5 ways to keep your team connected with split working

By Sam Hill, Head of People and Culture at BizSpace 

As the government switches its message back to “work from home” where possible, businesses face a challenge as their employees are split between locations, with bubbles in one place and individuals elsewhere.

Although technology has permitted teams to stay connected over the past few months, the return of some employees to the office presents a new challenge to leadership as they must ensure those who remain working from home are not left behind. As teams typically speak less frequently when working remotely, employers must ensure that their employees who are not yet in the office do not feel isolated and that the culture remains unchanged.

Employees have a need to feel valued and connected to other members of the firm, even when working remotely. To aid business leaders in ensuring they avoid ostracising colleagues at home, this article provides practical tips for employers on achieving an inclusive workplace while their employees engage in split working.

Maximise the use of technology

When part of the team has returned to the office, it can be easy to forget to include remote working employees in particular conversations which may happen in passing or casually during the day. For remote working employees, this can be a significant contributor to them feeling isolated or that they are unable to sufficiently complete their job at home.

To combat this, business leaders should ensure their teams continue to use technology to their advantage. To maintain the communication which can be lost with remote working, management should continue to host daily or weekly team meetings via video conferencing, where employees can catch up and share what they are working on. This will ensure all employees continue to build connections and celebrate their achievements.

Encourage team work wherever possible

When employees work separately in different locations, it can be easy for those away from the office to feel isolated and detached from their direct team. Despite this, business owners should encourage teamwork wherever possible to allow the group to solve issues together and meet targets in a more efficient and effective manner.

Employees working remotely can struggle to speak up when they are facing challenges since they cannot turn to a colleague as quickly to ask for advice. By encouraging team members to work together, this issue can be combated as employees build a natural relationship over time where they feel more comfortable reaching out to their peers, while the added benefit of being virtual ‘opens the door’ to new lines of communication between colleagues which may not have communicated face-to-face.

Reinforce the company culture

While employees are split between home and office work, it can be easy for the culture of the company to begin to slip. It is important for leaders to ensure they are proactive in nurturing and reinforcing the company culture, since healthy company cultures have a direct impact on the performance of teams.

Taking the time to reinforce the vision and values of the firm to employees will help to ensure the team is in touch with the wider goals of the organisation. Coupling this with the open communication of any news or updates relating to the company will allow for transparency, an important trait which ensures employees remain loyal to the company. Uncertainty is detrimental to the morale of a team, so any communication should be as clear and certain as possible.

Introduce lunch and learn talks

Lunch and learn sessions are a great way to ensure businesses are stimulating employee engagement and generating a positive team activity. They are typically less formal and can offer employees opportunities to deliver talks on a variety of topics which are directly or indirectly related to the business.

For employees working remotely, this is a perfect way to ensure they are still able to engage in training, with video and audio conferencing opening up the ability for remote workers to tune in wherever they are.

Don’t dismiss virtual social events

Although the use of zoom quizzes and calls quickly became tiresome for many employees during the national lockdown, the use of virtual social events should not be dismissed by businesses. For employees still working remotely, these social events are a direct replacement for the usual social events and informal drinks after work which they would have otherwise attended. Since employees who have returned to the office may be engaging in more social events in person, it is imperative for businesses to facilitate a space for remote working employees to socialise.

Social events are an easy way to create natural conversation opportunities and bring employees together on a far more personal level. They also contribute to the success of the firm by boosting the morale of employees, leading to higher productivity and satisfaction in teams. This, in turn, can boost the company culture as employees feel a higher sense of loyalty to the organisation, even from their remote locations.