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As many of us gradually return to the office with guidelines in place, we hope this information serves as a look toward the future. Our team at HON is here to support you through the transitions and help you look forward to productive collaboration in all forms.
The “what we love about being part of a team” list is a long one.
We meet new people. We learn new perspectives. We come together to get things done, and we make each other better.
And when the opportunity arises, we come together to celebrate milestones, birthdays and accomplishments. Building community is an integral part of building a team, and quite frankly, we’ve missed that over the last 3–4 months.
With that in mind, we felt it was an appropriate time to switch things up.
So, we are. In this edition of ThinkSpace, we’re talking with one of our in-house experts on how to safely and creatively get together as a team—whether you’re in the office (properly distanced, of course), at home or a combination of the two.
Things may be different, but that doesn’t mean we have to put all of our celebrations on pause.
We just have to take into account the guidelines and safety protocols and then plan accordingly. As we’ve found out ourselves, it’s possible!
Our team at HON has taken advantage of technology—yep, video calls—to acknowledge milestones, accomplishments and even events like product launches. When you work hard for a long time on a particular project, it’s important to take a moment or two to breathe and celebrate when it’s done.
“We’ve found a number of different ways to bring our teams together, and though we’re celebrating a bit differently than we’re used to, it’s still a really positive experience for everyone,” said Jennifer Petersen, VP, Members & Brand at The HON Company.
If your team is working remotely, these ideas are still applicable
Having food delivered to celebrate a milestone or achievement, a birthday happy hour or just a block of time to see each other’s faces—there are unique ways to gather even if you physically can’t.
(FYI: Food is generally a good morale booster.)
“There are ways for us to still have an impact and acknowledge our team’s hard work, even though we aren’t in the same place,” Petersen said.
And your traditional office functions don’t have to be put on pause, either.
Whether it’s a party, a dinner or a cookout...food is a unifier.
In the office setting, nothing gets people’s attention like a good potluck. A bad potluck, well, that’s a topic for another time.
While a potluck isn’t exactly recommended right now, try a “me”-luck (not an official term).
If you’re back in the office, plan a day when everyone brings in something they’ve made at home (not to share, of course), and then share the recipes with the team so they can try the dishes for themselves.
It’s a fun way to still get together and share some laughs or lighthearted moments around cooking and food.
“We are being challenged to be creative with the things we’ve normally done, but pivot in a way that we can still celebrate and bring people together,” Petersen said. “We have done so much at the office that centers around food, but now, it’s got to be a bit different.
“I love the idea of sharing recipes. It’s a way to make people feel like they’re part of the tradition but still doing so safely.”
We’re used to coming together for dinners, events or parties to celebrate milestones within the company.
It’s important to maintain some traditions and activities that can be done right. For birthdays, you can send a gift card to someone and allow them to celebrate on their own time and choose where they’d like to go.
Instead of a cake, send a personalized cupcake. Then, you can gather your team on a video call and sing “Happy Birthday” for a few minutes. If you’re back in the office, we love the idea of a “walk-by” birthday celebration where team members can drop off cards or just deliver well wishes (at a distance, of course) on the special day.
One other thing for businesses to consider as they’re bringing people back: “welcome back” kits for team members. You can include branded items like candy, a deck of cards, and hand sanitizer, and also drop a personal note in the box.
“It creates that feeling of being included, which is especially important as we’re all working together to get back to normal,” Petersen said.
For additional ideas and inspiration on how to celebrate safely and at a social distance, reach out to our team at hon.com.
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