Move Beyond Zoom Fatigue and Build Your Virtual Team’s Culture
What do you think of these two bits of data?
Point #1: The Bank of Montreal is one of Canada’s oldest banks (est. 1817). It’s also Canada’s fourteenth largest employer. The company is now planning for a whopping 80% of its team to adopt new, flexible work arrangements. In response to COVID, the bank’s HR Chief has said, “We’ve been able to maintain continuity of banking services with far more people working outside the office than we ever thought possible. We thought it was critical that we were in the office to make something happen, and what we’ve proven through this is that’s actually not the case.”
Point #2: A recent survey asked business leaders, “What do you see as the biggest challenge with working from home?” The biggest challenge, by far, was the preservation of culture and team at 42% .
This IS our new reality. Work will never be the same again—ever—and that’s a good thing.
If the Bank of Montreal can embrace a future of flexible work, anything is possible for organizations a fraction of the size.
Our use of virtual meetings will define our team cultures from here on out. It’s a new skill for all of us. It’s time to learn! Here are five culture-supporting tips and ideas.
Check-ins
Always start virtual meetings of three or more people with a check-in question. Invest the time upfront to engage everyone, lighten the mood and deepen relationships. The check-in question can be as simple as “How are you feeling in this moment?” Experiment with different questions depending on the group and what you’d like to achieve. Is deepening personal connections important? Does the group need a bit of fun, energy or humour injected? Is focus the priority? If so, try something a bit more radical by asking everyone to join in a minute of silence or take three deep breaths. Here are a few questions to help get your started: What’s the best thing that’s happened to you so far today? What is your personal weather status (cloudy, foggy, sunny, etc.)? What would you most like to get out of this time together? If you were a superhero, what would your name be?
Maximize Breakout Rooms
If you are using software that doesn’t provide breakout room functionality, switch! Virtual breakout rooms are a must. Without them, your meetings will fill with broadcast style communication. Break groups apart for one-on-one or small group conversations then come back together. Combine an activity like 1-2-4-all with breakout rooms… magic!
Temperature Checks
When we’re in a room with others, we can read body language, watch eye contact, see hand gestures. Much of this gets lost on video. Use questions and visual responses to test the group’s resonance with ideas. Fist-to-five is my favourite. It starts when someone says, “Let’s see where we’re at by doing a fist-to-five.” On the count of three, much like in the game rock-paper-scissors, everyone in the group responds to a proposal or statement. In unison everyone holds up between 0 and 5 fingers. A closed fist = I don’t support or I’m not feeling good about this statement. I’m blocking. Five fingers = I love this proposal or I’m feeling awesome about this statement. Can’t see everyone on the screen? Use the chat function. At the count of three, everyone types in their number and hits enter.
Inject more personal
In an office environment, we learn about each other simply by being together. We walk to get coffee or overhear conversations. Getting that same level of personal connection requires more effort when remote. Try a simple round of show-and-tell to bridge the connection gap. Give everyone 3 minutes to run around their house and find an artifact from their past. They’re looking for something that’s important to them. Give each participant time to share the item, explaining its history and importance. Easy, fun, effective.
In an office environment, we learn about each other simply by being together. We walk to get coffee or overhear conversations. Getting that same level of personal connection requires more effort when remote. Try a simple round of show-and-tell to bridge the connection gap. Give everyone 3 minutes to run around their house and find an artifact from their past. They’re looking for something that’s important to them. Give each participant time to share the item, explaining its history and importance. Easy, fun, effective.
Go over-and-above
From time-to-time it’s worth investing more energy and money in creating a special on-line experience. It will be a while before we can meet together retreat-style. Even retreats are going online. My good friends at The Offsite Co. offer a virtual retreat experience. They have a package that you can customize that includes everything from lip-sync competitions to escape rooms. Sometimes we need to go BIG!
It’s time to become an expert in virtual and new ways of working. What else are you trying? Let’s all keep sharing and learning together. This IS the new normal.
