As remote work remains common among organizations, team building and collaboration is more important than ever. A recent study from MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory found that communication and collaboration are the most important predictors of team success. As HR and management leaders build a virtual workplace that incorporates beneficial practices and programs, it is key to focus on team relationships and communication tactics, as they can make or break your company culture during this ‘virtual-only’ time. These skills lead to several benefits for not only the employees but also your organization as a whole, such as building trust, increasing productivity and fostering community among your remote teams.
In this blog post, we will share three benefits of promoting and integrating team building for your remote workforce as well as equipping you with tips to help your company get started.
Build Trust
Sitting on your couch or in a home office alone all day is likely different than your physical work environment. Remote employees do not have the luxury of sliding in their office chair to their team members to share stories during work breaks, talk over lunch, or even just work next to each other. Without these day-to-day interactions, the opportunity for team building is difficult. Team building and communication help build trust. Employees who trust each other generate more creative, innovative and productive work. When employees work from their homes, interaction may be very limited, and as a workplace, it is important to incorporate opportunities for teams to continue building trust and relationships that will provide your company more opportunities for successful and satisfied employees.
To get started building trust among employees, there are several fun and interactive virtual team building activities to encourage team reliance and dependability among groups or pairs. Start by incorporating ice-breaker questions, daily huddles or employee quizzes into your virtual meetings to get your employees in the mindset of engaging with other team members without the conversation focusing on a task or a project.
Increase Productivity
Performance is driven by passion: passion for the work they are doing, the company they work for and the team they are working with. When dealing with a remote workforce, productivity is one of those areas that can take a massive hit if companies are not actively encouraging cohesiveness and communication that motivates and holds employees accountable. Connected employees provide their company with a 20-25% increase in productivity. By creating opportunities for employees to interact, bond and leave their comfort zones, employees can assist each other uncover potential new talents, further develop their skills, create a beneficial working relationship and maximize profitability for your company.
Digital technology and communication platforms such as Slack can assist in continuing team building as employees work remotely. Additionally, HR and management leaders can encourage virtual team meetings to highlight priorities or daily tasks as an opportunity to increase team communication and cohesiveness.
Improved Physical and Mental Health
With a remote workforce, it is important for management to remember all aspects of a healthy and happy employee. Two major components of this are physical and mental health. Team building focused on wellness will show that your company is still invested in employee health and cares about employees beyond the work they do. By creating opportunities to improve your team’s mental or physical health, your company can then see an improvement in engagement, morale and productivity.
Virtual wellness activities include meditation, yoga or workout sessions that employees can freely join throughout the week. This gives employees the ability to get out of their office, free their minds from work and stress and spend quality time with their teams.
By dedicating time and energy into assisting dispersed employees to work well together, companies can attain 10x returns in work ethic, innovation and employee loyalty. In a time where employees can feel alone, stressed and burnt out, they look to management and HR leaders for guidance. Virtual team building activities can present a simple but effective way of connecting employees and extending company culture beyond the office.
To learn more about creating a strong team, check out our blog 5 Tips to Build an Effective Team!
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