Maximizing Your Team’s Engagement As We Return To Work

Have you struggled to keep yourself and your team engaged while working in a hybrid or remote environment? You’re not alone. It seems we’ve swapped office interruptions with distractions at home. As we transition back to working in the office full or part time, will we feel too distracted by shifting priorities to keep our engagement up? Fortunately, there are ways we can guarantee our teams’ engagement will soar despite the uncertainty of work – and it starts with small, manageable habits we can all incorporate right now. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our biggest in-office gripes were unexpected pop-ins by a colleague, meetings that should have been emails, and the 3pm caffeine slump. Our engagement started out high, but plummeted as our energy and tolerance depleted. Virtually, things weren’t much better. We juggled remote schooling, shared makeshift office space with family members, and impromptu pet appearances on our Zoom cameras. We’ve persevered, and many of us have come out with personal solutions for efficiency and focus, but keeping work engagement high continues to be a conscious and intentional effort we must make every day.

As we return to the office in some capacity, it is important to remember that expectations and processes may look different than what we’re used to, depending on social distancing guidelines and efforts to accommodate varying work arrangements. In addition, keeping in mind the pandemic and the rise of our attention to social injustice, it is important to be even more aware of our differences. We all have had different experiences, over the past year and beyond, which shape the unique lens through which we see the world. As a result, there will be different perceptions and levels of comfort with returning to the workplace. Instead of being fearful or overwhelmed by our new world of work, let’s look to create opportunities within them to prevent burn out and to improve the way we interact as a team. These small steps can help keep everyone involved, engaged and accountable:

Establish Togetherness -Take advantage of conferencing technology to have impactful hybrid meetings with your team members on a regular basis that foster business and personal connection

• Establish a meeting cadence people can count on and make meetings shorter. Consider a 10-minute team huddle daily to check in to see how everyone is doing and to prioritize a longer weekly or monthly meeting of 60 minutes to engage, connect and align holistically.

• Help everyone feel important and part of the team regardless of whether they are dialing in remotely or attending in person. Schedule 1:1 meetings to recap after team meetings and reach out with check in notes or emails in between.

• Have fun, release anxiety, reduce stress through virtual coffee breaks, team lunches/happy hours, book/podcast clubs, jeopardy, or scavenger hunts

Have Powerful Conversations - Get to know each other on a deeper level 

• Listen to unique individual needs with empathy and compassion, support individual purpose and coach for growth 

• Get in the habit of 1:1 and peer coaching where team members give each other feedback for future growth and set clear intentions on their “why”

• Invite team members to share their proudest moment in your next 1:1 or ask team members to “show & tell” something from their home that reveals something about them 

Inspire the Good - Focus on positivity to generate greater and more impactful outcomes

• Encourage deep breaths and communicate inspirational messages to your team through quotes, stories, visions, hope, gratitudes, daily intentions, etc. 

• Offer a segment of your team meeting for sharing good news and/or appreciation for other team members 

• Kickoff each team meeting by honoring individual and team progress, contributions, milestones, accomplishments, and birthdays. There is scientific evidence that clapping boosts positive brain chemistry and energy

Share Leadership - Encourage initiative, intellect and shared leadership wherever there is room for collaboration for collective success

• Ask your team to think about a topic and bring their answers to your next meeting. 

• Engage your team by asking for their ideas on a project you are working on, give them stretch assignments, rotate leadership opportunities.

• Ask your team to bring one of their goals to your next team meeting or 1:1 so they can discuss any challenges and brainstorm ideas around it.

Elevate Trust and Inclusion – Break down barriers and discomfort around new work environments by thinking bigger, together

• Explain the reason behind every initiative, meeting, or task and align all work to organizational priorities so people understand their contribution

• Help your team believe that a hybrid work environment can be as effective as in-person work or potentially a pathway to new opportunities. Encourage your team to learn about the differences of others before judging and set team norms to eliminate biases.

• Create a safe space for others to do the same. Share stories of your own mistakes, sadness, frustration, challenges, anxiety, or loss and what they have taught you.

There is still much to learn about ourselves, our teams and our resiliency as we map out best practices for staying engaged in the transition back to working in the office full or part time. By incorporating small habits to maximize our potential, and keeping open communication to flex where needed, we can work with unity, happiness and even more efficiency than we have in the past.

UpSpiral Leadership® offers learning journeys and coaching to maximize your team’s engagement and productivity.

Give us a call to see how: Schedule a discovery call today.