Are you spending your time in the office with your team the same way you are spending time when you work remotely? As companies continue to call employees back to working together in person, it's worth considering how time spent together in the office might best be leveraged.

The best of use of time together is ultimately up to you and your team, and you should spend time designing it as we describe in this article. For the time being, however, here are some activities you might consider for your team. (Save the zoom calls for when you are working remotely.)

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Teamwork & Connection:‍

• Food + mixers (lunches, coffee, etc. to provide ways for people to connect during down time)
• Skill-Sharing to learn about others' special skills
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Conflict Resolution/ Challenging-topic discussions
• Inclusive rituals to promote belonging
• Space curation e.g. photo/art gallery, celebration walls
• Long term problem solving (people contribute bit by bit over time)
• Team-building events (e.g. escape rooms, outdoor adventures, community service projects)

Networking & Professional Growth:‍

• Performance reviews: listen deeply, discuss growth and challenging topics
• Knowledge Sharing Sessions to learn from one another
• Training/Learning workshops
• Speed Networking events
• Desk buddies (Co-locate junior/senior employees for mentoring)
• 'Flattening' activities to promote cross-level interactions (CEO<> new hire) e.g. all-hands mtg activities, group community service


Innovation & Co-Creation:

• Participatory research: engage in deep customer listening and observation 
• Group Brainstorming
• Discussion/feedback walls to promote conversation/critique around a topic
• Role-play sessions to refine service interactions
• Prototyping: physical products, spaces, events
• Future visioning- strategize and explore possible futures together using props and visual aids.
• Design thinking workshops/sprints

Connection to Brand/ Purpose:‍

• Use space to communicate and remind (walls, doors, etc)
• Mission and Values alignment workshops
• Inspirational guest speakers
• Team rituals related to company purpose
• Corporate Social Responsibility projects
• Brand Storytelling workshops
• Group Community Service (promote generosity and remind employees how your company benefits others)


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What other ideas have you tried? Want to explore more together? Give us a call.

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