Improving team morale in the virtual workplace
This Article Written By: Ms. Aarthi
Remote work has become the new normal and it has been more than a year since everyone started working from home. While HR professionals are coping up with the work-from-home situation and are trying to improve the motivation of individuals, improving team morale requires utmost attention as well. This sudden change to remote working has challenged the way teams were traditionally managed. In the traditional scenario, before the pandemic hit, team members were located near each other, allowing frequent in-person contact which served as a major reason for trust, faster communication, and effective problem-solving. Though in the past year, the corporate world has adapted itself to video conferences and virtual meets, HR professionals are still working to maintain cohesion among people and improve efficiency.
Communication is the key. Harvard Business Review states 80% of the people would have better relationships with more frequent team communications. Communication, as a means to build strong teams, has become more important in these tough times, when there is very minimal interaction. It is extremely essential to understand team members to build a strong team and complete tasks efficiently. Hence, proactive communication becomes necessary.
Informal team meetings with games, coffee breaks, and team lunches are a great way to maintain the cohesiveness of the teams. Further, without confining fun to informal meetings, formal meetings can also be made less formal, by taking time to talk to each other and ensure everybody in the team is doing well.
In the broader sense, inclusion as a factor in improving team morale is gaining importance as HR managers have started realizing its link to employee engagement. It is said that employees who feel included in a team, are more likely to be productive.
Celebrations are a great way to remind people to take a break from hectic schedules. It not only ensures work-life balance, but also builds a rapport among the team members apart from their formal relationships. These celebrations play an important role in the mental health of employees and help them stay motivated, manage stress levels and rejuvenate.
Though pushing employees to stay productive should not be the ultimate goal, encouraging them to upskill themselves, especially as a team is a prerequisite to prevent brain drain and promote a learning culture. ‘Learning circles’, where team members come together to discuss articles, knowledge bits, etc., related to their skill head, are a great way to ensure peer learning.
When it comes to new teams, ones formed during the pandemic, icebreaker sessions go a long way. In these tough times, when people are unable to meet in person, it is not very easy to work as a team with a completely new set of people. Easing the process of acquainting each other through ice breakers and heart-to heart conversations creates an atmosphere of comfort, trust and open communication.
Apart from taking special efforts for the abovesaid, teams should be encouraged to appreciate each other’s win – be it small or large, and celebrate team wins as well. It is these little moments that keep us going. Celebrating each other’s small achievements is absolutely essential in making people feel valued.
There are countless ideas on how to build teams. Various third-party organizations focus on corporate team building – both physically and virtually as well. While they do help in building strong teams, maintaining team morale in the virtual workplace is a continuous effort that both the employers and the employees must focus on.
