Rather than expecting office life to “go back to normal” after coronavirus, business and team leaders should be planning for what many are calling the “new normal.” So what does team-building after COVID-19 look like? For starters, it includes safe and sanitary workspaces for employees, potentially more remote hires, and flexible work-from-home policies.
The “New Normal”
While the Covid-19 crisis has been a scary time for all of us, it’s been even more stressful for immunocompromised workers, who may suffer worse outcomes if they contract the virus than their co-workers without underlying conditions. For this reason, revisiting company policies around paid sick leave, safe working conditions, and understanding and accommodating those with special circumstances will be crucial to employee well-being and satisfaction.
To that end, hosting team-building events on-site and online, and welcoming new hires with an equal level of enthusiasm in both formats will require some reimagining.
What Team Building after COVID-19 will look like:
Keep your team safe during an effective team-building exercise
For on-site events, clean and sanitary spaces will be paramount. High touch items and areas should be regularly sanitized, and appropriate protective gear such as gloves and face masks should be readily available to any employee who wants to use it.
As always, any team members who are feeling under the weather should be encouraged to stay home but should stay engaged via online team building options.
Lean into virtual team building
Work from home policies and arrangements will be more commonplace after the COVID-19 pandemic. With a mixed environment of remote and on-site workers, moving your team-building events to an online forum will make important bonding opportunities available to everyone, not just those who are building rapport with physical proximity.
Luckily, the world of virtual team building is ever-expanding and ranges from trivia challenges like The Official Jeopardy!® Training & Education Game, improv, happy hours, and even curated chocolate tastings. Check out our Virtual Holiday Parties to bring your team together during this upcoming holiday season!
Accommodate physical distancing when necessary
For companies whose function makes it impossible for teams to work from home, on-site team building may still require physical distancing measures. Many traditional team-building activities, like quiz games, scavenger hunts, and music-based activities such as Haka can effectively bring a team together while still keeping individual members a safe physical distance from one another.
Create Normalcy
Of course, no one knows exactly what the world will be like once the current pandemic has flattened, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to returning to work, so it’s important to stay open and flexible to new ways of doing things. By creating a sense of normalcy through team bonding activities, we may be able to create stronger teams despite physical distance, contact TeamBonding for more information.
For more information about how TeamBonding is ensuring your remote teams health and safety during this time take a look at our COVID-19 Safe Event Guidelines!
