Have you noticed a sudden lack of enthusiasm from your team over the last several months? If you’re like the countless other offices worldwide, your home office became more of a permanent one back in March. Other than in virtual Zoom meetings, you probably haven’t seen your team members in-person for months. It makes sense that people’s energy levels aren’t as high right now. Last year was truly life-changing, and working from home for months, isolated from team members and loved ones, can genuinely knock the wind out of anyone’s sails.
Now that it’s a new year, and there’s hope for a better future on the horizon, why not strengthen your team’s spirit? While you might not have the opportunity to get together in-person just yet, there are other ways to get the group feeling excited about work again. Read on to find out how to do precisely that.
Share Positive Feedback
Giving employees and team members positive feedback isn’t just something to do when people’s spirits are down; it’s a crucial component to a successful business at any time and place. However, last year was incredibly stressful for most people, so you’ll want to amplify your positive comments. You could conduct one-on-one Zoom meetings with each team member to tell everyone, individually, what their strengths are and how grateful you are for their work. It never hurts to put it in writing, either. If you think it’s appropriate, send everyone a private email outlining their hard work.
Customized T-shirts
Recently, many organizations have been making customized t-shirts to bring team members together. Unifying people with company branded clothing is the perfect way to trigger your team’s memories of what it feels like to see everyone at the office every day. Check out the custom t shirts at Prints Canada — a company that offers incredible screen-printing services on outerwear clothing. Consider putting your company’s name or logo on shirts so everyone can feel together, even when you’re physically apart. And when you go back to the office, you can all wear the branded shirts at events and external meetings.
Host an Online Trivia or Games Night
Organizing the occasional virtual team-building exercise is a great way to get people working together. Trivia or other online games (these days, you can even host a Zoom murder mystery party) are a fun way to unwind and get people out of their comfort zones. You don’t want to bombard your team with too many activities, but a bi-monthly casual check-in with an engaging activity will surely strengthen people’s spirits.
The most important thing to remember is to communicate with everyone. Do you have a couple of quiet team members? They may not chime into meetings much, and you don’t often talk to them directly, so sending them a private message every few days will show them that you see them and that they’re very much relevant. By reaching out, sending everyone a custom t-shirt, and reminding everyone of how great they are, the days will fly by. You’ll all be back in the office, together, in no time.