TEAM BUILDING IN THE NEW NORMAL

By: Evan Lucyk

It’s no surprise that the world has changed exponentially in the last year. With everyone working from home, establishing team-building opportunities has brought new challenges in this digital world.  

Last December, we hosted a holiday meal for our two small individual locations that was very socially distant. While employees appreciated the opportunity to engage with each other, connections obviously felt quite different. Additionally, the planning process for a pandemic-safe event requires quite a few additional considerations than a pre-COVID party. 

Because of the difficulties of hosting in-person events, we have been brainstorming ways to maintain connection across workspaces. One idea we’ve been tossing around is the potential for small-scale, friendly competitions between our facilities to boost excitement and human connection. 

At Bit Service, we recognize the importance of carving out time to maintain company culture in ways that don’t solely rely on video conferencing. We are continually looking to identify more opportunities for engaging our team. Today we thought we’d share a few key ways you can keep your staff connected in the era of social-distancing. 

IDENTIFY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

 One of the amazing things to come out of our world’s changes has been increased access to virtual learning environments. At Bit Service, it is now far easier for us to invite even more employees from both our Esterhazy and Saskatoon locations. Historically, we have had to select individuals to attend specific conferences. However, in just the last few months, we have been able to offer open attendance to all staff, dependent on the capacity to attend. This increases the opportunity for cross-team connection. With individuals at both locations attending the same conference, they can connect, discuss, and share their learnings. 

HOST VIRTUAL GAME NIGHTS

 If you’re going to put all the time and effort into planning a virtual event for your staff, you need to make it appealing and engaging. Your workers won’t want to attend a virtual event that feels like another meeting. By hosting a virtual games night or a virtual trivia night, your staff will get a chance to connect on a deeper level while having fun and likely sharing a few laughs.

Consider hosting this in the final hour of the workday on a Friday. That way, folks who are having a lot of fun can keep playing for an extra hour after work. Additionally, having a specific time set aside for a workplace culture event like this helps designate the time for fun versus professionalism. 

CREATE A CULTURE OF CONNECTEDNESS

 Employees value a workplace where they feel connected and included. Expanding the workplace culture to include a chat about life updates, funny moments, and jokes helps folk connect with their colleagues. Managers can take the lead in transitioning workplace culture more into this direction. By encouraging brief updates or icebreaker questions at the beginning of any virtual meetings, employees will have a chance to get to know everyone on their teams on a deeper level. 

APPRECIATE YOUR STAFF

 We can’t stress enough how important it is to identify key ways your team has been stepping up and working hard. Employees appreciate a manager who vocalizes appreciation and doesn’t just assume their staff knows when they’ve done a good job. Positive reinforcement through this particularly tough work environment can go a long way and build stronger and more loyal employees.