Out of Office Teambuilding. A way forward.

I took the opportunity to read an article yesterday about `the bigger picture` once we have got on top of the pandemic, hopefully during 2021. The main area it looked at was the work patterns of people returning to work in offices. (Note: This was only about people who have been able to work at home during the pandemic). One of the big conclusions was that firms would need, or would be well-advised, to consider a different pattern of work schedules for their staff compared to what existed before Covid19. One example was to work 2 or 3 days at home and 2 or 3 days back at the office. Not only would this improve work flexibility, but firms could potentially make savings on utilities and lower the overall carbon footprint by less people driving to work. I feel this out of office approach could affect teambuilding/teambonding and this article examines that problem.

My initial reaction was this could be a fortunate by-product of the pandemic and in theory could lead to greater staff motivation if handled in the right way. Firms could change the lay-out of their work spaces and in theory may not need so many, which in turn could then be released for more `social`areas. One area that this argument didn`t address so directly was the fact that people miss the interaction with other people. Zoom and Microsoft teams and the other methods of on-line communication are fine for work updates and meetings, but they don`t beat the personal touch. It helps, as the VisitBrighton slogan implies, that Brighton was never normal anyway before the pandemic(!), but any kind of newly adopted work schedule must take personal interaction into account in order to get the best out of their staff.

People are even starting new jobs now without having met their co-workers face to face. I think this will have an impact on teambuilding and teambonding unless those areas are handled at the same time.
I have worked on shift at places where you worked with the same group most of the time across your different shifts and also, conversely, where you integrated eventually with the whole team across different shifts with varied patterns. The latter was definitely more effective in keeping the whole group together as a  cohesive unit, but the first pattern led to a smaller tight knit group. Teambuilding sessions should take this into consideration when they are being organised. If the event has a competitive nature then you may wish to stick with the original groupings, but if the purpose is to get to know the rest of the staff better then you can mix people up in teams.
Black Cat Treasure Hunts looks forward to adapting to whichever style you wish to use. During 2021, from May 1st to August 31st we are running Brighton Treasure Hunt 2021 for teams of 6.
 
This will give you the opportunity to take part in safe, small teams in an outdoor activity on any day or time you wish to take part. Alternatively, let me know your vision or spec for your own bespoke, personalised teambuilding treasure hunt to get your teams back together again. Contact us today on info@blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk and we can plan ahead together for a time with less restrictions!