There are some things that are the same needs between office and remote workers: communication, teamwork, trust, cooperation. When it comes to your digital company, some traditional approaches to fulfilling those needs need tweaking–especially when it comes to mental wellness practices. And it just may surprise you how simple, yet incredibly effective (not to mention, FUN! 🤩) they are to make.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we sought out what constructs a mentally fortified and thriving team in digital industries in 2023.
The coming of the digital age has meant unavoidable change to our world and the way in which facets of it function. Thanks to the internet, from recreation to shopping to communications, you can do virtually almost anything from virtually almost anywhere. This cultural shift to a more fast-paced, augmented reality necessitates adaptation because the world will keep on changing whether we like it or not.
If change is coming, you don’t have to sit back and wait for whatever may come to come. Own it–author what you can about that change! Take proactive action to bring about a strong, cohesive, happy and loyal team of high-performing individuals. Fullmoon’s got your back–we’re here to tell you what has worked for us!
How do long-term high-performing companies sustain their productivity and success? The answer: memes.
In this article:
- Memes are Medicine
- Other Ridiculous Claims
- Keep Calm & Fullmoon On
- Bonus Content You Don’t Want to Miss
Memes are Medicine
Okay, okay… it takes more than memes to build a top tier team. But seriously, memes are medicine in the virtual corporate world as our experience continues to evolve at exponential pace.
When your company uses memes the right way,* there are several ways that you might see enhancement of your team dynamics.
(*It’s imperative to use memes with sensitivity and consideration for the diverse perspectives under your employ. What may be humorous to some may not resonate with others, or worse, come off thoughtlessly or offensively. Maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable and valued will continue to reinforce your employees’ vitality and loyalty.)
Digital Body Language
Memes are versatile and can, in a way, provide context of mood and thoughts that go beyond word use similar to facets of body language (See Jim Halpert for best examples) or facial cues.
Since virtual offices lack physical proximity of coworkers, memes can act as a bit of an avatar to communicate the nuances of humanity online
Zesty Communication & Collaboration
When you’re staring at a screen all day, breaking up the monotony with memes when appropriate can energize workers. Team members can use memes in chat groups, email threads, or project management tools to convey messages, share information, or express emotions in a playful and engaging manner, interrupting feelings of fatigue or boredom. What an easy way to foster a sense of camaraderie and keep the lines of communication open and lively!
Work Hard, Play Hard, Simultaneously
Did you know that “play” isn’t just a basic human need for kids, but is necessary for adults, too? Play boosts creativity and is a healthy coping mechanism for stress. High-performing digital teams understand this importance of cultivating a positive and enjoyable work atmosphere. Memes inject humor and fun into the team’s interactions, serving as icebreakers and bonding on a more personal level, giving morale and team spirit a leg up.
Memes Are Friends, Not Food 🦈🐟
Memes are experiential, and as we know, shared experiences breed connections between folks. Positive shared experiences enhance feelings of belonging, connectedness and sense of meaning. Additionally, it fuels self-esteem and combats feelings of depression, anxiety and isolation. When teams engage in these experiences, it also allows for diverse perspectives and promotes an inclusive environment where everyone can participate and contribute.
Add Color to Company Achievements & Milestones
The perfect meme can take a digital announcement from an acknowledgement to an inspiring celebration! When a project is completed successfully or a team member reaches a significant goal, sharing celebratory references enhances a sense of accomplishment. You wouldn’t eat a cake without icing, would you? (I mean, unless you’re a WEIRDO, but I mean, we like weirdos too though.) A meme could be that *chef kiss* finishing touch you’re otherwise lacking. 😘👌🏼
Less Stress Makes for More In-Touch Innovation
Memes and virtual culture items often reflect current trends, events, social context and cultural references. By incorporating these elements into their work environment, high-performing digital teams encourage tapping into creative expressions and plant seeds of innovation. Inspiration from popular memes or cultural phenomena can ignite unique solutions or creative ideas.
Additionally, staying up to date with the latest online culture by incorporating relevant memes or references into their work discussions shows that your digitally-based workforce is aware of the world outside of the immediate task at hand and stays plugged into broader cultural happenings.
The Receipts
And just exactly how do we know that memes, of all the things, can have therapeutic, team-enhancing effects? Why, science of course!
When it comes to mental wellbeing, specifically mental health and mental illness, meme culture can be the dark humor that a lot of us humans have that in some twisted way helps lift us up from despair or overwhelm. Digital natives, or those folks who have grown up in this new era surrounded by modern, interlinked technologies, know the place that memes have in challenging stigmas around mental health topics and bringing awareness and understanding of them to the general populace. And we have learned how to use memes to cope with mental struggles (article CW: mental illness, depression, suicide).
But memes aren’t the only thing that can foster a healthful digital workspace.
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Other Ridiculous Claims
Emojis & GIFs Belong in Professional Conversations
Similarly to memes, emojis and GIFs are widely used in remote communications to convey emotions, reactions, or to add a touch of humor. They help team members and even business partnerships to express themselves visually and add a lighthearted element to conversations. Using these tools in digital communication allows conveyance of emotions, animated reactions, all with a pre-packaged pixelated meaning. BOOM! 🫳🏼🎤💥 (mic drop)
It’s important to note that the specific virtual/digital culture items used can and should vary depending on the team’s preferences, industry, and work culture. The key is to choose items that resonate with the team members and promote a positive and inclusive work environment.
Psychological Safety isn’t a Big Ask
A huge call of the modern age that has an impressive amount of scientific data that supports the claim is that psychological safety in the workplace isn’t just a “nice thought,” but a proven modern workplace necessity.
Now that we know about it and possible solutions, there’s no excuse not to start working your way to achieve this for your workforce, and your brand.
New Technology Can Support Employee Mental Health
While it’s beyond important to get some good old fashioned exercise and sunshine, there are some technologies that also support your team’s wellbeing and mental state.
The thing about digital solutions that offer therapeutic approaches or support positive behavioral change is they are extremely accessible. Anywhere you are at any given moment, on-demand help can lessen the long waits often associated with accessing in-person therapy. Not to mention, they are convenient, easy to use, and even anonymous at times.
Wearables and digital biomarker apps (FitBit, Apple Watch, Nadi X Activewear), prevention and treatment solutions (BetterHelp, Finch, Calm), and analytic tools (Good Days Ahead, MyFitnessPal, Noom) provide meaningful personalized data, self-managed help and mindfulness enhancers for overall well-being, generalized or specialized virtual practices for mental health, and insights.
Technostress is Real (Panic at the Techno?)
Introducing and using digital tech within the workplace has its perks for sure, but it also can induce technostress, especially when introduced too quickly or with little training. Technostress is a psychological response that manifests biologically to the struggles of coping with various new digital technologies.
Some of these problems include technological breakdowns, negative impact on family life and time off staying separate from work (especially WFH), feeling a need to be available even in off-hours, and being under constant monitor by minute-by-minute reporting of their digital activity, use and location. (Think micromanaging, but with even LESS observational input when used in such a manner). These stressors can cause elevation in cortisol levels, or the stress hormone, which causes adverse effects like headaches, reduced productivity, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and more.
Strong Teams Don’t Always Ever Have to Meet in Person
By implementing team-building and peer-bonding activities as well as the points above, you can craft a top-performing workforce that isn’t limited to the selection of the local geography. After hand-picking remote candidates, you can still get to know them on an intimate level without hosting a pizza party.
Putting on your creativity hat, you can put together an impressive list of activities that improves and heightens your team. Online interactivities can include trivia competitions, paint nights, happy hours, team challenges (and you can even plug in wellness focused events for some true physical effort, like step challenges, hydration challenges, joint zoom yoga, or lead meditations), & virtual game nights. Slack even has a few games built-in just for your team!
Getting down to business, online collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards and brainstorming platforms like Miro or project management tools rustle up results that often end up with more invested staff that leads to more productivity and establishment success.
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Keep Calm & Fullmoon On
At Fullmoon, we pride ourselves on striving to be a high-performing digital company, and that memes means staying aware of our collective and individual mental wellness by being proactive, not reactive. Here, we promote work-life balance, using technology for collaboration, taking structured breaks, encouraging physical activity, supporting remote work with the tools necessary, fostering self-care practices, practicing mindfulness, and–super important here–regularly evaluating and adjusting our approaches.
By implementing these strategies (and sharing plenty of memes), we create and sustain a positive work environment that enhances productivity and supports the well-being of our pack. As a plus, it provides that panache that magnetizes other business leaders to work alongside us time after time.
But I don’t have to tell you that. Our results speak for themselves. So keep calm, and Fullmoon on!
Bonus Content You Don’t Want to Miss
Bonus content: TedX talk by Ananya Cleetus, young founder of Anemone, a FREE crisis management app packed with built-in crisis plan tools, emergency resources, coping skills, and a virtual grounding box. (Also a notable Meme Queen, founder of UIUC Memes For Underfunded Teens and an admin for Microsoft’s meme group.)
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