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Donut Watercooler — Connect around the watercooler, anywhere
Spark serendipitous conversations that recreate the office watercooler, right in Slack. Combat Zoom fatigue and include teammates across time zones with asynchronous banter. Get the conversation started using our library of 100s of Watercooler topics.
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Great idea @danmanian - specifically the conversation starters...this is what has been missing in other attempts to do things like this.
Thanks, @ricknucci! Can't wait to hear what your team does with this — you've consistently been some of our most creative users. :)
This is the part of office life I so desperately miss the most! So excited to add this to our Donut repertoire at Bravely!
@tobyhervey can't wait for the Bravely crew to try it out -- i bet the team is going to have some passionate debate about some of these conversation prompts. thanks so much!
We are huge fans of Donut at @gettroops ! Culture is such a big part of success for smaller companies and startups, and it's a lot harder to have it shine through in a remote setting. Donut helps us feel more connected across the company. Very excited for this product as an alternative to "Zoom happy hour" fatigue!
@gregratner thanks for your support! really excited that it's helping create connection for the team at @gettroops
This is great! We were running into this problem on a previous team of how to recreate some more social interactions with our team rather than having everything be work focused and wanted something just like this. Love it!
@clinejj that's great to hear! Can't wait to get your feedback after you give it a try.
👋hi all! Dan here, one of the cofounders of Donut. In the past seven months since we all went unexpectedly remote, the number of organizations using Donut has doubled. We’ve also seen employees finding more and more creative ways to stay connected.
However, we quickly discovered a paradox: while so many of us are feeling isolated, we’re also suffering from Zoom fatigue as we live our entire lives on constant video calls. The obvious solution to one problem only exacerbates the other.
After speaking with customers about their challenges, we learned a few key lessons: 1) When working remotely it is most difficult to replicate the daily interactions we take for granted in an office, like saying hello in the morning, 2) There’s an upper limit to the amount of Zooms you can schedule in one day without losing it, and 3) Teams that are distributed across time zones need solutions for forming relationships asynchronously.
Introducing Watercooler: @Donut’s newest solution aimed at recreating the serendipitous, random, and fun connections that we used to enjoy in the office IRL. How it works: Watercooler regularly posts topics right in Slack, to break the ice and start genuine conversations with thoughtful, silly, and/or timely topics that may even spark some light-hearted debate. The best part? It’s designed to welcome extroverts, introverst, and everyone in between, to create real connection across global time zones.
We’ll be here so let us know if you have any questions, or if there’s anything else we can do to help – and don’t forget to take care of each other. 🙏
Also, if you’re a nonprofit, educational institution, or free Slack-based community, we have special plans for you. Reach out and we'll set you up.
What a great idea! Although I still can't help but think that people can turn anything into an argument.
I joined a slack channel recently and that's where I came across Watercooler. Found it really cool how it gets conversations going between strangers. Looking forward to try out the pairing option.
@hjelliman Thank you, Hannah! We love working with your team, and can't wait to hear what you think about Watercooler
This sounds incredible! I keep finding how much I miss these small interactions we take for granted when teams aren’t working the same place!
@chelsea_church thank you so much! if you give a try, let us know how it goes :)
@chelsea_church Thank you Chelsea! Couldn't agree more -- these little moments really make a difference :)
I've missed even the TV show catchups what would happen while making coffee. Or overhearing them (and then decided to watch the show...)
@steven_lankenau totally, it's the little moments! let us know if you want to give it a try :)
Yes, yes, and yes. As someone who’s now permanently remote (even “after corona” as we all have gotten used to saying) I miss office interactions that don’t circle around work topics. Building relationships is so important to a healthy, functional team. Very excited about this!
@tricia_mehle awesome, thank you Tricia! I feel the same exact way. Let us know what you think if you try it out :)
I just left a meeting about remote work policies and a key area where folks got stuck was employee engagement. This sounds like a great way to maintain and build personal relationships in a work environment where they are becoming strained.
@john_kleshefsky thanks so much! would love to hear your feedback if you try it :)
@john_kleshefsky thank you! I totally agree -- employee engagement and deeper relationships don't just happen. We're excited to help rebuild a little camaraderie!
This is great! What an easy way to start the conversation for all types of people. Would love to try this!
What a great idea! I am about to start a new role at a new company, and something like Donut would make it so much easier for me to get to know my new colleagues.
@maggie_niehaus thanks so much! good luck in your new role, and keep us posted if you have any questions on implementing Donut!
@maggie_niehaus Thanks, Maggie! Our new hires have told us exactly that: Watercooler has helped them get to know the team in a non-work way, without creating more meetings. Good luck with the new role !!
This is such a unique and interesting idea, it really has been a struggle to keep my teammates engaged while working remotely and this seems like it would really help with that!
@andrew_collicchio thanks so much! give us a shout if you try it with your team - would love to hear how it goes!
@andrew_collicchio totally feel you -- would love to know what you think if you try it out with your team!
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