With the shift to hybrid work in recent years, employee relationships — the impromptu banter and conversations, the camaraderie, the collaboration and team building — all took a hit when we moved from being in the office five days a week to heavily relying on email, video calls and instant messaging platforms to stay connected.
But rather than trying to recapture or build upon your pre-pandemic culture, think of 2023 as a new opportunity to restart your workplace team-building and take your company culture to new heights. Read on more below!
It’s important to invest in the technology, amenities and workspaces that keep employees healthy. Actions like regular cleaning and sanitization, improving air filtration and ventilation, and more flexible office configurations are just some of the ways to promote physical safety in the office.
Creating an inclusive environment where people can share ideas, concerns and issues without fear of judgment, shame or repercussion helps support your employees’ mental health. Not only can it improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, and increase worker retention, but it also helps with team-building and collaboration.
Give your team opportunities to connect and bond. Modern office meal programs let you treat your employees to lunch as an easy, flexible, and cost-effective way to bring people together and create tighter connections.
Support your team by providing healthy food choices at work. Sharing a meal at the office is also a great way to encourage camaraderie, bonding and idea sharing — healthy meal choices nourish much more than bodies.
Making commitments that openly prioritize health and wellness will help employees feel engaged, happy and supported at work — and performing their best. For instance, you may provide opportunities to unwind in the office with relaxation pods or lounge areas or offer support services like telehealth, video or web-based consultations.
Find the moments to celebrate, like birthdays, marriages and engagements, baby showers and work anniversaries. Let your team decide what activities most interest them, and when they want to schedule them.
Yes, meetings are important, but they can also fracture employees’ time, hindering their ability to focus on tasks and leaving them feeling like they don’t have control over their day. Consider setting a meeting-free day or encourage employees to block out a few hours in their calendars to let them get their solo work done.
Supporting charities and causes promotes employee happiness and increases their attachment to their employer, which boosts morale, engagement and retention. Have employees choose causes they are passionate about, and give them time away from work every month to dedicate to the cause. Or, organize corporate volunteering days to give back as a team.
To welcome your team back successfully in 2023, think about how you can turn your resolutions into long-term and change-making rituals.
Set your resolutions up for success and put them into regular practice, by taking a cue from SMART Goals, and make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
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With well-thought-out goals, strategies and implementation plans, your resolutions can become daily, weekly or monthly rituals, and part of your company culture. And don’t forget to celebrate your milestones and wins along the way. May we suggest an office pizza party?
