Whilst having the capability to self-determine your own work or tasks, there can be instances where working alone can be negative. Physical distance or lack of proximity to your colleagues can quickly lead to feelings of isolation. When a person feels isolated they cease to engage with the team potentially leading to self-doubt, anxiety, performance related issues and losing sight of the overall business goals.
Mental health
In the last few years, mental health has become so much more recognised and on equal footing as physical health. Add in a global pandemic, homeschooling, remote working plus salary sacrifice or furlough; suddenly what affected a handful of people has in fact become an issue for many workers now. Employers have a duty of care for their employees so what can they do to safeguard mental health and lessen feelings of isolation? There are still points of communication and contact with each other but how do you create a team mentality when your people are physically and emotionally fragmented due to covid?
Team meetings
We have all adjusted to the multiple virtual meeting platforms that have become prevalent during the pandemic. Most people have used at least one of these platforms on a weekly basis. The difficulty with virtual meeting platforms is similar to that of physical meetings; one or more individuals tend to dominate the discussion. The organiser of meetings needs to be strong enough to lead and ensure every person has equal time to speak. Some platforms allow you to put a virtual hand up to halt discussion but the onus should be on the organiser to structure the meeting in such a way that every team member feels valued and that their voice is heard. When we listen to and contribute to a discussion it promotes feelings of self-worth and value. This has the impact of letting us know we are one part of the whole team and we are important to that team.
Covid friendly team building
It is important that a cross spectrum of games and activities are selected to reflect the different personality types within your team. Some activities require quiet tasks whereas others might be competitive or simple icebreakers. Here are some of the more popular choices:
- Virtual karaoke
- Through the keyhole
- Code breaking
- Pictionary
- Quiz
- Themed fancy dress
- Personal facts guessing game
- Desert island
There is no doubt some of these carry maximum cringe factor but perhaps carried out virtually your team won’t feel quite as self conscious. Laughter is most definitely a tonic that is much needed in these challenging times so getting your people out of their comfort zone may prove more rewarding than they realised.
We have been delivering team building exercises and training for years so have plenty of resources for you to explore and find the right exercise for your team to help rebuild in the wake of covid.
To learn more about this topic download our latest whitepaper, ‘Developing a Resilient Workforce’.