Recognition Important To Team Spirit While Working In Isolation

I’ve been working alone since we went into quarantine back in March. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very social being. In fact, even the most introverted human being needs somebody sometime.

Generally speaking, humans do much better working together in groups, whether small or large, than we do alone. We love being a part of a family, a club or an organization. We seek out the companionship of other humans. In fact, solitary confinement is a form of torture.

As we move forward through this pandemic, in varying stages of quarantine, it is easy to understand the cruelty of solitary confinement. I just don’t like it. Sure, we have any number of digital meeting rooms that let us gather together in the virtual world.  But, I don’t think anyone can accurately predict what the new normal working world is going to look like.

Meanwhile, some business owners are making decisions to no longer maintain a full-time office. Many companies are seeing that productivity can be achieved while their teams are working from home.

Here are my thoughts about that. I know for myself and my staff that some people are more cut out for working remotely than others. Nonetheless, working remotely looks like it is on its way to becoming the ‘new normal’. And while it may seem ideal in the short-term there’s no telling how members of your team will hold up long-term.

One thing I know is that whether people work together under one roof or individually under their own roof is that we crave recognition. I believe employee recognition programs are going to be more important than ever before. Not just for years of service, but for varying types of accomplishments. I think business owners, managers and team leaders will be tasked with keeping everyone motivated with appropriate gifts on a regular basis.

I’ll be thinking about this more and exploring relevant gifts and other ideas to promote team spirit in order to make working from home feel a whole lot less like torture. And, you can bet I’ll keep you posted on the topic.