Undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges facing in-house teams since the pandemic – especially given the power of learning through osmosis.
Although I don’t think we can replicate those in-person moments perfectly, or as well, into a virtual environment, there are a few things that could be done to get closer to a replication at least:
Arrange (and stick to) regular catch-ups with your team and other stakeholders
It’s no secret that it’s much easier for many of us, during a day in the office, to pop to a colleague’s desk to run something by them, compared to sending a Teams message or calendar-bombing when sat at home. Having those regular check-ins means that your team and peers have an opportunity to raise any issues/ run-throughs which they might have otherwise done more easily on-site.
Use the virtual tools available to you
Whether it’s via Teams, Skype, Slack, Sharepoint etc., try to rely on the more instantaneous ways of communicating than formal e-mails or meeting invites – though, much like in-person working, remember to respect others’ workloads and boundaries with instant messaging.
Don’t just focus on the formal
Water-cooler moments aren’t solely for talking shop – they’re there for asking after the family, sharing holiday updates, talking about the weekend and so on. And being online shouldn’t be any different – yes, many of us are allergic at times to small-talk (particularly the weather-based kind) but, a cliché though it is, it’s a great icebreaker and way to turn focus away from the work for a little while.
The same goes for social events – whilst online gatherings, quizzes, celebrations etc. are no match compared to their in-person equivalent, they’re still much better than doing nothing to maintain and boost team morale .
I am not sure you can at least not as effectively as the real thing. Getting to know the organisation and culture depends to a large extent on being there in person some of the time. It is difficult to manufacture water cooler moments – they just tend to happen and often with people you don’t see or meet often .
Ian White - In-house legal consultant
A bit left-field, but how about aiming to recreate the randomness of those water cooler moments by:
- Putting the names of people who, when in the office would be reasonably close to a particular water-cooler/coffee machine and might bump into each other, into a hat.
- Putting a random list of times (e.g Monday 10am. Thursday 3.30pm) also into a hat.
- Then draw out two names and one time.
- Get those people to have a call or a Zoom at that time.
- Bingo !
If you are in the office, there is little added value to you or your employer from the time that you spend getting to and from the office, if all you do is then sit on a computer doing the video calls and emails that, you would have done anyway when you were at home – use your office time well!
So:
1: plan the time that you do have in the office so that you know who else is in on that day and, you agree ahead of time and diarise for 15 minute catch ups with them. Make sure that there is at least one point, pre-communicated, that you both want to speak about, so that you both have an incentive to keep the appointment even if the day is busy.
2: walk the floors, and allow time for that walk, to lead to short chats with people whom you meet rather than being a time pressured jog around the premises.
When at home
Plan at least some calls, with regular contacts (and all calls with infrequent ones) with 2 min time buffers at either end of the main call agenda, for a quick “how are you”, or “what’s keeping you busy”, check in - “how do you feel about what we have just discussed” or “any plans for the weekend?” And, check out – plan it into the call, so that it does not become a time thief on a tight agenda, – and be prepared to share concise similar thoughts to stimulate the chat.
Try to keep in memory, some interesting prior topic with the person to follow up on. Remember the value of “ice breakers”, to startle people out of “Team’s glaze” (“its 10 am, its call 6 what’s next”) – humour. The weather where they are (boring but effective) or noticing and politely enquiring about interesting changes in the background, – new picture/pet running around etc can make all the difference in a few seconds to humanise the discussion, and possibly also prompt nice colleague knowledge and/or a business insight point .
Bruce Macmillan - General Counsel at Irwin Mitchell
Most in-house team leaders have wrestled this since the first weird days of lockdown. We tried everything from quizzes to cakes to cocktails.
But what seems most important is having a commitment to a regular virtual meeting every week, which is not wholly focused on workflow and management updates. Taking time to chat about what is going on in the workplace and the wider world is also really important, whether it’s chatting about family stuff, what everyone is streaming at the moment or big news stories.
Teams who know what is going on in each other’s lives, sharing up's and down's, are in my experience also the most effective, at managing tough work times together. So, it’s really just about making space for that in the virtual world in a concerted way, making up for the fact that the natural chat in the open plan, or at the tea point, is not available or not as regularly available.
It’s also good, to have an open and ongoing conversation with teams above what works, and recognising that it changes as teams change, whether because they are getting bigger or smaller or the mix has changed .
Rebecca Staheli - Head of Competition and Regulatory Law, BBC
I have found at times that I have miss chats with friends and colleagues since the move to hybrid working. Greater minds than mine are spending time thinking about this issue and most people I have spoken to seem unsure about what to do about it.
People have upended their lives to support hybrid working and take advantage of the flexibility that it offers. Businesses have supported staff with greater autonomy and have reduced costs by making their property footprint smaller, so they have less office capacity.
In some businesses, there are Monday & Tuesday people, and Wednesday & Thursday people. The two groups often don’t meet unless they are working on something together or are coming together for another reason.
I have found away days can help to spend time with a range of colleagues away from a particular work matter. Carving out some space for people to talk to each other and make bonds before they need to call on each other in a work matter is invaluable.
Knowledge sharing online spaces have really changed how easy it can be for people to communicate without needing to set up a meeting. Sharing best practice and knowledge is key as we are increasingly lifelong learners and up-skilling in a wider range of areas.
Personally, I find celebrating successes in team meetings and hearing what people are working encourages good conversation. What seems to matter most is that it is kept casual, and people feel they can prioritise it.
There need to be many ways for people to take part so that they can choose what works for them. As people have more autonomy over their lives and may face increasing demands and cross over between their personal and work lives it is important that activities are inclusive, and people feel comfortable taking part. For example, not making all activities after work so that people with caring obligations can take part.
These are some ideas that may help to make the workplace more friendly. I think there is more that can be done and am really looking forward to reading everyone else thoughts here!