Heading to Crown Casino for Friday night drinks with work colleagues seems so far in the past. The short train ride to Flinders’ Street Station has now become a short trip from the bedroom, down the hall to the home office. Peak hour rush down Spencer Street and around Docklands is almost unrecognisable. The norms of our laid-back, flexible Melbourne workplace culture have been turned upside-down. As a business leader it can be challenging to know how to support your team through this pandemic, whilst creating a positive culture. Exploring through our 3E’s – Education, Engagement and Environment; our new eBook ‘Avoid the COVID Culture Crash’ highlights 30 simple and effective culture boosting strategies you can implement into your workplace today. Here are six of our favourite:
Education
COVID-19 is the perfect time to upskill your staff. While you may not be able to get everyone in a room together at MCEC or pack the team up for the weekend in the Yarra Valley; this is the time to really dig deep. Provide your team with new skills they can use beyond the pandemic and in everyday life.
Purpose
Times of crisis is a undoubtably an essential time to revisit the company’s purpose with your team. In times of uncertainty, understanding the ‘why’ you do what you do will help reconnect your team and reinforce a sense of purpose within the organisation. A facilitated Find Your Why session has proven results for understanding purpose.
Profile Your Team
A fundamental element of improving team culture is to allow each individual to understand the role they play in the team, their working style and most importantly, how they work within the team. Belbin Profiling analyses working behaviours and can easily be completed from the comfort of your own home.
Engagement
With current social distancing rules and changes to remote working environments; engaging teams has become one of our biggest challenges. We’ve had to ditch sailing around Albert Park Lake and Amazing Races that twist and turn through Melbourne laneways for the time being. Encourage distant interaction and involvement from your team with these strategies:
Buddy System
We promise this method isn’t just effective in primary school! Boost your team’s social connection by pairing them with another team member for a week at a time. Ask them to catch up for 10 minutes a day over a coffee on Zoom (a latte on Degraves Street will have to wait). You will be surprised what your team will learn about one another.
Promote Play
Let’s clear something up… we don’t mean kicking the footy outside the MCG. By the FISH! definition; promoting play is to encourage a light hearted approach. Be creative; implement crazy hats to your reoccurring Tuesday meetings or task your team to change their zoom virtual background to their favourite dessert.
Environment
Working remotely can look different for us all. COVID-19 has forced us to move outside the comfort of our normal working environment and given us no choice but to find new spaces to work. Many of us might not have the luxury of a home office and find ourselves working at the kitchen bench. Provide your team with useful strategies to keep their new working space creative and inspiring.
Online Team Meetings
Forget catching up in Meeting Room 2; online team meetings are the new rage. In true Melbourne style, expect your team to be dressed for business on the top and pj’s on the bottom (it’s okay, we know you are doing it too). Involve your team by asking them to lead a 10 minute ‘fun’ session after the important topics have been covered. After all, we have to make up for the entertainment missed at the Block Arcade.
Creative Space
We might not be able to stop for a look down Hosier Lane but we can brighten up our work station with bold art or much-loved photographs. Encourage your team to make their work space inviting and inspiring by setting up their desk with their normal coffee cup, favourite pen and sticky note set they use in the office.
The effects of COVID-19 have dramatically changed our relaxed Melbourne workplace culture and supporting your team through these changes are now more important than ever. For the full 30 tips and strategies to boost your culture during COVID-19, download our re-invented eBook today.
Avoid the COVID Culture Crash
Same key principles, same incredible results. An honest, real and FREE guide to supporting your team through COVID-19 INCLUDING Our top 30 effective yet simple strategies for engaging your team while working remotely.
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