Button-down shirts and buttoned-up styles stand ready to hit the office scene, as companies roll out a hybrid of in-office collaboration and remote-work schedules<\/p>\n
While we have graduated from our initial home office crash course and moved into a dedicated workspace, the \u201cBrady Bunch\u201d tiled-screen and Zoom waiting rooms will continue to influence how we connect with one another during our work-from-home days.<\/p>\n
At COHN, we believe every interaction counts. What we say. How we say it. What we are wearing. Our body language. And now, our Zoom background.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, video conferencing threw us into the homes of people who typically would not have extended an invitation. A new business pitch was welcomed with a wagging tail in the background. We commented on art, curated artifacts in bookcases, empathized when children interrupted and laughed when cats walked across keyboards. These mishaps of everyday life crept into our professional world and softened the blows of talking into the little green light on our screens.<\/p>\n
It was this sliver of exposed reality that made us more relatable and built an authentic connection. There was a little sigh of relief when we learned that not everyone, even CEOs, live in an Instagram-approved home. These imperfections have made us more approachable. We became more than a title. We became fellow humans.<\/p>\n
If you are looking to keep an authentic connection while video conferencing, leave that Zoom backgrounder behind:<\/p>\n