“You’re on mute” or “Who’s making noise in the background now?” are probably phrases many of us have heard a lot the past year. Some have taken the transition to the digital office with ease and quickly mastered both mute, unmute, invitations, backgrounds and screen sharing. For others, this transition has been a little more difficult, but common to very many of us now, is that we are simply tired of the digital meetings.
The workplace is an important place for social gatherings, knowledge sharing, building team spirit and personal development. For many, the job is like an extended family, and the dynamics that arise when people meet physically cannot be fully replaced by technical solutions.
Nito conducted a survey among its members in 2020, do you know what they found?
80% miss meeting colleagues and the social gatherings at work!
Source: NITO
Why is it so important to meet?
When many people are gathered around something they have in common, something magical happens. Friendships are built, strengthened and renewed. At the same time, the group’s purpose is more clearly and deeply rooted.
Home offices are mainly about digital meetings, and it’s easy to loose contact and communication with those who are not in tour department. Through digital meetings, we also lose a great deal of non-verbal communication, and research shows that this can actually be directly exhausting. Some even feel that video conferencing breaks with one’s own intimate boundaries because the faces come very close. This can trigger stress reactions in the brain and contribute to further digital exhaustion.
According to Gianpiero Petriglieri, professor at the French business school Insead, the brain uses more energy to process communication in a video call:
“We are together in the mind, but not with the body. That dissonance makes people have conflicting feelings, and it is exhausting. You can not relax in the conversation.” – Gianpiero Petriglieri to BBC news.
Start planning early
During 2020, there were many social events that had to give way because of Covid-19 and infection control. Many companies use frequent social gatherings actively when marketing for new positions, and many employees who had been looking forward to a kick off or a festive Christmas party, were understandably disappointed. Fortunately, the vaccination is now well underway and the light at the end of the “corona tunnel” is getting closer.
It’s time to give employees a real treat to look forward to; it’s about time to start planning for how you can meet properly! When a large company has to gather its employees, it is a process that requires both time and good planning. And while the idea of a larger event may seem a bit distant to some, many are now planning how to “reward” their loyal employees with a grand event as soon as the authorities allow it.
Events of this type naturally have a relatively long planning horizon, ranging from three months to one year, and it is reasonable to believe that we will be able to meet again in not too many months. If you start planning early, you will be able to reap many benefits later. For example, you can choose a destination from the top shelf, but you can also find the best entertainment providers and negotiate good terms.
We have previously written about how you can measure ROI from larger corporate events, this may be worth taking with you if you need some good arguments to get started with planning. You can read it here.
Do you already have all the good arguments in place? Well then it’s about time to get started! To help you along the way, we have created a template that you can use during your planning. This will quickly give you an overview of cost and other important factors. Click the image below to download it.
Good luck with the planning and feel free to contact us if we can assist you in the process.
