6 Proven Ways to Feel More Connected to Your Team

By now, the reality of pandemic life has set in for most of us.

For organizations, the shift to remote working has raised a number of interesting challenges, particularly around the best way to keep teams engaged, motivated and happy.

New research from COVID HR Pulse has shown that productivity and work-life balance are now the number one issues on employees’ minds. In early April, during the initial stage of lockdown, “job security” was the most pressing concern for HR professionals. But, as time passed, that issue was replaced with the need to ensure “technology and tools for remote work”.

This shift in priority among HR professionals has a deeper meaning, because “technology and tools” serve as an enabler for a more important and fundamental concern: how to derive true impact, purpose and belonging in the workplace.

Today, nearly a third of companies say that “emotional and social support” for their employees is their number one concern. This should come as no surprise. The COVID-19 crisis has shown us that human connection – among our colleagues, friends and family – is a fundamental need that must be protected and empowered.

For employers, managing the employee experience and building a connected, happy and cohesive work environment is key to productivity and success.

In this article, we’ll explore a number of different ways organizations can address the culture challenges raised by the COVID-19 crisis – so you can build trust, empower your workforce and deliver a real sense of impact, purpose and belonging.

1.     Rethink the virtual workplace

As organizations pivot their workforce to remote working in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s both a challenge and an opportunity to find new ways of connecting people and re-creating shared feelings of camaraderie and belonging.

There are a number of social collaboration platforms designed for enterprise use which can help connect people across all levels of the business. Workplace by Facebook, for example, allows employees to communicate about their day-to-day work, conduct video meetings and share updates about their progress. Other real-time collaboration and project management tools that you may find useful include Yammer, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello and Asana, to name a few.

When used correctly, these new virtual workplaces can actually improve engagement and facilitate a greater level of sharing and conversation. Because people can see one another's updates and activities, there’s a greater level of transparency and openness than when employees are sat in a traditional office (that is typically separated by physical barriers such as desks, cubicles and offices).

With interactive functionality included in many of these virtual workplaces, employees have the option to post comments, add photos, share files, leave recommendations, answer polls and much more. And let’s not forget – no virtual workplace would be complete without its fair share of emojis, Gifs and stickers, either.

While virtual workplaces might not be a direct replacement for physical connection and contact, they can still serve as a powerful way for businesses to keep employees engaged and boost morale at a time when mental health is a real concern.

2.     Prioritise mental health

During a time of crisis, it’s understandable that people will respond differently to challenging situations. With enforced lockdowns and extended periods of isolation, employers need to prioritise mental health and ensure that people feel connected to each other – despite the physical separation.

According to new research, more employees than ever before have been opening up about their mental health to their employers and colleagues. In fact, 79% of employees reported an increase in the number of conversations surrounding mental health in the workplace.

To help employees feel mentally sound, consider bringing in outside experts to help facilitate or advise on best steps. In the UK, for example, you can support the mental health of employees with an employee assistance program such as Samaritans, MIND or the NHS, which can help direct employees to the right support channel.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, 70% of all UK employers said they would be increasing investment in mental health support over the next 12 months. The NHS, for example, has partnered with popular meditation and mindfulness app Headspace, to provide free subscriptions to all its employees during these difficult times.

In the US, some employers have taken real steps towards addressing mental health in the workplace, with brands such as Starbucks giving hundreds of thousands of employees access to 20 free sessions with a mental health therapist or coach. Professional services firm EY, meanwhile, is offering live daily workouts online through its EY Exercise program, which also includes live seminars on holistic wellbeing, nutrition and sleep.

3.     Make diversity and inclusion a business priority

According to new research from Gartner, organizations with sustainable D&I initiatives demonstrate a 20% increase in inclusion, which corresponds to greater on-the-job effort and intent to stay, as well as high employee performance.

Belonging is a key component of inclusion and plays an important role in making teams feel more connected and empowered. But diversity alone isn’t the answer; many organizations pursue diverse representation in their workforce, but fail to build a culture of real inclusivity.

Lauren Romansky, Managing Vice President at Gartner, leads a research team dedicated to key initiatives in HR, particularly around D&I. She says, “When employees are truly included, they perceive that the organization cares for them as individuals, so they can be their authentic selves. HR can help make that happen.”

To build a sense of inclusion and belonging, Lauren proposes a three-step process:

1.     Eliminate outsiderness – Aim for a workplace culture in which individuality is both noticed and valued. You can demonstrate care for employees by scheduling routine check-ins, workplace support and open communication.

2.     Bring everyone on board – 7 out of 10 employees say their organization fails to inform them of opportunities to promote inclusion in their daily work. To strengthen support for belonging, diversity and inclusion, make everyone individually responsible for achieving D&I goals.

3.     Demonstrate care through benefits and initiatives – Flexible work scheduling and emotional wellness programs demonstrate to employees that you care about their distinct needs and demands outside of work, and inclusive benefits and initiatives have been shown to increase feelings of inclusion by up to 38%.

4.     Be transparent and vulnerable

Trust is built through openness, honesty and transparency, and for organizations this must start from the top.

When senior leadership is transparent about what’s happening in the business financially, what the challenges are and what the strategy is moving forward into the future, this creates a real opportunity to engage, motivate and connect with people.

Being vulnerable is a powerful way to let people in, because it shows a full depiction of your whole self. When employers create an environment where vulnerability is accepted and promoted, this encourages employees to feel comfortable sharing their own feelings and concerns.

At global creative agency We Are Social, for example, its leaders recognized that by opening up about their own struggles, they could encourage other people to feel comfortable sharing their own unique experiences, too.

Lucy Doubleday, Managing Partner at We Are Social, talks about the importance of vulnerability, saying, “It’s about accepting and admitting we’re all struggling. After lockdown, I put a note out about feeling overwhelmed. Our chief executive did a talk on Friday and said he was finding it really difficult and struggling with not seeing people. And that he wasn’t a good self-motivator at home. So, he was showing that vulnerability.”

Only by speaking openly about the challenges, adversities and imperfections can companies truly create a culture of belonging. If you back up a vulnerability with the conviction to change, improve, or do good, it can be incredibly alluring and very difficult to resist, especially when you believe you could have a significant role in getting them there.

5.     Facilitate open communication

To help build connection and rapport among team members, it’s vital that organizations facilitate open conversations and create new ways for people to share and talk.

Accenture, for example, is taking a high-touch approach by holding employee listening sessions and using the insights gathered to create bespoke physical and mental wellbeing initiatives designed to support their people.

Lisa Rose, Director of HR at Accenture, says, “Our organised virtual sessions are on a range of topics from managing mood and emotionally supporting children and family members during uncertain times, through to managing sleep and staying fit and healthy. Now, more than ever, we need to lead with compassion, be flexible and care for our people and each other.”

To build a culture where people feel inspired to share and communicate, consider implementing new channels by which employees can have these conversations. That could be daily check-ins with team members, weekly one-to-one conversations with managers or monthly company-wide town hall meetings that give everyone a chance to share and raise their concerns.

By addressing each level of communication, from personal to team to company-wide, you can create a more structured and layered communications strategy that gives employees the platform to speak openly and seek help if needed.

6.     Encourage shared physical activities

Given that remote working and social distancing are the new norm for many professionals, it’s more important than ever for people to stay active and find new ways of being social.

To help teams feel connected, it’s important to address individual factors like mood, self-esteem and stress. Thankfully, science has shown that exercise is one of the most powerful ways to naturally boost levels of serotonin in the body, which is responsible for regulating feelings of well-being and happiness.

In fact, research from Harvard has shown that merely running for 15 minutes a day can reduce the risk of major depression by 26%. What’s more, there’s a host of data showing a direct correlation between physical exercise and a decrease in feelings of stress and anxiety.

Many employers have recognized the value of physical exercise in boosting energy levels, self-esteem and shared connections. PwC, for example, offers weekly seminars on topics from physical health to nutrition advice. In addition, the company offers a variety of virtual fitness classes, including mindfulness, yoga and HIIT. Amgen, meanwhile, uses Yammer, an enterprise social network, to connect employees so that they can join in virtual gym classes.

Ensuring physical wellbeing, particularly in shared, group sessions, goes a long way towards building a happy, connected and motivated workforce.

Focus on true impact, purpose and belonging

If you want to create a workplace where employees feel happy, excited and motivated to show up every day, then consider implementing some of these strategies to create a culture defined by purpose and fulfillment.  

As teams pull together in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, there’s been a much more conscious demonstration of empathy and compassion than we’ve ever seen before. To help empower connection among team members, consider listening, learning and documenting from your employees’ experiences.

By capturing and recording these stories, you can more easily identify what is working and what isn’t - which allows you to continually improve and deliver a culture that employees feel proud to be part of.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can build a culture of impact, purpose and belonging, then you can pick up a copy of my book, ‘Give & Get Employer Branding’, available now on Amazon and at all major book retailers.