Wellbeing Wednesday: Connecting with colleagues remotely

The last few months have been hard for those of us who value the connection of working with colleagues face-to-face.

With so many people physically isolated, all too often we only see our colleagues on video calls to discuss progress on projects and action plans. 

It’s crucial for teams (and the mental health of everyone) to spend a bit of time together on non-goal orientated activities. Take a breath together and take stock. Reflect back on everything the team has experienced over the last 12 months, and what you’ve all achieved. And take some time to have fun together.

We’ve collated some resources to help you and your team organise a more informal get-together.

We’ve included some of these ideas in a Connecting with Colleagues toolkit, which is available to download at the end of this page.

Jo Matson has organised a number of virtual events over the last few weeks. You may remember the Virtual Macmillan Coffee Morning that got such good feedback from participants.

Jo shares her top tips for a successful meetup:

• Hold your event at a time when there are no deadlines looming.
• Inclusion is key. Make sure everyone involved can make a positive and equal contribution. 
• Ask people to bring something along they can talk about. For the Macmillan Coffee Morning we asked everyone to bring a cuppa in their favourite mug and share with everyone the story behind their choice. It seems small but gave everyone a chance to contribute and learn a bit about each other.
• Consider the number of people in the meeting and how long the meeting should be. A shorter meeting where everyone gets a chance to contribute regularly is often more engaging and lively.
• Organise an activity in which everyone can participate. Quizzes are popular and easy to run.
• Ask the team to dress up for the event - Christmas hats or jumpers are perfect for this time of year!

On the subject of activities, here are a few ideas. 

Food is a great way to bring people together. With many people at home it’s easy to connect in your kitchen too.

Chef Lynne Styles from The Art Room in Unipart House has shared her ‘Best Ever Chocolate Brownies’ recipe. The recipe is included in the toolkit, including what utensils you’ll need.

In this video Lynne takes you through the recipe.

The video conference quiz has become a staple of our social lives this year. Now you can organise a quiz for your team and raise money for charity too.

Following the success of her ‘Quaranteam Quiz’, Christina Cotter from Unipart Rail prepared a Christmas quiz. To get hold of one all you have to do is donate a pound to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals Charitable Fund on Christina’s Just Giving page and email her on christina.cotter@unipartrail.com.

There are 30 questions over five rounds which include ‘Christmas Across The Galaxy’ and ‘Santa’s Silver Screen Classics’. The original Quaranteam Quiz is also available for those who haven’t taken it.

If you want one more quiz, there is one available in the toolkit but you’ll need to contact Jane.Mage@unipart.com to get that (otherwise we’d be sharing the answers below!).

Share a Skill is an event where a team of people get together to share their skills. 

Gardening, baking, making a short video on your phone. There are plenty of things you might think everyone knows how to do, but actually your team could benefit from your knowledge.

This can be focused on one specific topic, with a plan, organised contributors, a schedule, activities, supplies, and more; or it can be open to people who simply want to share what they know “how to do”. 

Share a Skill can be hosted online by a single team or it can involve multiple teams. 

The internet has plenty of free resources and challenges to take on with your team remotely.

Escape rooms have become a popular team challenge over the last few years, and now you can take part in escape rooms online.

If you’re looking to organise a crafty and strategic game for your team you could try ‘Virtual Werewolf’. The game relies on the spoken word, which makes it perfect for remote teams.