CoffeePals Blog

Hybrid Meetings: How to Run Them Productively

Are you tired of the same old meeting routine? Tired of sitting in a room with a bunch of people, staring at a screen and sharing PowerPoints? In this article, we tell you how to run an effective hybrid meeting and actionable tips that you can use to make the most out of the time you share with participants.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Actionable Microsoft Team Hacks to Boost Productivity

You’re probably already using Microsoft Teams to chat and video conference with remote colleagues and think you know everything there is to know about the app. But Teams features tons of brilliant functionality that even experienced users don’t know about. In this guide, we’ll help you discover some mind-blowing Microsoft team hacks and tricks that will help you make the most of your video calls. 

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Fun Hybrid Team Building Activities to Boost Morale

Although hybrid work brings great flexibility, it also means that team members don’t experience the same camaraderie and day-to-day interactions enjoyed by on-site workers. This can leave remote workers feeling lonely and isolated. In this article, we take a look at some team-building activities that will help to keep your remote employees engaged and motivated.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Actionable Tips For Leading Remote Teams

Sparking engagement, encouraging collaboration, building a culture — elements of leadership like these can be difficult at a distance. In this post, we share 7 tips for leading remote teams that you can use to become a better leader no matter where in the world your team finds itself.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

Top 5 Practices for Working Across Different Time Zones

Have a diverse organization that’s scattered across the world? Then, you’ll want to read these top 5 practices for working across different time zones.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

Important Factors to Consider If You Want to Be a Virtual Worker

Like any other job, there are challenges. You’ll need to be self-motivated, proactive, and have organizational skills. Not all remote jobs are perfect, so you’ll need to consider a couple of factors before looking for one. 

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) 10 Ground Rules for Virtual Meetings

There is no doubt that a virtual meeting is an excellent way to connect with remote stakeholders, co-workers, and clients. However, due to obstacles such as not setting an agenda, software issues, and lack of communication, conducting a virtual meeting can come with its challenges. 

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) 5 Hybrid Work Model Examples For Inspiration

There are many benefits of the hybrid work model. For instance, it increases productivity at work, improves culture and employee satisfaction, offers better collaboration, and supports mental health. In this discourse, let’s explore five popular hybrid work model examples, some best practices, and how to decide on a model that suits your organization.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Top 5 Ways of Engaging Remote Employees

Remote work isn't without its challenges. It can be difficult to create a sense of camaraderie and connection when everyone is working from different locations, and that means it's easy for employees to feel isolated and disengaged. So, how can you keep your remote employees engaged? In this article, CoffeePals will be sharing a few of our favourite remote employee engagement ideas.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Best Microsoft teams apps to build hybrid company culture

What are the best Microsoft Teams apps to build company culture? Which integrations for hybrid work benefit the workforce? In this article, we will outline our six favorites and how to choose the right one for your organization. 

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual coffee chat questions to enhance your networking

With vacancies for remote roles on LinkedIn increasing 350% from 2020 to 2021, informal virtual coffee chats have become the standard for many businesses, brands, and organizations. Today we’ll take a closer look at what a virtual coffee chat entails, some example questions to get you started, and some pro communication tips, so you always make a great first impression.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) How to encourage virtual coffee meetings in your organization

With no more spontaneous morning chats in the staff room or shared lunches, virtual coffee meetings are the perfect way to connect your employees and encourage communication.Today, CoffeePals will take a closer look at what a virtual coffee meeting is, how it can benefit your staff, and ways to encourage virtual coffee meetings in your organization.

Mae Woods

September 28, 2022

(2022) The 101 on Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms

Microsoft Teams enables meetings with up to 1,000 participants. This vast capacity is perfect for large conferences, general team meetings for large organizations, and important company-wide presentations. ‍Microsoft Teams breakout rooms are the perfect solution to this problem, as they allow for smaller groups within a larger meeting to form, meet, talk, and report back to the larger group. Many managers are wondering how to create breakout rooms in teams, and we have your complete guide here. ‍

Mae Woods

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual Team Celebration Ideas & Best Practices

While remote work may be convenient, there are many disadvantages to working from home. For example, you wouldn't enjoy those celebratory office events anymore, right? Wrong. There are different ways to have team celebrations online.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) What is Virtual Mentoring? Benefits and Best Practices

What is Virtual mentoring? What are its benefits? What are some good practices organizations should follow for successful virtual mentorship programs? In this article, we’ll delve into everything you need to know about virtual mentoring. Let’s go!

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual Communication: Challenges & Best Practices

As employees have discovered the benefits of working remotely, teams must understand how to thrive in this era. According to a Pew Research Center study, 60% of respondents with a job they can do from home would prefer to continue that way. Therefore, employers should be equipped to handle these changes. This article will teach you how to get virtual communication right in a remote workplace.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual Onboarding 101: Ideas, Tools, Checklist & Best Practices

So, what is virtual onboarding, what are the known challenges, and how can you improve virtual onboarding and the new hire experience? We provide answers to these questions and more.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Water Cooler Talk and Best Practices

Looking to implement virtual water cooler? In this brief article, we’ll take a look at the meaning of water cooler talk, review its benefits for your business, and go over some basic water cooler talk topics and etiquette. By the end, you should be more than prepared to empower your employees with connectivity and relationship.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual Lunch Guide: Best Practices & Topics

In this brief virtual lunch guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about virtual lunches, from what they are to how to conduct one. By the end, you should be fully equipped to host a great virtual lunch for your team. So, let’s get started.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

How To Make MS Teams Memes (Plus Examples!)

Memes have slowly been working their way into mainstream business culture for a while now. Twitter is full of examples of brands using memes to boost engagement on social media, build community, and relate with a younger audience… with varying degrees of success. The CoffeePals team has had a ton of fun trying the Teams meme feature out, and we thought we'd make a guide to spread the word. We'll be explaining how you go about creating memes in MS Teams, along with some examples you can use for inspiration.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Remote Collaboration: Tools & Best Practices For Virtual Collaboration

In a nutshell, remote collaboration (a.k.a., virtual collaboration) is working with others on a project or task without being in the same physical space. This can be done using a variety of tools and methods, which we will explore in this article.With so many people now working remotely, it's more important than ever to have the right tools and best practices in place for virtual collaboration. By understanding the different options available and how to make the most of them, you can ensure that your team can work together effectively no matter where they are in the world.So, let's take a look at the different tools and methods for remote collaboration, as well as some tips on how to get the most out of them.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

(2022) Virtual coffee guide: ideas, questions & best practices

Do you ever wonder how you could sit at your chair, in the comfort of your home, staring at a screen, and still somehow feel exhausted? We’re going to share exactly how teams can have virtual coffee breaks to improve workplace relationships and be more productive.

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022

5 Ways Companies Benefit From Random Coffee Dates: How to create better relationships in your remote team

Chris Carnduff

September 28, 2022