Recreating that close-knit office feeling is challenging when everyone is working remotely. Office Manager at “Slice,” Penny Tyler shared with us a seemingly silly but effective solution to help foster team connections while working from home.
Article by: Valerie Paris
PENNY’S FAVE 5 ICEBREAKERS.
Want to get the conversation flowing but not sure where to start? Penny has provided us with her top 5 morning icebreaker questions that have given her the most insight into the team.
Looking for more ideas? See our full list of office icebreakers.
Starting the day right.
4 Months into quarantine, Penny noticed that participation in the after work happy hours had plummeted. Coworkers were burnt out from zoom and hangouts meetings. The novelty of workplace pajama parties had faded, and she needed a way to simulate the early morning coffee-maker conversations that had invigorated the team so much prior to covid.
After multiple requests from coworkers that missed the morning “icebreakers,” where everyone went around answering a silly question, she decided to make it a part of her team’s daily virtual routine, to great success.
Discovering what your team values.
Starting your morning with a team icebreaker can give you insight into your team’s personalities and what they value. In a recent icebreaker, Penny asked, “if you could choose 3 teammates for your zombie apocalypse crew, who would you choose and why?”
The answers perfectly reflected the culture Slice strives to cultivate. One was nominated because she can “sell anyone on the idea of leaving us alone.” Another, because, “they’ll have us laughing through the whole thing!” Team members were doing peer evaluations on each other and didn’t even realize it, they were having so much fun.
Better connections means stronger teams.
Keeping values and personalities in mind aides not only in fostering better workplace relationships, but it can actually help build stronger teams. By striving to spur interaction between offices and people who may never meet face-to-face, we can continue to learn about each other’s strengths, put together people who can benefit from their shared knowledge, and ultimately, create a better workplace culture in the remote era. Build connections with Confetti's team building activities!