4 Team Building And Connection Ideas To Empower Hybrid Teams In 2021

17.03.2021

With lockdown in place there are an estimated 23.9 million people still working from home in the UK. Restrictions are lifting soon but for many organizations the future of work will look different. Many employees where given the choice have opted to continue to work from home after the pandemic leaving organisations with hybrid teams split across the office and home workers. This means adapting to new team and operational dynamics.

Seamless team collaboration contributes massively to organizational success.

Employees now spend about 50% more time engaged in collaborative work.

Whether online or offline it’s important to maintain healthy team relationships and build stronger bonds for wellbeing, productivity and engagement.

This is why ongoing team bonding activities are imperative for collective success. Many organisations have postponed group activities until lockdown lifts but with the future of work changing and employee loneliness on the rise virtual teambuilding can be a great solution.

Virtual teambuilding helps remote teams stay connected, work better together and feel a stronger sense of belonging within the organisation. These activities will need to be flexible enough to include and meet the needs of every employee spread across different locations. So for HR leaders now is a great time to test different ideas and delivery methods.

Here are 4 ways to keep your remote and hybrid teams engaged during lockdown and beyond.

Run Regular Virtual Team Building Experiences

Continue to organise your regular team building activities. For some organisations that’s quarterly or twice a year. With the lack of social interaction it can be worth doing these as regularly as once a month.

Here are two great activities to try;

Airbnb Online Experiences – AirBnb recently created a selection of online activities hosted by experts. From motivational talks with Olympians to Team wellness classes to opera shows there’s a whole host of creative ideas to try.

Team Power Up by Insight HRC – A team development workshop that goes deeper to re-energise and motivate remote and hybrid teams. Set shared goals, boost trust and improve team efficiency with this 90 minute active learning session. Part of our hybrid teams workshops suite.

Build in daily social connection time

We’ve lost the watercooler and kitchen conversations while making a drink or taking a break. Recreate those moments with virtual coffee break out sessions on Microsoft teams or Zoom. Set several of these a day or opt to host virtual lunches and connect employees to others outside their immediate team. Some organisations leave breakout rooms open all day.

Invest In Personal Development

It’s a great time to think about upskilling your workforce and rewarding your employees with personal development opportunities. With so many more courses and learning programmes now available online there’s a lot more choice and time to invest in your people. Whether it’s a professional certification or executive coaching its a personal choice but one that can benefit your organisation. Also think about the talent you already have in your organisation – highly skilled employees from different departments may be able to teach newer employees new skills that can boost their efficiency.

Host your annual Away Day Virtually

Whether it’s an annual away day, internal conference or general meeting that you hold each year avoid postponing these and run them virtually. Use the opportunity to communicate your vision and values, where you are now, anticipated changes for the next 12 months and any contingency plans for further lockdowns. You can also include workshops and creative sessions for employee input and contribution throughout the day. For a managed away day contact us.

Written by Lynn Abhulimen