As a team we were all so use to being in the the same office as one anther and I have concerns that some team members are feeling isolated and no longer part of the team. Has any one experienced this and found any good ways to bring everyone back together as a team virtually?
My boss set up 15-minute video calls for the team (10 of us, plus an assortment of cats and dogs) every morning and every evening.
At first, having these two sessions at the beginning and end of each day seemed like a nuisance and a waste of time. But they quickly became a way of bonding as a team, even though most of us had never met in person. These calls aren’t just for talking about workload and current projects: we swap stories, find out what people have been up to at the weekend, share jokes, celebrate successes and personal landmarks – even play games occasionally. And on the last call of the week, there may be one or two of us with a beer in hand. 😉
My tip for doing this is to stick with it and have the person who’s best at engaging with others leading the call. Don’t expect everyone to join in actively; some will be quietly listening in the background, and that’s fine. Keep the sessions short (15-30 minutes max), purposeful and relaxed. Keep the cameras on. Enjoy getting to know your colleagues (and their pets) better, and make collaboration easier.
I hope this may work as successfully for you as it has for us. Good luck!
I think what we’re all missing is the small day-to-day interactions with other people like the chats over making coffee in the office kitchen or lunchtime walks with colleagues. This is difficult to replicate virtually but I have listed a few things below that have helped us at KVA:
– Arrange 1-2-1 coffee breaks with colleagues you don’t work with day to day but would usually pass in an office environment
– Keep the socials once a week for either an entire company or division. These can be team quizzes, closing the office down an hour earlier to have virtual drinks or organise a team building activity. Vision boards are one of my personal favourites.
– Assign everyone with a mentor who looks out for them day to day and keeps them on track
– Most people thrive when they have goals and can see themselves achieving them. Ensuring line managers are focused on their teams’ progression is vital for engagement
– Take the time to ensure everyone in your team knows where the company is headed and what your purpose is 🙂
It would be great to hear how you are getting on MJ10? We are seeing more companies going back into the office at the moment so perhaps you have done the same and are now adapting to a hybrid way of working?
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