Maintaining team spirit remotely

Maintaining team spirit remotely – tl;dr

• “Shared mindset” permeates nearly every aspect of effective teamwork, from information exchange to standard cooperation. It is one of the best indicators of team togetherness and a critical ingredient for team spirit. Eye contact, deeper discussions, and time spent together all contribute to a shared mindset. In a bustling office, pods and booths are a worthy investment toward this end, as they offer the private, restful space where colleagues can convene with total focus, calibrating to the big-picture vision.

• Trust is inarguably the second vital element of team spirit. It significantly shapes job satisfaction, performance, and organizational effectiveness. When workers are isolated, trust erodes and their communication with others diminishes in value. To meet this problem, video call booths such as hushHybrid, one-person fully equipped pods, may come to the aid. Such pods serve as technological links between on-site and at-home employees, elevating while simplifying hybrid calls.

• Knowing your team well, down to every member’s attributes, goes a long way in promoting team spirit. In fact, a team’s knowledge of their strengths is actually more important than the specific make-up of those strengths. In other words, just knowing your team’s strong points will lead to higher engagement and performance. A 4-person acoustic booth like hushMeet is the perfect place to hold a strengths-and-weaknesses workshop for your group to get this ball rolling.

• “Fun” is another noteworthy aspect of team spirit. Board games, for instance, can promote terrific team flow, bettering a group’s sense of camaraderie. At a time of broad dis-engagement, fun can be employed to boost initiative and emotional commitment. More and more, organizations may consider investing in large sound-insulated booths such as hushAccess.L to be furnished into acoustic break rooms. Such booths allow workmates to kick back without distracting peers on the floor.

Why is camaraderie important for remote working?

Team spirit may be the single best antidote to the myriad challenges hybrid teams face. It bridges communication gaps through openness and understanding. When a team has an unmistakable sense of unity, ideas tend to come more freely and conflicts are resolved more constructively. Collaboration just happens in this tangible, however virtual, atmosphere of two-way support. Workmates rally around common goals without inhibition, pooling talents and resources intuitively. Employees sign off feeling safe and supported. Team spirit is truly an inspiriting thing

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Without a simple sense of team, even creative tasks become drudgery, their purpose all but lost in a cloud of isolation. A sense of team is what powers people through the tough times, encouraged by the awareness that together the greatest mountain can be climbed.

The #1 challenge to team spirit in a hybrid work world: achieving a shared mindset.

A team may lack chemistry despite their best efforts. Why? Neuroscience has an answer: shared mindset. A shared mindset indicates nearly all aspects of productive teamwork including cooperation, information sharing, and overall group effectiveness. It is a hallmark of team “togetherness.”

According to recent research on chemistry at work, shared mindset is a critical element. And there are a handful of science-based ways to encourage this all-important mindset, the very foundation of a solid team. Some of the simplest options include better eye contact, deeper conversations, and more time spent together. In the hybrid, flexible office, often abuzz with various distracting activities, private booths may be the perfect place for teammates to meet up like this and have the attentive meetings and discussions on in-office days that are proven to drive camaraderie

– adds Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Virtual communication can lack context and “heart.”

Hybrid workers face a plethora of troubles related to merely communicating with colleagues on a day to day basis. These include lacking non-verbal cues or visual context, overload from too many apps or platforms, misunderstandings, and technical difficulties.

Building trust (without face-to-face interaction) is a considerable feat.

Without casual interactions, it’s harder to create shared experiences. Moreover, with nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice absent or lacking, it is harder to interpret intentions and emotions and form relationships.

For isolated workers, poor interpersonal trust degrades communication with others.

Trust in the workplace strongly influences job satisfaction, individual performance, and organizational effectiveness. It is proven to increase cooperation and information sharing. And its role is accentuated in times of change with the increased need for group problem-solving and adaptation.

Different personalities have different needs.

Introverts are more likely to enjoy working from home. But during hybrid meetings, their voice can be upstaged by louder, more expressive, extroverted peers. It is therefore important to create spaces that cater to specific communication styles, letting everyone speak with focus and confidence.

Read more: An introvert’s getaway from office bustle: acoustic pods

So how can a virtual team maintain a conducive atmosphere of team spirit?

In an atmosphere of openness and candid feedback, employees are 80% more likely to show higher well-being. In short, they are happier. And happiness makes employees 20% more productive. So how do we maintain this atmosphere?

It all starts with knowing your team, down to every member’s key attributes.

Gallup’s research shows that a team’s awareness of their strengths is more important than the specific make-up of those strengths. To clarify, just knowing your strengths, in addition to the strengths of your teammates, will produce higher engagement and performance.

Make your meetings more interactive.

Surefire ways to boost interaction include making and keeping to an agenda, defining expectations at the onset, using your video call app’s collaboration tools like the chat bar, and setting aside time for breakouts and, when possible, small talk. 

Man does not live by work alone — create opportunities for relaxed chat.

Bi-monthly team outings. Games in the office’s break room. Offsite retreats for colleagues to participate in workshops, team-building exercises, or skill-building sessions. Send out a survey to gauge what kind of activities or events people are genuinely interested in!

Breakroom games can make a team happier and more coordinated.

Fun at work supercharges creativity. One study in fact found that simple board games can promote awesome team flow. Such activities work by enhancing a group’s sense of unity, making their communication more transparent.

Fun is the top driver of well-being for every generation.

The positive relationship between how much fun one has at work, and how prosocial, ethical, and altruistic they are is remarkable. As such, fun can ultimately play a pivotal role at work, boosting one’s initiative and emotional engagement (at a time when engagement is basically slumped).

Consider the endless digital tools designed to nurture team spirit remotely.

A quick web search will give you a list of apps that peers can bond over virtually. Similarly, digital whiteboarding tools help greatly in engendering a sense of team. And employee recognition software is highly recommended, as it facilitates an easy way to celebrate wins or give feedback.

Acoustic office booths drive connections across a hybrid team in many ways.

Pods and booths allow for real connection by blocking out noise. A video booth protects the meeting host’s focus, allowing them to give remote peers undivided focus despite background hubbub. A team meet pod insulates attendees from the floor’s noise, letting them link over the task at hand.

For higher quality hybrid calls, consider the hushHybrid 1-person video pod.

If your office floor is noisy, but meeting rooms are always booked, a mobile booth like hushHybrid may be just the thing. It is equipped with video light strips and adjustable ventilation, letting you set the perfect atmosphere for virtual connection.

For better group meetings, consider the hushMeet 4-person acoustic booth.

Need a quiet, private space in the office for small group meet-ups? Consider hushMeet. It is an acoustic office pod, offering guaranteed speech privacy for confidential or delicate matters. In hushMeet, your team is free to connect without interruptions.

For a bit of play, try the hushAcess.L large, sound-insulated booth — a mini break room.

HushAcess.L seats between 4-6 people depending on its configuration. It can be ordered with or without furniture, so you can customize its interior entirely. Perhaps for you this may include bean bag chairs and a plush sofa to go with the office’s gaming system.

Check out the Hushoffice collection of acoustic pods here.

Maintaining team spirit remotely – summarized

• “Shared mindset” permeates nearly every aspect of effective teamwork, from information exchange to standard cooperation. It is one of the best indicators of team togetherness and a critical ingredient for team spirit. Eye contact, deeper discussions, and time spent together all contribute to a shared mindset. In a bustling office, pods and booths are a worthy investment toward this end, as they offer the private, restful space where colleagues can convene with total focus, calibrating to the big-picture vision.

• Trust is inarguably the second vital element of team spirit. It significantly shapes job satisfaction, performance, and organizational effectiveness. When workers are isolated, trust erodes and their communication with others diminishes in value. To meet this problem, video call booths such as hushHybrid, one-person fully equipped pods, may come to the aid. Such pods serve as technological links between on-site and at-home employees, elevating while simplifying hybrid calls.

• Knowing your team well, down to every member’s attributes, goes a long way in promoting team spirit. In fact, a team’s knowledge of their strengths is actually more important than the specific make-up of those strengths. In other words, just knowing your team’s strong points will lead to higher engagement and performance. A 4-person acoustic booth like hushMeet is the perfect place to hold a strengths-and-weaknesses workshop for your group to get this ball rolling.

• “Fun” is another noteworthy aspect of team spirit. Board games, for instance, can promote terrific team flow, bettering a group’s sense of camaraderie. At a time of broad dis-engagement, fun can be employed to boost initiative and emotional commitment. More and more, organizations may consider investing in large sound-insulated booths such as hushAccess.L to be furnished into acoustic break rooms. Such booths allow workmates to kick back without distracting peers on the floor.

Maintaining team spirit remotely – frequently asked questions

How do you build team spirit remotely?

Consider one of the three following scientifically sound methods of team-building. A strengths-weaknesses team workshop to get more familiar with your group. Regular play, whether a board game or video game, to foster team flow, boosting togetherness. Or a game-based app designed specifically to promote rapport.

Why does team spirit matter?

Groups with a robust spirit are better equipped to overcome setbacks, as they possess resilience and a collective determination to succeed. Teams with a strong spirit or camaraderie are also more likely to share ideas and information freely. This leads to better collaboration and higher quality output. When teammates enjoy a feeling of team spirit, they are ultimately motivated and encouraged to offer their best efforts.

Can games promote team spirit?

Absolutely. One study finds that video gaming as a team, for example, is a practical method of developing and improving newly formed teams. Board games are also shown to boost terrific team flow markedly, giving a sense of togetherness and more transparent communication.