The fact that the integration of employees is of great importance is known not from today. A well-coordinated team efficiently performs its duties and is successful on the market. Integration in a stationary job is usually spontaneous. Daily conversations by the coffee machine or shared lunches bring people closer and help build friendly bonds. The problem may arise in employee groups that operate on a home office basis. How to integrate a team working remotely?
A good team can do more
The assumption is that the employee group should efficiently and effectively perform all business tasks on a daily basis. What is necessary for this is: good knowledge of group members, team cooperation, efficient communication and using the potential of each person. However, unnecessary disputes can arise between employees, which negatively affect the quality and effectiveness of communication. The atmosphere at work becomes unattractive, and a clear decrease in motivation to act can be observed among team members. As a consequence, the team does not achieve maximum results, and the company's position on the market drops significantly.
To avoid such a situation, the employer should take care of cyclical integration meetings that will improve the atmosphere and strengthen friendly relations between employees. Events, trips, integration trainings, team building workshops, as well as daily integration rituals at the company's headquarters are the key to building a strong, dynamically functioning employee team. The result is a group that knows how to use the potential and skills of each member and efficiently overcomes the difficulties that appear on the way to the goal.
But how to integrate a team that works on the principles of remote cooperation?
How to integrate an online team?
More and more companies are choosing to work from home office. Undoubtedly, it is a very convenient solution - especially for employees. Team members can perform their professional duties from anywhere in the world, they do not have to worry about commuting (which in large cities can be quite time-consuming and complicated), and they also feel more free at work. The advantage for employers is a wide labor market. Companies do not have to limit themselves to looking for employees only in their city. They can employ people from different parts of the country, which makes it possible to fill positions with people with the highest competence.
The downside of working from home is the difficult integration of employees. Working remotely, it is not always possible to get to know the characters, interests or competences of your co-workers well. Members of the company's crew have fewer opportunities to freely talk about topics unrelated to their official duties. As a consequence, they have no chance to get to know each other and build positive relationships. The atmosphere at work is rigid, unnecessary conflicts can arise, and the team does not achieve maximum results in the industry.
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3 ways to successfully integrate your team
Integration of a remotely collaborating team may be a bit more difficult than in the case of a stationary group, but it is not impossible to achieve. First of all, it is worth setting up a group chat (e.g. on WhatsApp or Messenger), where employees will be able to talk about loose topics - especially those that are in no way related to their professional duties. This is a great way to get to know each other better and build a positive atmosphere.
An interesting option is to organize virtual meetings for coffee or tea. The idea is to plan short (e.g. 15-minute) video calls with all team members - e.g. during a break from work. A dozen or so minutes of rest in the company of employees will not only strengthen the friendly bonds between individuals, but will also allow you to break away from work duties for a moment to recharge your batteries and return to work with new energy.
You can go a step further by organizing a longer integration meeting on webcams. Once every few weeks, it is worth planning a joint "party" in the virtual world. Each employee should have a bottle of good beer or a mug of their favorite tea and a large bowl of snacks. During the "virtual party" you can freely talk, joke and loosen up the atmosphere a bit.
How to integrate a team in real life?
No one said that a remote team couldn't meet in the real world once in a while. A joint trip to a picturesque place will certainly bring employees closer, which will translate into the efficiency of their work on a daily basis. An integration trip may include elements of team building. The organization of interesting games and team games can help form a harmonious work group that communicates efficiently, is motivated and knows how to use the skills and potential of each member.
Integrating a cooperating team on a home office basis can be a bit more difficult than that group integration working stationary. However, it's not worth giving up. A bit of commitment and creativity is the key to success.