When our small team at CUNY’s Office of Library Services migrated 35 libraries from Aleph to Alma, everything was already high stakes. Then the pandemic hit. We went fully remote. Leadership turned over. Colleagues retired or resigned. I was promoted to Director of Library Systems and suddenly supervising remotely for the first time.
It was… a lot.
To help onboard a new hire—and honestly, to help myself—I started a daily one-hour Zoom room. No agenda. Just “I’ll be here.”
Three years later, attendance is still technically optional. It’s also 100%.
What It Actually Is
Every morning, we log on and work. Sometimes we review support tickets together. Sometimes we troubleshoot vendor responses. Sometimes we prep for meetings. Sometimes we sit in silence and get things done.
It’s not a meeting. It’s shared space.
What Changed
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Fewer bottlenecks. Instead of scheduling yet another meeting or writing long email threads, we just… ask. Problems that might have lingered for days get resolved in minutes.
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Built-in accountability. There’s something about being quietly present with other people that makes it easier to focus.
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Less isolation. Remote work can shrink your world fast. Starting the day together keeps us connected—to the work and to each other.
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Easier communication all day long. One team member once told me she never feels out of touch with us because we start every morning together. That small rhythm lowers the barrier to reaching out later.
The Awkward Phase (Yes, There Was One)
The first few weeks were uncomfortable. We didn’t know what to say. Were we supposed to talk? Not talk? Perform productivity?
I made attendance voluntary—but I showed up every day, no matter what. Consistency did the heavy lifting. Over time, we found a rhythm. We started opening up. We supported each other through personal losses. We laughed a lot. Sometimes we just worked quietly for 30 straight minutes. And that was fine too.
The comfort came from presence, not performance.
If You Want to Try It
You don’t need special software or a formal structure. Just:
- Pick a consistent time.
- Keep it small (this works best with small teams).
- Make it optional.
- Show up reliably as a leader.
- Don’t over-engineer it.
It’s not about squeezing more productivity out of people. It’s about creating a steady place to land.
For our team, that hour turned remote work from something we endured into something we share. And that made all the difference.