A virtual water cooler is an informal online space where remote and hybrid employees can chat, share interests and take a break together, without work tasks getting in the way. It is an attempt to recreate the unplanned conversations that used to happen in office hallways, break rooms and around the coffee machine.
Can you design spontaneity? Think back to 2018, when serendipitous conversations at the office were taken for granted and often seen as a waste of time. Three years later, the move to digital work had removed many of the in-between spaces where those conversations happen. Organizations started looking for ways to bring them back online.
What is a virtual water cooler?
A virtual water cooler is a digital space, such as a chat channel or an open video call, where employees meet informally and talk about anything they like. Its purpose is connection, not productivity. It works best when employees can join and leave as they please, and when managers encourage it rather than control it.
A water cooler conversation is an informal, unplanned chat between colleagues, named after the office water cooler where people bump into each other. The virtual version tries to create the same conditions for those chats when people are not in the same building.
Small businesses, for example, have run virtual water coolers that stay open to anyone indefinitely. Any employee can drop in, meet others or start a conversation at any time.
Why do water cooler conversations matter?
Informal conversations build community and commitment. Chats with strangers, colleagues and friends around the office, however awkward, create connections among workers, and those connections make employees more committed to the organization. They also help people learn from each other and cope with stress, which is why they are worth recreating online.
One benefit of being in a physical workplace is the informal conversation that happens anywhere, in the spaces between meetings and desks. Picture an employee who hits a wall and takes a break for a cup of cold water. They meet a colleague doing the same thing, and the two start talking about the challenges of a new project.
That exchange fosters water cooler learning. In workplaces like hospitals, where the probability of stress is high, these conversations contribute greatly to how employees deal with complexity and stress. The best part is that everyone passes through the water cooler, so the conversations have less control and more spontaneity.
Why is it hard to recreate water cooler moments online?
Technology makes virtual collaboration easy, but it does not make informal conversation easy. Virtual water coolers thrive because they operate away from managers. When employees feel their bosses are pushing them to meet virtually, the space loses its value and people find other ways to connect, out of the company’s reach.
People can chat in Zoom meetings or through apps and informal groups. Some informal spaces keep managers out, and that freedom leads to some of the most innovative and creative conversations. If employees feel manipulated into meeting each other, the whole system crumbles.
The only way to succeed is to let go of the need to control interactions between employees. Instead, work on morale and engagement by keeping the whole virtual experience informal. Missing out on water cooler connections is a common hybrid working mistake, and control is the fastest way to make it.
What are the benefits of a virtual water cooler?
A virtual water cooler supports team bonding, generates new ideas, links remote workers to the organization and breaks down silos between departments. Each benefit comes from the same source: employees talking freely about shared interests, outside the structure of meetings and deadlines. For organizations with distributed teams, it helps sustain growth and employee satisfaction.
It supports team bonding
Remote employees are self-reliant. They meet deadlines without supervision and build the skills to solve problems on their own. They also need communication skills to keep work flowing with teammates and managers.
A human-centric workplace meets needs beyond working self-sufficiently. A virtual water cooler gives remote workers a place to connect with colleagues over shared interests. Meeting those interests increases performance, teamwork, productivity and engagement.
It generates new ideas
Look beyond office gossip, and water coolers are where creative business ideas are born. Employees talk freely there, without reservations. Those conversations turn into brainstorming that improves processes and policies and produces ideas for innovation and growth.
It links remote workers to the organization
Many of the best-performing employees feel a sense of belonging to their organization. That is hard to build among remote employees, who rarely meet managers and colleagues face to face. When remote workers collaborate among themselves, they form strong relationships with each other and with the company. They feel part of something larger than themselves, which deepens their commitment to the organization.
It breaks down departmental silos
A virtual water cooler is a space where employees feel free to talk to anyone. The more bonds form, the more the silos between departments break down. Networks form in their place and support collaboration across the organization, improving the culture and cohesion across levels of the hierarchy.
How do you build a virtual water cooler?
Build a virtual water cooler by encouraging interaction without controlling it, communicating consistently, and choosing tools that make joining and leaving easy. Start with collaborative projects and regular one-on-ones, keep the tone fun and informal, show gratitude, and set up separate channels and rooms for different interests and groups.
Seven steps to the virtual water cooler effect
- Encourage interaction. Create collaborative projects so employees work together, even remotely. The goal is to encourage, not to control. Technology that provides channels for connection helps here.
- Connect engagement to results. Help your employees understand why meeting deadlines matters to overall performance, and build engagement strategies that motivate them to meet deadlines proactively.
- Hold regular digital meetings. Keep a consistent link between each person and the organization. One-on-one meetings matter most, because they help people get to know each other and the company.
- Communicate consistently. Consistency tells employees you are available when they need you, which makes them feel more secure.
- Keep it fun. Remove anything that deadens the experience, even when the topic is company strategy.
- Show gratitude. Thank employees for their work, their deadlines and their ideas. Reward good work with incentives or team recognition, and personalize rewards where you can.
- Make communication flexible and clear. People read every behavioral cue. Create a setting where emotions, human cues and personality come through, so virtual interactions feel authentic.
Choosing the tools
You need the right tools to communicate with your team efficiently, especially when people are in different locations. Video conferencing software supports virtual meetings. Group chats let you set up conversations around employee interests, which suits team and club water coolers.
The platform should be easy and convenient for every user. Employees should be able to join and leave conversations as they please.
Setting up channels and rooms
Create channels that strengthen company culture. Give each department its own space, and create another space where remote workers can meet colleagues from other departments. You can also add rooms for storytelling, event planning and hobbies.
What types of virtual water cooler work best?
Four types of virtual water cooler cover most needs: club water coolers built around shared interests, team water coolers for short casual breaks, happy hour water coolers at the end of the week, and office water coolers that act as a virtual breakroom. Most organizations will use more than one.
- Club water coolers: Invite employees to film, book or cooking clubs based on their interests, and host them on set days after hours. Use in-meeting chat and emoji reactions to keep people engaged.
- Team water coolers: A virtual space employees visit when they need a break and a casual chat, away from tasks and deadlines. Group messaging channels, each on a specific topic, let people relax for a few minutes.
- Happy hour water coolers: Move the end-of-week happy hour online with trivia, movie nights, wine tasting and other activities.
- Office water coolers: A virtual breakroom, such as a video meet-and-greet once or twice a week during a coffee or lunch break. Encourage live chat and let people talk about anything.
What are good virtual water cooler games and activities?
Good virtual water cooler activities are simple, voluntary and social: meme contests, pet channels, online game nights, a monthly video happy hour and surprise birthday celebrations. Water cooler conversations support workplace wellbeing and stress management because they rest on human connection, and the need for that connection keeps growing.
- Meme wars: Create a meme channel and let employees compete. Reward the memes most people vote funniest.
- Pet channel: Dedicate a channel to employees’ pets, where people share adorable and embarrassing photos. It gives people a smile and a break that helps them avoid burnout.
- Gaming nights: Pick remote-friendly games such as video games, cards or brain teasers. Find a time between 8 and 10 pm when work is done and the kids are in bed. Options include Wordraw, Settlers of Catan, Skribbl and Scattergories.
- Happy hour: Build it into your culture with a monthly video call where everyone brings a favorite drink to catch up and unwind.
- Birthdays: Organize a surprise video call for an employee’s birthday. Sing, collect money for a gift or a personalized present, dress up and eat dinner together from your own locations.
For hybrid teams, virtual connection works alongside time together in person. Kadence’s guide to bringing teams together covers planning shared office days, and workplace events can turn a social plan into an in-person gathering.
Why does culture matter more than the tools?
No amount of spontaneity or effort will create the virtual water cooler conversations you want without the right culture. Culture motivates employees to do their best and to care about the processes you put in place. Create that culture first, and employees will use the virtual water cooler to connect, share ideas and help the business grow.
For more on how people connect at work, see other writing by Dan Bladen.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual water cooler?
A virtual water cooler is an informal online space, such as a chat channel or an open video call, where remote and hybrid employees talk about anything outside work tasks. It recreates the unplanned conversations that happen around an office water cooler.
Why are virtual water coolers important?
They support team bonding, generate new ideas, give remote workers a sense of belonging to the organization and break down silos between departments. Informal conversation also helps employees cope with stress.
What are some virtual water cooler ideas?
Popular ideas include interest clubs, topic channels, meme contests, pet channels, online game nights, a monthly video happy hour and surprise birthday calls.
How do you stop a virtual water cooler from feeling forced?
Encourage it without controlling it. Keep it informal, let people join and leave as they please, and avoid pushing employees to take part. When people feel manipulated into meeting, they find other places to talk.