Numerous research studies conducted throughout 2020 show that the need for team-building is a priority.
Especially if you have a significant number of people forced to work from home, or furloughed and ready to return.
In the UK, a study from the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported that 50% of those who are not attending their normal workplace reported social connections at work had suffered.1
Another study conducted by Question & Retain, the insights agency, revealed that one of the most pressing issues relating to working from home is a disconnect from colleagues.2 Of those surveyed, less than half (48%) stated that they feel sufficiently connected. What’s more, 97% have reservations about returning to the office.
A joint research project from the University of Birmingham and the University of Kent entitled ‘Working from home during COVID-19 Lockdown’ found that missing interactions with colleagues was noted as a key negative aspect, with as many as 53% from some cohorts stating that it had negatively affected relationships with colleagues/ managers.3
In the US, a study by The Martec Group surveyed 1,214 individuals across a variety of industries, demographics and seniority levels found that job satisfaction had fallen from 57 percent to 32 percent and job motivation from 56 percent to 36 percent. 4
Meanwhile, a global metadata study from BMC Public Health found that those working more days at home experienced greater emotional exhaustion and cognitive stress associated with reduced social support from their colleagues. 5
Whether you are looking to rally cohesion during 2021 or are working on your plan to bring people back, team-building activity has a critical role to play. But how can you do that without adding yet another Teams or Zoom meeting to an already exhausting schedule?
The answer is ambition. You have to make whatever you do wholly different from every other online interaction they have. You need to ensure that your event is as engaging as possible for as many of your participants as possible. And you need to bring everyone together under a common purpose that makes everyone feel good – in our case, that’s always a meaningful contribution to charity or community.
2. Huddle or Developmental virtual team building?
Sources
- https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/goodwork/covid-impact
- https://www.questionandretain.co.uk/2020/05/26/psychological-impact-of-working-from-home/
- https://wafproject.org/2020/05/20/covidwfh/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2020/08/24/working-from-home-is-disliked-by-and-bad-for-most-employees/?sh=1007db306734
- https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z#Sec6