Q: Our closely-knit sales team had been doing great since we started working from home back in March and so far had been able to maintain performance goals. Part of what made the team cohesive before the pandemic was that we regularly engaged in fun social activities –ice cream and taco trucks, summer picnics, happy hours after work— where we could informally talk business. 

Unfortunately, I’m beginning to see some fraying of teamwork and decline in performance, and can’t help but wonder whether not having those events is hurting the team’s morale. Any suggestions?

A: A couple of months ago I predicted that the surprising high productivity we were seeing in the newly minted work-from-home teams was based on work relationships that had taken months and years to build –and could not be sustained indefinitely. Now, as we lose daily face-to-face interaction, we’re beginning to see the trust and familiarity that sustained those work relationships diminish.

Additionally, there’s also been a shift in how we are adapting as citizens and workers to how the pandemic is unfolding in the US. We went from a “let’s hunker down for two months and flatten the curve” to realizing “there’s no plan, this is going to take many, many months”.   That shift in realization impacts how we adapt personally and professionally to the new reality.

What seemed novel and cool about working from home, has become more of an encumbrance. People are worn out and emotionally fatigued.

So, should you try to do something more social with your team in order to improve morale?  As long as you can do so responsibly, yes, you should consider it. Here are some ideas:

• Meet your team (no more than 10) somewhere you can socially distance (like a park, office grounds, or a parking lot) and plan something fun outdoors– maybe some live music, catered food, bring back the food truck, or have people bring their own picnics and chairs.
• Sit far enough to social-distance, but close enough for conversation.
• Have a theme –how about come dressed for a zoom call (business from the waist up, sweatpants and flip flops from the waist down).
• You don’t want to add to their stress so float the idea first, see if the team is receptive, this should feel fun and uncomplicated for all.

Lastly, Consider your team’s age and health conditions. Absolutely wear masks.

©Copyright Eva Del Rio. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com