6 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Team

Since Covid, many businesses have been forced to make big changes, with one of the biggest shifts being the increase in remote workers. In fact, the Australian Institute of Family Studies found in a recent study that two thirds of Australians are now working from home. This is a big shift compared to the 42% of workers that chose to work from the comfort of their home office or on the road pre-Covid. Working from home does have its benefits, such as being able to attend meetings wearing slippers or being able to avoid the stress of the daily commute. Though, we can’t ignore its challenges.

Working from home can be isolating and lonely, making it harder to build bonds and collaborate with your colleagues. Fortunately, by using video conferencing technologies, staying connected online is not impossible if managed correctly. If you’re looking for ways to connect with your team and grow company culture in the virtual space, we have come up with 6 things you can start implementing in to your business today.

Here’s what you can do…

1. Have Devices Ready for Staff to Take Home

Do you have devices ready to go for when staff need to work from home? With Covid not easing up and new variants around every corner, it’s important for companies to be prepared for further isolations. By having laptops updated and available for staff, this ensures that employees will have the right software and programs at once so there will be no roadblocks in productivity and communication.

2. Make Regular Phone and Video Calls

Emails and instant messages are convenient and an important form of documenting communications. However, phone calls can be the best way to avoid misunderstandings, get an instant response and appear more human. By speaking directly with your colleagues, you are able to put a voice to the name. Or, better yet, use Microsoft Teams video calling and put a face to the name as well! This will encourage familiarity and allow for greater understanding of tone and intention. You can always follow up with an email after.

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You might also want to consider the Microsoft Teams setup where you and your team can collaborate seamlessly!

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3. Start a “Water Cooler” Teams Channel

One of the best ways to strengthen working relationships is to spend time on non-work activities. To do this in an online environment, companies can provide a platform for discussing non-work related topics. This will allow everyone to get to know each other better. Here are some suggestions for the topics you could bring up in your company group channel:

• Ask random questions once a week and encourage long answers, such as: “What is your favourite dessert and why?” or “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
• Start a Book or Movie club using polls to vote on choices for the month
• Share favourite or new recipes or hold a virtual cooking competition

4. Celebrate Personal Milestones

Keep company culture alive by celebrating employees’ personal achievements and milestones. By using Microsoft Teams channels to announce and congratulate staff on big events such as engagements, weddings, babies, birthdays or even a virtual photo album of furry family members, you can create a deeper connection and relatability amongst coworkers.

5. Schedule Virtual Lunches

Missing the lunch time discussions? Lunch breaks in the office are usually a great opportunity for coworkers to bond. Depending on distance, remote workers may be able to meet teammates for lunch in person though, as this is not always possible, hosting a company-wide virtual office lunch via video conferencing can be a great alternative and promote inclusivity.

6. Company Challenges & Competitions

Set company-wide challenges such as an exercise challenge, showing off your funniest pet moment or themed costume contests. This is a light-hearted way to add entertainment to a weekly meeting and encourage friendly competition.

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Remote working does pose challenges in creating and strengthening team connections. Luckily, video conferencing technologies provide tools and platforms for teams to easily collaborate, share their personal stories and communicate from anywhere and anytime. However, choosing the right solution is key to ensuring your team can easily communicate and collaborate.

At Future IT Services, we understand how important it is for businesses to stay connected. Talk to us today to ensure you have the best communication solutions for your team.