Space For All Our Stuff
Here we are now in the age of multiple video conference calls a day. As the initial frisson of excitement about video conferencing wears off, these calls can start to feel desultory. Also, staff bonding is starting to fray as well, yes?
And of course, as the pandemic and work-from-home drag on, organizations are beginning to face the challenges presented by on-boarding new employees remotely, and trying to integrate them into the company and its culture.
Well, we have a solution for you, derived from nearly two decades of remote work. For years we ran a staff-wide Monday morning report collecting info on what people were working on that week. The report also asked a question of the staff every week designed to help us get to know each other. These were called “Know Your Colleague.” To perk up your conference calls and help your team feel more connected, we offer you a selection (from more than 100) of KYC questions we asked over the years. We’ll likely post more as we cull and organize our lists.
But first, some advice:
- Consider the culture of your company with a question. Will the answers fit the spirit your company aspires to?
- Keep it friendly. Don’t put people in embarrassing positions. Don’t have questions or answers that will bring out grievances and disputes.
- Keep it legal. Don’t accidentally discriminate against a person or group, or collect information you shouldn’t collect.
And now, questions! (We have helpfully organized them by theme.)
Biography
What is your earliest memory?
What is a long-term project you are working on outside of work?
What’s your favorite thing to buy for less than $5?
Name something you were once really good at.
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Daily Life
What was the most recent thing you bought?
What was the most interesting thing you saw in the past few days/over the weekend?
How do you start your day?
What is your favorite recipe to cook?
What do you do when you can’t sleep?
Entertainment/Leisure
What is your favorite holiday?
What is a television theme song you know all (or almost all) of the lyrics to?
What are your favorite 5 movies of all time?
What do you like to do on vacation?
What were your favorite boardgames from your childhood?
Off-beat
If you had $500 to spend on something fun, what would you do?
Who’s conspiring against you?
What super power would you like to have?
What’s the most interesting thing in your neighborhood?
What historical event would you like to see?
About the author
Looking at the long-term of [something something something].
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