5 ways to reconnect with colleagues in lockdown
HOW DO YOU boost team morale and foster camaraderie when your employees are working from home? It’s a question that has loomed large ever since remote work became part of our new normal, and it’s especially timely as we look into another year of not seeing our colleagues face-to-face.
A recent survey carried out by the Department of Work and Employment Studies at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, found that 51pc of employees are feeling less connected to their team when working from home. And that can feed into an overall feeling of loneliness.
With that in mind, here are five ways to reconnect with your co-workers (that don’t involve a Zoom quiz).
1. Virtual wine tasting
“Companies want to bring people online but they’re mindful that most people are Zoomed out of it,” says Michelle Lawlor, founder of the Nude Wine Company. “And in order to get people to come onto Zoom, they need a lure or a hook.”
The Nude Wine Company’s hook is, of course, wine. The business pivoted quickly when the pandemic struck, and they now host virtual team bonding and socialising events for companies like EY, Deloitte, PayPal, Salesforce and Toyota.
“We deliver two bottles of wine to employees’ homes and then host a short infotainment event in the form of a wine tasting which ends with a quirky quiz,” explains Michelle.
“It’s not about soil type and terroir or ‘this wine tastes like Christmas Day on a summer’s evening’. It’s normal language for normal people with a bit of fun. What we’re trying to create is a real-life scenario where everyone is in a room having a laugh.” thenudewineco.ie
2. Virtual yoga
Virtual yoga classes can help employees unwind and maintain a sense of togetherness.
“Employers are realising that yoga is a good way to gently rebuild office relationships,” says Greg Walsh, the founder of Samadhi yoga in Temple Bar, Dublin.
“Virtual yoga is a very neutral and very safe setting, and despite being on Zoom, it doesn’t feel like it’s all about Zoom. You occasionally look at the screen but most of the time you are on your yoga mat. You feel like you’re practising in a community, yet the beauty is that it’s really just you and the teacher’s voice.”
Samadhi have been running virtual yoga classes for companies across Ireland since the start of the pandemic, but Greg says he’s beginning to notice a shifting dynamic, both in the classes they run for their own clients and the classes they run for corporates.
“At the beginning, we were maintaining the community we’ve built up in person. Now we’ve moved into a new stage where there are a lot of new people coming to class only on Zoom.
“And I think that’s the same in a corporate setting. At the start, everyone knew each other so it was easy to slide into Zoom meetings, but now new people are joining these companies and there’s a whole new dynamic.”
samadhi.ie
3. Virtual murder mystery
Before the pandemic, Fiona Sherlock of Bespoke Murder Mystery mostly sold her games to birthday and hen party organisers. In recent months, the Navan woman has been fielding more enquiries from companies looking for virtual team-bonding experiences.
“I’ve sold games to everything from a local pub with six staff to an oil rig in the North Sea, and a few multinationals too,” she says. “It’s an affordable option, but some companies make it a richer experience by organising to have cocktails delivered to their employees’ homes.”
Fiona says virtual murder mystery games have multiple benefits: “The games engender creativity and critical and logical thinking skills. And they’re a great way for managers to check in on their teams to see how they’re coping with the crisis.”
bespokemurdermystery.com
4. Virtual comedy night
Dublin comedy club The Laughter Lounge is still hosting Ireland’s best comedians, only these days they’re focused on team-bonding events that are designed to be attended virtually.
The sets involve one live comedian as well as a stream of pre-recorded clips. And don’t worry, The Laughter Lounge will liaise with the organiser in advance to find out if they want the comedian to banter with the team — or not.
“We’ve found that comedy has brought companies together in a way that we didn’t realise before,” says marketing manager Holly Soulter. “Nothing unites a group of people like sharing a laugh.”
laughterlounge.com
5. Virtual tours
‘Despite being on Zoom, it doesn’t feel like it’s all about Zoom… you feel like you’re practising in a community’
If you’re looking for ways to reconnect with your colleagues that don’t involve being on camera, try a virtual tour.
Co-workers can visit the Louvre, hike the Grand Canyon or walk around Tokyo for the afternoon. It’s a change of scenery (albeit a virtual one) and the shared experience will encourage bonding without forcing it.