We all know that bots are digital assistants that help us be more productive at work. You're probably used to seeing or interacting with bots that help ease the mundane tasks of everyday work, whether that's helping with onboarding, compliance training, sharing important news, help desk support, sending surveys and more.

But, did you know bots also help bring more fun to your day?

We're entering uncharted waters at work. Some people still haven't met their coworkers face-to-face, while many others are preparing for a hybrid work model that will see them splitting time between working remotely and on-site.

So how do you get to know your coworkers, build a sense of community and have fun while at home but at work? Don't worry, there's a bot for that.

Four ways to use bots to connect remote and hybrid employees

Here are four fun bots that can help hybrid and frontline organisations build a community, regardless of physical location.

1. Even adults can use a little recess

   Thanks to the pandemic, many people have found themselves trying to build and maintain relationships with coworkers in virtual environments where employee interactions are scheduled. That makes it hard to forge genuine connections or feel like you "belong" at work.

   a new bot from the New Product Experimentation group at Facebook, offers teams a mini-break in the day (that isn't another VC) to connect and bond with coworkers.

   

   It asks thought-provoking and fun questions to help reveal the real people behind corporate roles. It gives teams a place to feel comfortable connecting across different subjects – from childhood dreams to favourite foods.

   The bot also grows as your team does, providing a whimsical scrapbook of quirky, collective fun that makes team morale not something you have to address, but something you can cultivate together.

   Recess is free and fully integrated with Workplace and you can check it out here.

2. Automated Wishes to everyone

   Never miss an important event or the opportunity to make someone's day special. With Wishbot from Huminos, you can engage employees by personalising and automating messages for birthdays, company anniversaries and more.

   Manager Notifications will let team leaders know the details about the wish it will send to the employee, their manager and all team members. And you can also request a reminder about upcoming occasions in your team so you'll never forget to spread the good news.

3. Can a bot make you coffee?

   After playing games and wishing all your coworkers a Happy Birthday, you're going to need caffeine. What if a bot could do that for you, too? So Lauren Gilman, a Solutions Architect from The Bot Platform, set herself a challenge. Can a bot become an automated barista that's powered by the click of a button on Workplace?

   It can. After using some technical wizardry to connect a bot to her Workplace account and a WiFi enabled coffee machine, Lauren was able to prepare fresh coffee just by asking for one on Workplace.

   

   You can read more about how Gilman built her bot and other amazing solutions from The Bot Platform here.

4. Share good news with anyone, anywhere

   Want to spread holiday cheer? Enablo, one of our trusted Workplace partners, has you covered. You can plug-and-play their festive bots to deliver happiness and cheer to your people on Workplace, no matter what the holiday season means to them.

   If you're not on Workplace, you can still use Enablo's advent calendar template for ideas to spread cheer with your people during the holidays.

   Find this festive bot here, and more great bots to help brighten your work day at enablo.com.

Have a look at all bot platforms in the Workplace Integrations Directory.

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