It's been a tough year for teams all over the globe. Not only have we had to adjust to new work environments, such as working from home and adapting to being successful 'virtual and hybrid' teams, but we are also now facing a daunting return to the workplace filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Will teams ever be the same again? Is the new 'normal' working from home more often than usual?
Unfortunately, we don't know the answers to these questions. But what we do know is that regardless of your working situation, it's so important for you and your teams to reconnect. Whether it's online, in the office or a mixture 'hybrid' of both. This can be achieved through Teambuilding, and as a leading Teambuilding provider, we are no strangers to bringing teams together and helping them to achieve their full potential through collaboration, communication and team spirit.
Here are our top 5 ways that Teambuilding can help you and your teams reconnect during times of uncertainty:
1. Networking / Socialising
Studies have proven that socialising and building solid relationships in the workplace is one of the best ways to increase productivity and employee morale in the office. It allows helps employees to work better together, so they can solve issues collaboratively and in a timely manner. By hosting a small team building activity for those returning to the workplace, you can ensure your team will get together to reconnect and rebuild in-person relationships that may have been strained since working virtually.
2. Competition
It's no surprise that healthy 'competition' at work can increase productivity and drive. This competition can easily be achieved through team building activities that challenge your teams to work against each other in sub-teams and incite healthy competition in a safe environment. As a result, teams will learn to bond in a more effective way than other methods, and you'll be surprised at how fast teams can come together when there is an incentive to win on the cards. So why not consider competition when returning to the office to reconnect your teams?
3. Celebration
Celebrating is a great feeling that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives. Teambuilding is no different. Activities such as The Big Picture (which are completely social distancing friendly), get your teams to work collaboratively on a piece of art that reflects your company values and ideals. In the end, comes the celebration when the pieces are put together to form one 'masterpiece'. This feeling of celebration brings everyone together and helps them reconnect in a different way, which really brings their role to a whole new level.
4. Fostering creativity
People tend to have a larger imagination and want to contribute more ideas when they are surrounded by people they are close to or comfortable with, especially when getting involved with a teambuilding event. This is why it's important to take a break from work and work on being more creative, to ultimately create more creative work in the long run.
5. Communication
As many of us have been away from each other for so long, we have definitely become accustomed to communicating virtually. But what about when we return to the office, and some of us are working from home whilst others are at work? We need to ensure we keep our communication strong so everyone is on the same page, and teambuilding can do just that. Activities such as The Infinite Loop Online challenge teams to communicate with each other effectively in order to solve puzzles and free a prisoner from a spaceship. It will help you to identify areas of communication that you might struggle with and can prepare you for what's to come in the future.
So, there you have it. We really hope the guidance and advice shared above proves to be helpful and effective for your business. Teambuilding is very much a big part of our present and will be an even bigger part of our future. Ultimately, that is a good thing for a plethora of significantly valid reasons.
Instilling the right methods and practices into your team will ensure it survives, thrives, and flies high…..to the outstanding benefit of all involved. Time to climb onboard!
