Some stayed at home for almost the entire previous year. It's a triumph of remote work, but today it's time to get used to working in the office again. This usually involves teamwork. You will learn the advantages, disadvantages and threats of returning to work in a group after a long break in the article below. 

Teamwork and personality type 

Whether an employee feels mainly the disadvantages or the advantages of working in a team depends on his character. The well-known division speaks of introvertswho feel great alone, and extrovertswho shine in the team. It is worth adding that introverts also draw energy from small groups of close, kind people. Also such people can feel isolation negatively, not to mention extroverts, for whom such a situation can be simply unbearable.

People who value cooperation also feel the advantages of working in a team. Managing a group of individuals in turn, it can be difficult. In the corporate world, it is said that teamwork is popular in the Asian model of governance, while the American approach is more about discovering the maximum potential of the individual. 

Working in a team - advantages and disadvantages 

Everyone has already learned about the advantages of working from home. However, it also has disadvantages, and the biggest one is that there is no free flow of ideas and thoughts. How many great works were born at a coffee table or during a brainstorming session? Science suggests that quite a lot, because - as the old saying goes - two heads are better than one.

You can take this folk wisdom literally - several people are simply statistically more likely to find a solution than one. If we add to this the unique predispositions of each individual, we can get all the advantages of working in a team at hand. All this, of course, assuming that employees feel comfortable within the team and can express their thoughts and share ideas without self-censorship.

The more people, the greater the chance of communication problems that interfere with creativity and freedom of thought. In addition, the very presence of the supervisor, and in particular the specific features of his character, may affect whether the advantages of the job in the team outweigh the disadvantages, or vice versa. 

Working in a team - the advantages of remote work 

Contrary to appearances, teams can also be created as part of remote work. Sometimes it will be most effective to leave employees free when it comes to the scope and form of communication. Then the effect counts and it doesn't matter if they talked for hours on the phone or on Skype or met in the park. Other times, the boss consciously tries to create a team spirit among people who are sitting at home alone. They serve this online team games, remote workshops and tasksthat need to be done through teamwork.

The advantages of group brainstorming can then be transferred to the world of remote work. However, it is worth remembering one thing: it is impossible to build a community only remotely. When something goes wrong, check what methods of solving problems in the organization will work best. Among the advantages of working in a team is also the fact that it is much easier to detect and diagnose problems. When working remotely, they can go unnoticed for many months. 

Working in a team - the advantages of integration trips

It is worth taking advantage of the time between lockdowns and inviting the team for a weekend integration trip. In fact, there are many corporate event scenarios, which can be carried out entirely in the open air, with virtually no risk to the health of the participants.

 

At the top of the favorite attractions of this type is paintball, but there are also culinary workshops or walking in the mountains. If you choose a center with conference rooms, apart from having fun, you will also be able to discuss current matters and make summaries. A short and specific presentation of the case live can replace a dozen or so e-mails.

Stress-free return to the office 

Currently, many companies allow for a smooth or gradual return to the office, for example, introducing initially a few and then one day of remote work per week. This means that employees are not thrown into the "deep water" and can get used to, for example, a new time of getting up. After returning, it is worth coming up with integration activities for the team. They may be useful to those led by a psychologist.

In addition to the usual games, it may also be worth talking about the team's concerns and problems over the past year. The pandemic has been an emotional time for many. Sitting at home did not make it easier to "talk through" the problems. Perhaps confiding your fears and doubts among team members will be what will make it easier to strengthen bonds and return to the office stress-free. read, what the integration looks like step by step and what stages we distinguish. In the blog, we also suggested how to organize integration for employees with an idea, or how to create an unusual event that the team will not forget for a long time.