If you’re like the teams that we have been working with, they are overworked, over-screened, and overwhelmed. Office culture has shifted so quickly that while many team leaders know they should be carving out time for fun and shared experiences, they often don’t know where to start. Many people don’t even know that virtual team bonding experiences are an option.

It’s been over six months since many companies shifted to fully Work From Home (WFH) if possible to help curb the spread of COVID-19. As winter looms in much of the country, it can feel like there will be no break from the monotony of digital meetings. Whereas before the work week might’ve been broken up with a Happy Hour, or the work quarter broken up with a retreat or offsite, or the work year rewarded with an end-of-year bash or lavish dinner, now you may have to think a bit more creatively about how to keep your team engaged beyond work itself.

It’s worth it! Making the time to engage with your colleagues as people - who tell funny jokes, or have talents you may not know about, or share something in common with you that you didn’t know before - will make working together more fun...and more fruitful. Once you enjoy a shared experience, you can recall that memory during a tough deadline, understand a bit better the perspective of your colleague on a project, or communicate feedback in a way that it may be better received. 

Here are some things we’ve learned:

1. Hire an expert. Unless you’re an event planner (and even if you are you, you’re supposed to be planning events for other people), you probably have a job description with more than enough to keep you busy during the workday. Don’t get bogged down in the details of planning. If you hire a professional to manage your team bonding, they will provide you a seamless booking process, ask the necessary questions to learn about your team and goals, and deliver on a well-crafted experience. An added layer now is the technical aspect of hosting. When you hire out, that company is bringing their past learnings troubleshooting the platform to make your event more successful. Lastly, external facilitation ensures that you can join your team in the fun, and that the experience is equitable and enjoyable across your team.
   
2. Not all screen fatigue is created equal. There’s a lot to be said for taking the time to block off fun during the work day. It feels very different to come to a Zoom meeting to discuss a budget than to come to a Zoom meeting solely for the purpose of enjoying the company of others. The goal of the meeting matters! While we are all missing face-to-face connection, there may be no other choice in order to remain compliant with your company’s safety and health protocols. Your colleagues will be happy to have something on the calendar - even if it is virtual -  other than endless budget meetings.

3. Simple can be really nice, too. The thing you do doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. The important thing is to show your team that you appreciate them by making the time to book the experience. It’s likely that your company has built-in ways to show appreciation but that some of those ways may be lost in this new WFH environment. You may have hired new colleagues without a proper welcome, let birthdays and baby showers pass without acknowledgement, or moved onto the next project without celebrating the last accomplishment. In this case, it truly is the thought that counts.

Team bonding is about making time for your team’s happiness. That investment will have long lasting returns. Especially now.