Many of us have spent the past 18 months adjusting to a completely different way of working.
Whether it’s been from home, socially distanced, or simply being separated from our supportive teammates, we have all felt alone and had to face challenges we could normally have tackled together.
It seems surreal to think we have to get used to in-person communication again but, equally, I can’t quite think of anything more important.”
While working from home certainly has had its perks – such as added flexibility and more family time – there have also been negatives. Employees across various industries and roles have missed learning opportunities, lacked collaboration and suffered a genuine drop in communication.
Perhaps colleagues haven’t wanted to bother each other with phone calls for simple questions and we’re all getting fed up with video calls so, naturally, relationships have drifted. Some people may even feel nervous in large groups following such a long period of isolated working.
Now that restrictions have eased and we’re seeing a gradual return to office working, I’ve been able to focus on what my role was created for – business development. Having joined Aberdeen Science Centre (ASC) at the start of the pandemic, my role as business development manager took a back seat due to restrictions.
It did mean, however, I got the rare opportunity to help the ASC team launch an incredible new venue.
‘How will teams cope?’
I have the chance to communicate with various organisations from all kinds of industries, helping them with their corporate hire needs and offering team-building opportunities, but it also got me thinking just how important team-building is following the unplanned time working from home.
How will teams cope when they’re in their previous set-up, with much more noise and being surrounded by people they haven’t physically seen in over a year? It’s almost like the first day of a new job – you need to get to know everyone again and figure out a routine, only it’s magnified as everyone adjusts and learns to wear proper shoes instead of slippers.
It seems surreal to think we have to get used to in-person communication again but, equally, I can’t quite think of anything more important. To some degree it’s not just about team-building, it’s about rebuilding people’s confidence to being in an office again, being in the hustle and bustle, and subjected to much more noise and interaction.
There’s been a lot in the news about hybrid working and a new strong focus on employee wellbeing, with a recent report by the Office for National Statistics revealing that 85% of adults who are currently working at home are keen to adopt a flexible approach to work in the future.
Wellbeing in focus
Whatever the “new normal” looks like, there needs to be a focus on the importance of in-person communication. Wellbeing is both physical and mental, and working relationships can play a huge factor in mental health.
As a registered Scottish charity, every event booked at the science centre supports the organisation in its efforts to engage with the community, schools and general public.
Organisations can hire out various facilities at ASC, including dedicated meeting rooms in the Shell Learning Zone, which can accommodate more than 100 people theatre style, and a spacious exhibition floor and mezzanine that can host drink receptions for up to 300 guests.
A fun environment is key for people to relax and that’s what makes ASC so unique. With more than 60 brand new exhibits to engage with, colleagues don’t need to make small talk over a cup of tea – they can build conversation as they construct a self-supporting catenary arch or work together to power up Aberdeen in the Opito Theatre of Energy.
Having something to work on together removes the pressure to talk about each other’s lives or work, which employees may feel anxious about returning to.
It’s imperative to slowly integrate employees into a way of working in which they feel comfortable. It may be a phased return, or it could be done much more informally, removing the stress of work and simply encouraging colleagues to feel at ease around one another.
I’d go as far as to say that team-building exercises are the way forward to help build back collaboration, and it doesn’t have to be the role-play exercises people used to dread.
Divide and conquer
Sometimes it’s healthy to bring out your competitive nature – something we at the centre think people can thrive on, so we encourage organisations to divide and conquer in a variety of challenges.
It’s always fun to see who can build the slowest car or achieve the highest number of simultaneous spinning objects on our Coriolis turntable, then celebrating their achievements or laughing at mistakes over lunch.
I’m really excited to continue to welcome new organisations to ASC, unleashing the power of curiosity across not just Stem (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) but new ways of working together too.
Erin Flett is business development manager at Aberdeen Science Centre.
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