Five Reasons to Prioritize In-Person Teambuilding in 2022

Combat Remote Work Fatigue

The pandemic changed our understanding of a typical workplace and trying to navigate this new landscape is not without its challenges. In this world of highly interdependent online office spaces, combating screen fatigue can feel like an uphill battle. According to a Gartner article, “High levels of virtualization are cognitively draining to the employee, with 75% of HR leaders agreeing that an increase in the number of virtual touchpoints employees face in their work puts them at risk for burnout¹“. The simple solution—maximize and optimize your in-person time so it creates engagement, fulfillment, and sparks creative collaboration in your teams.

Meet Your [New] Team

55% of working Americans are planning to switch jobs this year which means you likely have or will have new members of your team that weren’t part of your core staff prior to the pandemic². Combine that with an estimated 70% of that workforce looking for remote or hybrid roles means face time with your team will continue to be an important priority to keep new hires engaged in your organization’s culture.

Invest in Rebuilding Core Skills

Teams, Slack, Email, Zoom—we’ve all been forced into these tools as our primary means of communication at work. Even as you return to work, these tech habits will persist and can potentially silo your teams and break down your ability to communicate effectively. Investing in a refresh of your critical team skills like communication can help mitigate organizational change and drive alignment. Even as your team remains hybrid or mostly remote, building these core skills can help your team navigate a new normal at work.

Build Community, Sense of Belonging, Give Purpose

Your organizational culture and mission are why many of your employees have stayed with you through the pandemic, and why future staff will be attracted to join your ranks. At the same time, maintaining teams’ connection to your ethos (and each other) is a growing challenge, as our ability to connect meaningfully to others is less satisfying when we’re not physically present³. That doesn’t mean we have to be together every day to create a sense of belonging at work, but it does suggest that facilitating shared, in-person experiences can renew bonds and (re)build community.  

Ignite Change and Creativity

One thing is for sure—change is here to stay. We’re all facing an impact to our business model as a result, which means you might already be spending time at the drawing board solving the unique challenges of an evolving market. Ultimately, the key that unlocks effective and agile innovation is your team’s creativity.  A quick and easy way to ignite creative thinking is through non-work related, in-person, collaborative challenges that can stimulate your team dynamic and generate new pathways for solving problems.