See How You Can Build Connections in a Hybrid Workplace

See How You Can Build Connections in a Hybrid Workplace

458 Days.

We have now worked from home for 458 days. We’ve attended countless Zoom meetings, messed up sourdough bread recipes, lived through a pandemic, and banded together to get our covid vaccines.

Now, we are emerging on the other side, venturing into the world mask-free and trying to get back to our “normal” routines, which will look different for everyone. Teams are spread further apart these days—some heading back to the office, while others stick to the work-from-home life, creating a hybrid workforce. With our transition into this new world, team bonding can seem overwhelming. The truth is there is no one-size-fits-all solution for team building and connection.

Each team is different, each team member is unique, and frankly, virtual happy hours have proven to be dull and ineffective. So here are a few tips and tricks to promote connection within your team and employee satisfaction in a hybrid workplace.

Create a Virtual Water Cooler

The term water cooler has really taken on a life of its own. Essentially, this is a shared space where you can all gather at various points of the day to take a breather from the everyday work stress.

Set aside a daily or weekly 10-15 minute chat session, where you share hobbies, polls, quizzes, weekend stories, or family moments. Let your team build their connection and give them a dedicated “water cooler” to do so.

Make Information Accessible to Your Hybrid Workforce

Typically in the office, it is easy to pop over to your co-worker, manager, or another team to ask a quick question or see where information lives. However, as we move back to in-person, hybrid, and virtual working, it is best to centralize all of the information team members need. I suggest taking some time to build out a team-shared Google Drive, create itemized folders and stay organized! This makes everything easy for others to find and add documents into. At the end of the day, whether your team member is at home or in the office, they will feel connected by having access to all of the information they need.

Host a Monthly Virtual or Hybrid Team Event

Hosting an event for your team to get together, let loose, and have fun will bring nothing but positivity. These memorable shared experiences ignite banter and create future inside jokes for your team members to LOL at every once in a while. Take it from AXXEL Bromelin, a recent team that held a private Paint Nite event.

“Events like these allow us to take a break from the day-to-day, and we get to do something completely out of the ordinary with our colleagues. Always fun to get together, have a little drink, and see who has hidden painting skills.” – Karl Pavone, HR Generalist.

Creating these shared spaces where teams can connect not only brings you closer together but make a more cohesive, collaborative team too.‌‌

To book your virtual or hybrid event, contact Jordan and Yaymaker's Private Events Team on 1-855-767-4270 or head to our Private Events page to find out more.