TEAM ENGAGEMENT

As we’re sloughing off the year that was 2020 with all of its drama and changes and unrest, we are emerging from crisis and looking for ways to adjust to the new normal.

Many companies’ workforces are returning to or have already returned to the office and are experiencing a workplace culture that is in flux. Some need healing after layoffs and furloughs, others are adapting processes to include a hybrid work from home/in the office approach. Either way, workplace culture is of the utmost importance to help heal, refresh, and reassure the workforce that the company is healthy, committed to its employees, and ready to take on new challenges.

But how can this be accomplished with budget cuts, a workforce that is half in the office half at home, and has taken on extra work? We’ve got you covered with a few hacks on how to nurture your company culture and employees to help grow your company culture through positive team engagement.

• Evaluate your team to understand their engagement level and devise an approach that helps to nurture the engaged and convert the non-engaged and actively disengaged to become more engaged. Host a weekly coffee chat to kick off Wednesday mornings or incentivize a daily walk to get the team out and moving together.
• Actively show empathy- We’re all human, acknowledging that is always a key step in creating a healthy and engaged workplace culture.
• Provide your team with the tools they need to feel connected and succeded. Utilize tools that encourage team communication like Slack or Discord to create community chat rooms for teams and employees. This can help bridge gaps between the home office and the corporate office. Trello is also an excellent way to manage projects across teams and communicate on easy to use platform...try out the free version to see if it's a fit.

• Create an environment where employees feel a sense of belonging- Workforce still working remotely? Promote a movie night or ice cream social within your team chat rooms and send each employee a package that they can use to participate in the event. Workplace at the office, arrange a team appreciation day with gift bags, food, and or activities.

While these suggestions may seem like “no brainers”, they truly are the core of creating and maintaining a healthy team environment. Think of it as a booster shot to keep the culture healthy and thriving!