The workforce has changed drastically since 2020, and one of the biggest shake-ups was more companies embracing work-from-home options for their employees. While some businesses have since reverted back to a “come back to the office (or else)” mentality, many others are seeing the benefits of remote work, both in terms of their company’s overhead as well as a general improvement of their employees’ morale.
However, there are some understandable downsides to working from home; the most obvious is that it can be hard for your team to actually feel like a team when everyone works in different locations. Many employees even struggle with feeling like their bosses don’t care for them, which can lead to burnout and dissatisfaction with their job.
So, what can you do to ensure your team feels cared for and engaged with your team rather than being a faceless worker behind a screen? Here are five quick tips to help bond your company together:
1. Have A Weekly Social
You probably already have meetings over Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or whatever platform you use, but are they all business? “Water cooler talk” is an essential part of building bonds at work, and it’s something that’s missing from a fully WFH environment. So while there may not be organic questions of what people did over the weekend as you get that morning cup of coffee, having a short check-in where people can share life updates, chat about tv shows they watched, and just generally enjoy each other’s company can be a great way to build up the camaraderie needed to really enjoy their work.
2. Host Monthly Social Events
Whether you want to do it outside of work hours or during a lunch, a monthly event among your employees can be a great way to get them to bond outside of their work responsibilities. A more relaxed environment where everyone can talk and laugh is a great way to build rapport. That said, be sure to have some sort of structure involved; people can clam up if there’s no central activity for them to do.
The choices for what you can do for your monthly activity are endless. Games like Password and pub quizzes are a great way to boost communication, as are movie and book clubs. You can also do fun activities like virtual happy hours/tastings, scavenger hunts, and virtual escape rooms.
3. Organize a Retreat
Giving your employees the chance to meet in person is a great way to reduce some of the lack of camaraderie that can come with remote work, and an even better way to help them bond is by having that meeting be a retreat. Depending on your budget, you could either host a daylong retreat at a local event center, a virtual event if your employees are spread out across countries, or you can organize a full trip to enjoy a bit of travel along with your plans for the time there.
Retreats should be a time to rest and recharge for your employees. While you can certainly have seminars and classes focusing on best practices and goals for the upcoming year, you should also use this time to build on your company culture and offer opportunities to destress together as a group. Group exercises, mental health panels, and something like group meditation or yoga can both help your employees bond and leave them refreshed for the work week ahead.
4. Volunteer Together
Working toward a good cause is a great way to help your team bond. By sharing a common goal of doing good in the community, your team will find common ground and a sense of accomplishment that will convey itself into their work.
Offering time off for volunteering is a great way to do good while giving your team a much needed break. Plus, if your employees live close enough to each other, they could even meet up for volunteering events and spend the day together as they make the world a better place.
5. Let Them Know You Care About Them
Just an acknowledgement from their boss that they are truly cared about can make all the difference in an employee’s performance and attitude. But take it a step further by offering benefits that will truly help them out. A health or dental plan that includes kids can be a tremendous help for any parent on your team, and it can make them happier to work for you knowing that you care enough for their family to offer it.
Working from home can be a great boon for your employees’ mental health and morale, but your team doesn’t have to feel lonely while they enjoy the flexibility and convenience it brings. By enacting even a few of these tips, you can have a workforce that has an even stronger bond than those in-office because of the active effort you put in to let them know you’re invested in them–not just their work.
