Don't Let Your Sprouts Turn To Tumbleweed in 2021

Meeting outside for Christmas gets a bad rap. The idea of your bread sauce slowly freezing while your sprouts limp a little more tarnishes the appeal of a physically distanced Yuletide.

Perhaps our winter weather is not conducive to enjoying turkey and stuffing with the in-laws, but it does have its uses.

I often spend the chilly walk home after school drop off moaning with another P5 Dad about the latest Covid-19 directive. However, last week our topic for the day was the challenges involved in hosting successful online get togethers with colleagues.

P5 Dad has a team with the usual mix of personalities. He says there has never been an issue generating conversation in the past at Christmas parties and Friday evening socials at the pub. However, try as he might, the Grinch appears to have stolen conversation from his Christmas Zoom gatherings. His sprouts have been replaced by tumbleweed.

Ah ha, you say. There is one missing ingredient that fueled many a conversation at office dos of bygone years. Bevvy. This festive season I’ve heard wondrous tales of companies sending emergency booze parcels to employees for their virtual Christmas party; ready to drink cocktails, wine tasting, bottles of IPA to assuage the winter drouth.

But surely, in this of all years, we can find things to talk about without being half canned?

This conversation set me thinking about how challenging the holidays are going to be for many colleagues. Isolation, melancholy, sad reflections on the past year for many will fill the void of the company of family and friends. When we do reconvene at work in 2021 it is going to be more important than ever that we can engage colleagues virtually and check in on their health and wellbeing, particularly as it looks like lockdown could last a few weeks at least.  

Here are some suggestions for leaders to encourage engagement with their teams online with a particular focus on health and wellbeing post-holidays.

·       Offer a virtual drop-in session on a set day each week. You could put aside an hour (or even half an hour each day post-holidays) to make yourself available to speak to colleagues who want to have a chat. You could style this as an informal opportunity to catch up. Someone living alone might appreciate ten minutes to chat about the football results, the Christmas telly, or what they got up to in the holidays.

 ·       Make a point of checking in on people, particularly in the first few weeks back at work. Better than sending a message is to video call them directly so you can see them in person and be sure they are doing OK. This doesn’t need to take up a lot of your time. People will really appreciate a five-minute conversation if that is all it needs.

 ·       Put in the hard yards before any team get together and plan what you want to achieve. Is it a social get together or something that requires a business outcome? Make sure your team understands the difference in advance. Make sure you style the meetings differently using less formal language for a social in your email invites. This will help with making social gatherings feel less like just another work meeting.

 ·       Consider the personalities in your team. Who is the loud voice that dissuades others from speaking up? Perhaps you need to have a quiet, supportive conversation with them in advance explaining that all voices must have a chance to be heard.

 ·       Ask everyone to come armed with material. If it’s a social gathering everyone could be prepared to talk about something you didn’t know about them; or two or three jokes; a piece of music they enjoy; five quiz questions each; or their favourite comedy sketch that you could watch together on YouTube.

 ·       If it’s a business meeting the same principle applies; ensure your team comes prepared to participate. You could tell everyone in advance that they will have five minutes to contribute to the discussion and to be prepared to do so.

 ·       Don’t be afraid to keep asking how are you? Show colleagues that you are interested and care about how they are doing. The only way to do this virtually is to ask them directly and keep asking. You might think you sound like a broken record, but they will appreciate your concern.

 ·       Reflect on your leadership style. How do you come across? It is important to ensure everyone feels they have the psychological safety to speak openly and honestly in meetings and that they have your support to do so. There is no harm in having an open conversation with your team about your style. Is there something you could do to improve engagement in meetings?

 ·       Think about producing a short e-newsletter to open 2021. This could include some key dates for diaries, such as social get togethers, and what objectives you plan to focus on in the early months of the year. It could also include links to organisations offering health and wellbeing guidance and support.

 ·       Don’t give up. The worst thing you can do is have fewer video calls because you feel they are the equivalent of talking to a lamp post in a rainstorm. Keep going and try different approaches to encouraging discussion and engagement. They may not always tell you, but your team will greatly appreciate the opportunity to see others, hear different voices, and know that you care about them.

Many colleagues will return to work in January having experienced a long, lonely, and emotional Christmas. It is important that their voices are encouraged and heard, and not just those who managed to have a fun time.

Oh, and enjoy your sprouts al fresco if you dare.

Have a peaceful Christmas and here’s to a happy and healthy 2021.