I remember being in organizations (physically present, I mean!) and hearing that question. It meant… I want to talk to you briefly about something. It’s not a big deal. It won’t take an hour, so we don’t need a formal meeting.

It was a way, pre-Covid, to talk informally. Even if the “stop by” didn’t happen that day, the two colleagues knew that something needed a bit of discussion and more effort was made to connect.

While I have always known that those informal conversations were important, during this pandemic I am learning just how important. During coaching calls I hear, “I haven’t talked to him about it. It’s not important enough for a meeting. It’s not that big of a deal.” And yet, it is.

Here are some suggestions for how you and your colleagues can have more informal discussions, before issues escalate, as office workers continue to work remotely:

• Use Slack or other messaging tools in your business.

• Use the telephone and establish processes for using the phone without impeding on personal lives.

• Change the default on your video conferencing. Do you always need an hour? Will 10 or 15 minutes do?

• Schedule daily check-ins of 15 minutes with your direct reports.

What are some ways you and your colleagues are staying connected?