With remote working arrangements becoming more of a norm, this is how companies can enable employee connections, even in the absence of shared physical workspaces.

The concept of “the office” was an untouchable sacred cow in pre-Covid times. It was where people went to work, and where companies based their operations. It was a large physical space in which employees gathered, eight hours a day, five days a week, and it was unthinkable that it might one day be merely an option, rather than a must.

Things have changed, post Covid. A McKinsey poll shows that 58 per cent of all American workers now have the option to work from home at least one day a week. The latest State of Remote Work Report released by Owl Labs estimates that 24 per cent more workers are now choosing to work remotely in 2022 as compared to in 2021. Additionally, interest for in-office work has also dropped by 24 per cent.

The trend is similar in Singapore. According to the Global Hybrid Work Study 2022 published by Cisco, 71 per cent of Singaporean employees prefer hybrid work arrangements. An annual study of workers across 17 countries undertaken by ADP Research Institute indicates that up to 50 per cent would consider leaving if asked to return full-time to the workplace.

But these are unchartered waters. With the reduction of physical proximity and face-to-face contact, employers question if they can still continue to expect the same level of connection with and among their employees.

After all, strong bonds and connections are good for companies. A survey of 700 employees conducted by Redthread Research, a consultancy that provides analysis and insight on people practices and human capital provides the evidence. According to the survey, organisations who have more connections are five times as likely to be agile, three times as likely to have satisfied customers, and two times more likely to have engaged employees.

Evelyn Chow, the founder and managing director of DecodeHR adds, “Better connection leads to increased well-being and overall, happier employees. It builds trust and rapport and ensures that employees don’t feel isolated at work.

“People need to have the sense that they are supported, and belong to a solid team that is there for them. And when you have managed to build such bonds and develop such connections, that’s one of the best ways to retain people.”

Building connection in a physically distant world

Working in the same physical space does not always result in stronger connections. Employees confined to individual workstations for the entirety of the day don’t necessarily enjoy more interactions than the employee who works remotely. Building connections through distance is not impossible, but some steps are required to shake things up, and reframe traditional workplace ideas to fit the hybrid model.

1. Reimagine Physical Spaces

Encourage group collaboration and activity by tearing down walls—literally! Swap out individual work cubicles for large meeting spaces and brainstorm rooms.
Leave whites and greys behind with Covid. Bright colours, pop art, and vibrant wall murals liven up office premises to inspire positivity, foster creativity and encourage collaboration.
Consider rotating workstations. Create opportunities for new interactions by exposing individuals to co-workers outside of their usual teams.

2. Lead with Empathy

Resist the Orwellian urge to go Big Brother on employees. Constant monitoring breeds a culture of distrust, which makes building human connection all the more difficult
Make employee mental health and well-being a priority. Consider offering leadership coaching, making help hotlines available or introducing downloadable online apps (Wellteq, Talkspace) that track mood and lifestyle habits.
Schedule regular feedback and dialogue sessions and make this a two-way street. Honest communication leads to better understanding, and sets the stage for effective teamwork.

3. Throw In Some Fun

Create new organisational traditions. Introduce Friday potluck breakfasts, mid-year barbeques where bosses do the cooking, or a cultural show and tell for international employees.
Organise bonding sessions for the team with fun activities. People who play well together learn to work better as a group. Attend a festival, visit the local Escape Room, or attend a cooking class on a day out.
Team outings are not possible because members live across the globe? Get the group together in the virtual space for team building games online. Choose from scavenger hunts, murder mysteries, and a game modelled after The Amazing Race.

4. Find Creative Uses for the Virtual Space

Synchronise lunch breaks and have them as a team via video conferencing. One catch: no shop talk. Strictly casual chitchat about pets, weekend plans, and last night’s football game
Create opportunities for casual workplace interactions in the online space. Downloadable apps offer fun alternatives to the pool table and dart board in the office pantry area. Try trivia games such as Kahoot or TriviaNerd, or online versions of Pictionary and Taboo.

Collaboration Days

A 2020 article published by the Harvard Business Review stated that communicating in “bursts” is the best method of communication for remote working. An example of this is a Collaboration Day, which is a specific day when team members physically get together to work on a shared vision or goal.

Google was one of the first companies to introduce the idea of Collaboration Days back during the thick of the Covid pandemic in as early as 2020, and human resource professionals feel that this may be the future of most workplaces.

The exact specifics don’t matter. Collaboration Day activities could include celebrations, announcements, or a brainstorming exercise to tackle organisational challenges. It might even be a fun activity such as a company holiday, or a volunteer exercise for a specific cause.

Whatever the situation, the main goal is not to have people do individual work at their own stations, but to make everyone come together and focus on a common activity to build organisational culture, communicate and connect.