Ahem*

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to remote work!

Working from home is like a car in many ways. You've got your gas engine, your motor, and you're hoping they can work together without taking you for a ride.

But let's not be too hasty, folks - some laughable and pitiful challenges come with this new way of working. Do you have work-from-home colleagues who are too relaxed in their pajamas? Or team members make their cubicles feel like their home?

Then you got the endless stream of Zoom calls, the technical difficulties that always seem to pop up at the worst possible time, and the constant struggle to maintain a work-life balance. We understand them all.

There are ultimate remedies for all your woes: memes!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy these 30 working-hard memes that can make you laugh hard, reflecting on your hybrid work struggles.

Communication Lag

Waiting for everyone to join a meeting 

The agony of waiting for everyone to join the Zoom meeting. You arrive promptly, all prepped and ready, only to spend the first 10 minutes watching the "connecting" screen as you wonder if your colleagues are trapped in a digital abyss.

Kids' walking or screaming mishaps

When your kids decide to have a screaming competition just as you're about to contribute something brilliant during a virtual meeting. You frantically search for the mute button, but the damage is already done. Sorry, everyone.

When time stands still and irrelevant topics take over

The excruciating minutes feel like hours as you wait for the meeting to end. You've covered all the important points, but the conversation keeps circling around irrelevant topics. Time seems to stand still, and you contemplate the meaning of life.

Technology issues beat you

The eternal confusion of whether your internet connection is slow or if it's their internet that's lagging. You try to speak, but your voice cuts out, leaving you sounding like a robot from a '90s sci-fi movie. Is it your provider's fault or theirs? The mystery remains unsolved.

And finally, this face you make when you're mid-sentence during a video call, and suddenly the screen freezes, capturing the most unflattering expression imaginable. It's a freeze frame of pure horror, ready to be immortalized in screenshots shared among colleagues.

Is my team still working (well) remotely?

When you haven't heard a peep from your team for hours, and you start to question if they're still working or if they've secretly formed a virtual book club without you. Are they being productive or discussing the latest bestseller?

‍Consider using Lexi Daily for daily team alignment and unblocking tools. It can help your team stay on the same page and avoid any potential roadblocks.

Does this email truly warrant the 'urgent' label?

That moment when you receive an email from a team member with the subject line "URGENT!!" and your heart skips a beat. You open it, expecting a critical work-related matter. However, the email is urgently seeking your input on whether it's appropriate to have a designated "Snack of the Day" in the office kitchen to boost team morale. Well, does this email truly warrant the 'urgent' label?"

Are we communicating through memes now or what?

When you're a manager and your employees start sending you memes in the company chat. At first, you appreciate their effort to lighten the mood and inject some humor into the workday. But then you start to wonder if they're subtly trying to distract you or if they simply find your management style meme-worthy. It's a fine line between being a relatable boss and wondering if you're becoming a meme yourself.

Different time zone sucks

The struggle of coordinating work across different time zones. You wake up to a flood of notifications from your international colleagues, only to realize that half of them have already signed off for the day. Time zones, the ultimate challenge for remote teams.

Is Happy Hour really happy?

You send out an invitation for a Virtual Happy Hour, hoping to boost team spirit. Yet, you can almost feel the collective groan from your team as they read the email. To be honest, it's just clinking glasses with a laptop screen, lacking the joy of cheering with real people.

Fear not, our ice breaker template is here to help! Be the change agent to provoke engagement and interaction in those boring online gatherings. So next time send a selected icebreaker game together with the invitation, and see how much more enjoyable the experience can be!

Virtual Meetings

This entire meeting could be an email

When the meeting invitation pops up, and you can't help but wonder if it could have been resolved with a simple message in your inbox. I’m always ready to contribute ideas and respect team discussions. But can we stop wasting time on purposeless meetings to take action?

Don't forget to have intentional meetings with purpose. Check out these tips for achieving meeting purposes with tools and templates.

Multitasking madness

The struggle of trying to look engaged during a virtual meeting while secretly organizing your sock drawer. Multitasking has reached a whole new level in the era of virtual meetings.

All eyes on my... cat

That awkward moment when your cat decides to make a grand entrance during the most critical part of the presentation. The phrase "all eyes on me" takes on a whole new meaning as your feline companion steals the spotlight.

Oh sorry, where we left off?

You're in the midst of delivering a profound presentation, only to be interrupted by a message from a team member saying you haven't unmuted yourself. The never-ending battle against technical difficulties during virtual meetings continues. From frozen screens to audio glitches, it serves as a constant reminder that technology doesn't doesn't always play nice.

Accidentally pressing the Leave Meeting button

When you accidentally click the "Leave Meeting" button instead of "Mute." You panic, scramble to rejoin, and hope that your sudden disappearance wasn't too noticeable. Who knew a small button could hold so much power?

Work From Home

Escape the clutches of distractions

The delicate art of maintaining work-life balance while working from home. It feels like a never-ending quest to escape the clutches of distractions: laundry calling your name, the allure of a midday nap, and the constant beckoning of social media. You teeter on a tightrope and strive to maintain a productive work-life balance amidst the temptations of the home environment.

Pawfessional businessman

When your pet decides that your keyboard is the perfect spot for an impromptu nap, and you find yourself typing a novel of nonsensical characters. Sorry, boss, my cat has taken over my typing duties today.

Working hard makes me hungry

The struggle to resist the temptations of the fridge, which now feels closer than ever. The siren call of snacks grows stronger with every passing minute. Focus, self-control, focus!

I have to look good, always

When you spend more time doing your makeup for a Zoom call than you did for your last in-person social event. Who needs real-life interactions when you can create a masterpiece of contours and highlights on a pixelated screen?

Productivity

To ask or not to ask?

The dilemma of remote workers who don't know if they should ask for support, and if they do, who, when, and how they can find help. It's like standing in a maze with no signs, unsure if you should scream for assistance or keep wandering aimlessly.

Don't let your employees sit alone with productivity blockers piled up. Stay updated and unblock them promptly with Lexi Daily.

Do you all finished your work?

When your colleagues update their progress on Slack at 4 PM, and you’re struggling with a single task for the day and don't know when it will be completed. It feels like you're trying to figure out how to turn on the mixer. The struggle is real.

Should we talk about this later?

When you finally get into a productive flow, and suddenly your coworker decides it's the perfect time to strike up a lengthy conversation about their weekend plans. You nod along, secretly longing for a mute button for real-life interactions.

Urgent task again, really?

Your boss drops another urgent project on your plate, you manage to maintain a smile and nod outwardly, but deep down, your soul withers away in despair. You ponder the possibility of bending time and defying the laws of physics just to meet the impossible deadline. In the midst of the struggle, you become a master of wearing a smile that hides the inner chaos and exhaustion.

Can I vanish for a moment?

When you finally manage to focus and get into a productive flow, only to be bombarded by notifications from every app and platform known to mankind. Your phone, your email, your chat messages—they all want a piece of your attention. Can't a person just have a moment of peace?

One more thing

Check out this funny video about a boss announcing mass layoffs over Zoom:

We hope the memes brought a smile to your face and reminded you that you're not alone in the challenges of remote work. As you’re working hard, it's essential to explore strategies and tips to make hybrid and remote work more efficient. Effective communication tools, clear boundaries, and prioritizing self-care are a few examples. Let's navigate this new landscape together and make remote work a success.