1086 - Build Rich, Structured Fun Into Your Remote Workplace with Get Some Class's Joseph Gerstel

Feb 27, 2022

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In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the founder and CEO of Get Some Class, Joseph Gerstel.

Get Some Class is a virtual events provider that builds high-end virtual events for corporate teams. Joseph shares that much of the world has gone virtual permanently. This spawns a challenge – how do you connect your team so that there isn’t social friction and so that there is a sense of workplace community. How do you replace parties and watercooler chats, though? Joseph and his company provide these high-end virtual events that are semi-regular and are actually legitimate fun for your team. There are tons of different options that are curated specifically for your team and business.

Practically speaking, Get Some Class utilizes Zoom. Joseph shares that the challenge with Zoom is that you have to make things engaging. This has to be executed strategically and thoughtfully. You don’t want your team just sitting in a Zoom meeting for hours – the experiences have to be designed to be fun and not feel time consuming.

Another challenge with Zoom is that on its own, it doesn’t support individual interactions. Joseph shares that there are other video programs out there that revolutionize this. Video tech and virtual avatars allow your team to enjoy a more unique, engaging experience, all on a virtual platform.

Joseph shares that these challenges for companies aren't going to go away; most of the workforce that is remote will stay remote. Over the next few years, we’ll only see more of a boom in remote work. Honor the challenge and be willing to experiment and be thoughtful with your team bonding experiences.

Josh and Joseph also explore how to make general meetings more engaging and interactive. Incorporate new, fun things into the daily grind for your remote team. First of all, don’t overcomplicate things. Introduce things casually – let your team make small talk before a meeting, or designate and facilitate simple team bonding activities. You can start small and work up to bigger events as you observe your team’s response. Chill out the social environment a bit and signal that being light and social when appropriate is completely okay.

Fostering this environment in a remote workplace is very important, especially if you want honest feedback and thoughts from your team. You can be mindful and proactive by simply paying attention to your team. Increase your own awareness through connecting to your team personally, sharing things about yourself, and encouraging them to share things. Be open to this sort of engagement and invite your team to participate consistently.

Want to learn more? Check out Get Some Class’s website at https://getsomeclass.com/.

Check out Get Some Class on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/getsomeclass/.

Check out Joseph Gerstel on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephgerstel/.

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