[:de][:de]Flexibility and individuality in choosing a work location, workstation, and working hours have become an integral part of the working world, even as a result of the New Work movement. However, the coronavirus pandemic rapidly shifted the workplace to home offices. After almost two years of the pandemic, employees are trained to work from home as well. The "basics of online meetings" have been internalized, and best practices for a productive workday within the four walls of their own home are now routine. The conclusion: Working with digital collaboration tools and online meetings works! However, with the Omikron wave and a renewed permanent home office setup, more and more employees are once again complaining about social isolation. In a 2020 study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, over 40 percent of respondents stated that they find it more difficult to maintain contact with other teams.
Even after many months of the pandemic, employers and employees don't seem to have found an optimal solution for informal exchange and cohesion in the home office. Rather, after a rare office visit, we realize how valuable face-to-face contact with our colleagues and relaxed, spontaneous hallway conversations are. However, attempts to establish informal virtual exchange formats within teams or companies often lead to disillusionment: "In-person meetings can't simply be replaced with a digital meeting" or "We shouldn't necessarily transfer every face-to-face format to a virtual format."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we at KI.M have been testing digital exchange formats and virtual events to create a space for valuable informal exchange. In this blog post, we'd like to share with you some insights into our formats, best practices, and some inspiration for your team. We operate according to the motto "Anything goes, nothing is necessary." For us, the focus of remote socializing is to ensure that the formats are fun and informal.
- Regular and sufficient time for informal exchange
Regular virtual exchange formats, firmly integrated into team members' calendars, clearly strengthen cohesion in the home office. This is primarily due to the informal conversations that bring employees closer together, rather than small talk at the beginning of team meetings.
At KI.M, we took the after-work Kölsch on the roof terrace as inspiration for an exchange format: the Kölsch-Klüngel (Kölsch-Klüngel) every second Friday evening of the month. Does your team or company also have an exchange format that can be easily implemented remotely? When it comes to duration and regularity, it's crucial that the exchange fits well with your team's schedule. One or two fixed 30-minute appointments per month might be sufficient. We prioritize ensuring that as many people as possible can take part in the exchange format, rather than having it take place weekly with only 5% of the team present. In addition to the duration, the location is also important. For our Kölsch-Klüngel, we deliberately use a different tool than for our work-related exchanges. And that brings us to our second tip.
- Creation of virtual spaces as meeting rooms
What decentralized teams or digital startups already use for themselves has worked for us too: A digital replica of our KI.M office on Domstraße provides us with the ideal meeting place for the end of a workweek or for announcements that need to take place outside of work-related meeting structures. The detailed KI.M office also features interactive online games that have often caused loud laughter in front of our screens.
- The mix of practice and presence
Over the past two years, several team days and celebrations have been canceled or held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. In our experience, an entertaining program and the sending of tactile goodies in advance can help ensure a memorable celebration. For example, you can send ingredients and a recipe for a joint cooking event. If your team size and local distribution allow, dividing into small groups for the virtual event is also promising.
- Digital team building companions
To strengthen communication between employees not just on a one-off basis but also in the long term, we at KI.M accompanied our virtual events with "team-building activities." For example, our Christmas party was preceded by an Advent calendar with 24 stimulating, personal, funny, and thought-provoking questions. Each day, we opened a digital door together, such as "What was the most exciting experience you've ever had at work?" or "What do you particularly appreciate about other people?" In the resulting phone calls, team meetings, and hallway conversations, we always learned something new and personal about our counterparts – even after 20 years of service. In February, we got in the mood for our virtual carnival event with a fun fact bingo. There were over 30 fun facts to solve. From extras and celebrity encounters to adventurous vacation experiences, everything was represented! The advantage of bingo: For us at KI.M, it is guaranteed fun and, due to its asynchronicity, can be easily integrated into everyday work.
- Incorporate individual interests and talents
Through an internal project by Svenja Göke, a consultant at KI.M, we are focusing in 2022 on creating even more shared experiences in our daily work routine and connecting them with the individual interests and talents within the team. A few weeks ago, for example, Meryem Janser accompanied us with a yoga stretching session after work. In addition to athletic talent, musical, artistic, or literary talents can also share their passions with the team. How about a small art workshop or a digital book club, for example? Your team and company certainly have hobbies that can be pursued interactively while working from home!
- Accompanied onboarding and networking events
Especially for new employees in your teams and companies, successful social onboarding strengthens staff cohesion and trust, as well as employee loyalty and satisfaction. What was achieved during on-site training weeks, introductory meetings, and lunch meetings during on-site work should not be neglected during remote work. Individual formats such as virtual coffee breaks or 360-degree office tours can easily be implemented virtually. But how do new employees get a feel for the company culture and values that are lived? In 2020, in coordination with CONET, we developed a virtual onboarding event for an experience-oriented introduction to our client's corporate culture: movement, fun, and active communication in front of the camera instead of tedious, non-interactive listening. You can read more about our case study here: https://www.ki-management.com/virtuelles-onboarding/
But even after the onboarding phase, many faces in the company remain unknown, and the interaction quickly gives way to a productive work rhythm. To strengthen networks among employees within the company in the long term, we designed and moderated various international, digital networking events this year. The focus of these services is to promote group dynamics for informal exchange and smooth technical implementation.
If we can support you with a similar project, please contact us!
Our conclusion: Remote socializing in times of home office is a win-win for teams and companies. However, to effectively strengthen cohesion and closeness among colleagues, formats must be found that are accepted by the workforce, actually used, and perceived as authentic. Even the most engaging online format is useless if the workforce only participates with restraint.
Feel free to take a look at the insights into the formats described here in the gallery.
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