Ever since organizations switched to remote work, team engagement has been a concern.
Top executives have remained vocal that switching back to office work post-pandemic is quintessential to productivity and team engagement.
A post-pandemic survey conducted by a technology company has confirmed these fears that remote workers are two times less engaged than their office counterparts.
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| Staggering Solutions to Arrange Virtual Team Building Games to Improve Team Engagement: eAskme |
While some organizations have switched to 100% office work post-pandemic, some have failed to do so.
Larger organizations have continued allowing some of their workforce to work remotely as a talent retention solution, while smaller organizations have switched to hybrid work.
In hybrid and remote work, organizations strive to increase employee engagement and resort to initiatives like higher pay, rewarding milestones, and other monetary perks.
However, these only serve as extrinsic motivation that may not sustain for a more extended period.
Employee motivation is an ongoing and consistent effort that needs to be focused on aligning employees with the organization's vision and collaborative building relationships with team members.
Team building is one such initiative that helps build relationships, a positive organizational culture, and motivates employees.
A well-organized team-building activity can be detrimental to team engagement in a remote work environment.
Contrary to the common misconception that remote team building games are not as engaging as outdoor ones and are more complicated, it is now easy and affordable to organize engaging remote team building activities.
For example, organizing online team-building games in Singapore has become more common during the pandemic.
Almost every type of team-building activity is being customized for virtual teams.
Escape rooms that were once popular outdoor activities are now being organized virtually.
Nevertheless, not all organizations get it right with team building.
A poorly organized team-building activity has the counter effect and drives employees towards a stagnant and unengaging work culture.
Here are a few tips on organizing virtual team building activities that improve team engagement and productivity:
Have a purpose:
It is a misconception that team-building activities are mere games conducted as checklist activities.
If utilized well, they are a powerful tool in building team relationships and conflict management.
Team building activities need to have a purpose of being effective.
Not all activities are the same, and activities need to be customized according to the purpose or goal of the activity.
For example, ice-breaker activities are organized to help team members get to know each other, while movie nights relieve stress.
Listen to feedback:
Team building activities are not always successful.
Sometimes they lead to disappointments, conflicts, and embarrassments.
In these scenarios, employees tend to develop a cold shoulder towards these activities.
To avoid these pitfalls, it is essential to get feedback from your team members after completing these activities.
And acting on employee feedback also improves trust between the employer and employees.
Ensure participation of the leadership:
Team building activities are ineffective without the participation of executives.
Managements often ignore participating in these activities due to apprehensions like becoming vulnerable.
However, being vulnerable builds trust and empathy between the leadership and team members.
This also conveys that leadership is willing to put themselves first for the welfare of the team and organization.
Participation from leadership is one of the hallmarks of successful team-building activity.
Make it fun:
Team building does not always have to be around achieving the organization's goals.
Organizations need to prioritize individual employee goals too to boost employee morale.
Organizations that ignore employee personal growth risk a lack of trust and unengaged employees.
Therefore, team-building activities can sometimes be organized only to have fun and build camaraderie.
Activities that are fun and stress-free rejuvenate employees and help them recuperate from stressful environments.
These activities create lasting memories and break down barriers.
Engaging remote teams is more challenging than engaging office teams.
Persistent efforts and prioritizing employee personal growth alongside the organization's growth can help build an engaging and positive remote work culture.
Team building activities are not only for bringing the team members closer but also to help employees grow individually.
Planning the activities, allocating the right resources, and gathering feedback can help derive the best value from these activities.
Virtual activities do not have to be considered different from outdoor activities.
The critical criteria can remain the same.
Virtual activities are more fun and exciting if organized well. The pandemic has reminded us that remote work cannot be avoided.
In the USA, organizations that do not allow remote work or flexible work are experiencing an excellent resignation wave, with employees quitting in record numbers.
Flexible work arrangements, large and diverse teams, and remote offices are the new normal.
Therefore, virtual activities are the need of the hour to build productive remote teams.
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