A few months ago, my colleague, leader and mentor, Kate Toth wrote an incredible piece on Addressing the Productivity Disconnect. I highly suggest you give it a read. It speaks to the misconceptions around productivity, how it relates to trust, and inspiring engagement rather than forcing it. Hours in office do not equate to quality hours worked. I want to build on this idea, focusing on the idea of mandated onsite workdays. Do they build the levels of community they’re claimed to?
I know countless people who commute to work every day to sit behind a computer and meet with others on Zoom. Why do they do this? Because they’re mandated to do so. We’re told it builds community, being able to see one another while we work. However, there are certainly many days where we come in to the office, shut our door, and sit on Teams calls, rarely coming up for air. Less community, more so co-existing.
While completing my master’s degree in leadership, I conducted thesis research that resulted in the curation of specific leadership behaviours that build cultures of well-being. Let me tell you, having employees come onsite to work together did not make the list of behaviours. I’ll share some that did in a minute.
Leaders, I understand that there are some professions that need an onsite presence. If you’re care holder-facing, yes, you need to be in. However, if you’re going to mandate your employees to come to the office for the sake of community building, and not due to the necessity of their role, there is some work to be done here. From the perspective of building a culture of well-being, you need to be able to differentiate community from co-existing. Here’s how.
Tip #1: Practice Humble Leadership
According to the research I conducted, the healthiest leaders were those who were vulnerable enough to admit they did not have all the answers. Decisions were made collaboratively and seldom came from the top down without consultation. This is what is known as humble leadership. When it comes to the space of mandating onsite work, the first question I would recommend you ask yourself is “Is this mandate self-serving?” It takes a ton of introspection, courage, and humility to ask and honestly answer this question. If the answer is yes, that’s okay. You want your team together, and that’s fair. So, let’s make sure they’re actually together.
Tip #2: Pull, Don’t Push
In his work, The Great Good Place, author Ray Oldenburg discusses the concept of the third place. The first place is your home, and the second place is the physical space where you conduct work, let’s say your office. However, the third place is where people come together to collaborate, partake in civil engagement, and otherwise build a purposeful place of community. They are “hangouts at the heart of the community” (Oldenburg, 1999). More recent research has looked at how to make the workplace that third place. Ideally, the workplace moves from place #2 and into the third place. In doing so, it will create a pull strategy to bring your employees into the office - they will come in because they want to, not because they must.
Let’s look at ways to build this third place:
Third Place Strategy #1
Be Purposeful with Onsite Tasks
So, you’ve asked people to come onsite a few days a week, all at the same time. I would highly recommend structuring these days to actually build community. I challenge you to think of tasks that require people to collaborate as a team. Is there a problem of the week the team can come together and solve? Is there a regular team meeting where people can present what they’re working on? Once you decide what these purposeful interactions look like, schedule them in and stick with them. Involve as many people on the team as you can. Over time, ideally everyone has the opportunity to shine, and look forward to what you’ve built.
Third Place Strategy #2
Micro Teambuilding
When people think teambuilding, they think going offsite and building the tallest structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows. This is not always the case. Embed participatory activities into the workday. Post a question of the week for people to answer. Have folks bring in their favourite coffee mug. Get a digital photo frame and have team members upload their favourite photos from their weekend. All of these are examples of micro teambuilding: quick, cheap and cheerful teambuilding opportunities that people can look forward to on a regular basis without having to wait for that offsite retreat.
Third Place Strategy #3
Model the Way
Within the focus groups I conducted, the most consistent answer I received when it came to healthy leader behaviours was leading by example. 83% of participants stated a strong relationship between their behaviours and those of their leader. Leaders, I understand how busy you are, but your actions go such a long way in building community. If you like one of the ideas I’ve mentioned here, lead the charge when it comes to implementation. Post the inaugural question of the week, upload photos of your weekend. Participate fulsomely in the way you wish your team to. You are a member of the community you are trying to build.
Addressing employee onsite mandates requires a shift in thinking. Simply coexisting beside one another in adjacent offices is not an effective means to build community. Watercooler and hallway conversations will occur, absolutely, but these can occur while working from home as well. Community building is purposeful. It requires a significant amount of planning to implement and energy to maintain. But worry not, the implementation process can begin at any time; it’s never too late!
Need some support?
If you wish for WorkWell to support you and your team as you navigate onsite, hybrid or remote work, please connect with us; we’re happy to help.
