Layering connection to boost team wellbeing and performance
With so many of us working remotely at the moment, there is a significant risk that the physical distance between us can turn into emotional distance. This is important to recognise and manage both in our personal lives and in the workplace.
The solution? Do everything we can to stay connected with each other.
Why focus on connection?
Humans are social beings - connection with others is one of our most fundamental needs. In times of crisis this need is amplified, and strong connections play a huge role in helping us survive, build resilience and even thrive.
So how do we all stay connected when self-isolation measures mean we generally can’t meet each other face to face?
Over the last couple of months we have already seen lots of creative ideas emerge in this space, from Zoom drinks on a Friday afternoon, to people dropping notes with offers of help in their neighbours’ mailboxes. It’s been really uplifting to see to how the need for connection and desire to help others has brought out the best in many of us.
There has also been some encouraging research from the SARS pandemic doing the rounds, that has demonstrated that societies are actually able to generate increased social connectedness during a pandemic. Whilst some of this happens organically, we can also boost our connection and wellbeing by creating connection plans and developing connection habits.
Connection at work
In a business context the question becomes - how do we help our people, customers and community stay connected in a meaningful way over the months ahead? How do we help our people stay engaged and energised?
Getting this right is so important for individual wellbeing and also for business performance.
One effective way to address this is at the team level. In a team setting we can think about building connection in layers, much like layering our clothing in winter to insulate us from the cold. The more layers of connection, the greater the team’s ability to maximise wellbeing, engagement and performance.
We are all rapidly adapting to the new home and work situations we are finding ourselves in. While we naturally look to stay connected with our friends and family for support, we also need to put a big focus on thinking about:
how we connect with our team, customers and community in a meaningful way to help each other through; and,
how we leverage the virtual work environment as a connection enhancer (rather than assume it is a connection inhibitor and something we need to work around)
I’ve seen some great examples of this second point on using technology as a connection enhancer.
A few parents of young children have told me that they can regularly attend their team drinks on a Friday afternoon now that they have gone virtual, and that this is making them feel more included.
I’ve also seen virtual leadership programs that include time at the end of each session where participants with kids can bring them into the session to engage in some fun storytelling or coaching activities. Feedback on this has been overwhelmingly positive, as colleagues feel like they are getting to know each other better by meeting each others’ families.
Help your team boost enhance connection and engagement
If you’re interested in learning practical connection tools and tips and putting some simple systems in place to ensure your team stays connected and engaged drop me a note. I’d love to hear from you.