The global pandemic has obviously solidified the concept of remote working to the point where hybrid workforces are now the norm across the globe. No matter how much CEOs and senior management continue to grapple with this reality, most people agree that a hybrid approach is what will be most common for most businesses moving forward. Corporate leaders have valid concerns when it comes to hybrid workforce productivity. The idea of letting white-collar resources work from home indefinitely without direct in-person supervision conflicts with long-held norms and expectations.
The reality is that many job functions simply cannot be done offsite. But those companies who are able and have embraced the implementation of a hybrid workforce know maintaining interpersonal relationships is critical to keeping the team mentality intact. With the right approach, you can bring your team together and help them to feel unified in their roles. Working together as a unit, you can look forward to a real boost in productivity that will benefit your business for many years to come.
Continue reading to learn more about some useful team-building activities you can employ that can help to boost productivity and morale in hybrid workforces.
Improve Team Efficiency With A Scheduling App
The challenge companies face when implementing remote or hybrid teamwork is getting an accurate accounting for time spent actively working on tasks within a project. Keeping active group chats and email threads going is great, but the accountants and project managers need more granularity with regard to time expenditures.
Team scheduling apps are useful to get employees in the habit of truthfully keeping track of their time spent during the workday. This data can then be used to further justify the continued allowance for remote work. Taking steps to improve team efficiency with a scheduling app allows management to put numbers to questions like: “Are we seeing the expected productivity levels that are congruent with things like reduced office expenses, rent, and commuting costs?”
In-Person Holiday Dinners
A great way to maintain interpersonal relationships is to gather your hybrid teams for holiday lunch or dinner functions. Having a delicious pre-Christmas meal or New Year’s get-together with your fellow team members is a traditional way to keep those personal relationships intact rather than always interacting over instant messaging platforms and emails all year long.
Why not solicit employee participation by holding a survey with several restaurant choices to choose from? Let your hybrid team know you value their input and show your appreciation for their year-long efforts by hosting a delicious holiday dinner at a location of their choosing.
Lunchtime Workouts
Sedentary lifestyles are bad for long-term health and increase expenditures on health insurance claims. Encourage hybrid work teams to maintain their well-being by holding a weekly workout meetup in the gym either during lunch hour or in the evening after 5 pm.
Hold contests for the most laps around the jogging track, or the most pushups in a specified time period. Regular exercise leads to better sleep, and thus better overall focus and job performance.
Recipe Swap
Create an online resource where remote team members can post their favourite recipes. Most remote workers presumably will be spending a lot more time cooking at home, so why not take advantage and get everyone on the same page by eating and cooking healthier recipes?
Contests can even be held for the most appetising recipes from each department. Cooking is the one activity that nearly everyone participates in. Use this commonality to foster team growth while simultaneously giving attention to healthier eating habits.
Morning Virtual Coffee Kickoffs
Prioritise the day’s goals scrum-master style by having a quick morning coffee virtual conference. Show off your barista skills and nail down those priorities for your project manager so he or she can prepare those reports for management. This can be the online equivalent of those 15-minute morning scrums where everyone enjoys a cup of java while letting everyone know what they’re working on.
Use These Team-Building Activities To Your Advantage
As a business owner, there is a lot to be gained from these team-building activities in addition to boosting morale, increasing productivity and bringing your employees together. You can use these events to bring up any possible tangents related to ongoing projects that may be worth looking into. For example, improving team efficiency with a scheduling app can spawn conversations about other related tools that may be valuable to the team, such as plug-in modules to your enterprise email and conference room applications.
Consider incorporating charitable team building events into your hybrid work activities. These programs not only strengthen team bonds but also allow participants to contribute positively to the community, adding a purposeful element to your productivity strategies.
Bring Your Hybrid Team Together And Start Moving Closer To Your Goals
The tips outlined above should give you some insight into how many companies implement hybrid remote work arrangements while still maintaining productivity metrics. There is no one size fits all solution, but with long-term strategic thinking, improved hybrid work team efficiency can be achieved, especially with carefully selected team-building activities. With the right choices, your organisation can maintain the right balance of onsite and hybrid composition, hopefully leading to the retention of your most important and productive human resources.
Guest Writer.
