staying connected is something we actively value and that extends to how we grow the team too. Strong relationships are at the heart of everything we do and that applies just as much to welcoming new colleagues as it does to working with each other day to day. As we look ahead to recruiting for new roles, finding the right people isn’t just about skills and experience; it’s about making sure they feel part of the team and can thrive in a remote environment. If that sounds like the kind of environment you’d want to be part of, keep an eye on our careers page – we’ll be sharing new opportunities soon.
