It’s well and truly spring! The weather is getting ever warmer, and a return to the office is on the cards for many.
However if you and your team are or have been working from home, team cameraderie will probably have taken a hit. Communication and collaboration are fantastic tools for any business but if you are only ever communicating with your immediate team, you lose the different perspectives and ideas that those outside your team may bring.
After all, there’s only so much that Zoom can do and it definitely doesn’t replace grabbing a coffee with a work buddy or two and brainstorming ideas as you walk back from the coffee shop. Or chatting with the guy at the next desk who’s in another department and being inspired by a random comment he makes.
So how can you foster that “in-the-office” sense of cameraderie and collaboration when some or all of the office is working from home part-time?
Here are a few ideas:
1. Liven up office meetings with a few team games. Some of these take just a few minutes and can lighten the mood. They can get you thinking creatively too. Check out this list.
2. Conduct team events – events such as the Healthworks Fitness Challenge bring people together and give them a goal to work towards. Especially if the team consists of people who don’t normally work closely together. It encourages conversation and communication – essential for teamwork, and helps remind everyone participating that they are a part of the whole company.
3. Schedule virtual social events – yes I know we just said Zoom doesn’t cut it for everything, but for employees who are remote working, it’s a way to catch up and enjoy a substitute for the 5pm Friday drinks or team luncheon.