How has team culture survived covid

The last few years have been a rollercoaster of change for businesses and employees alike. From having to very quickly adapt to a whole new style of working as offices closed across the world, to finding new ways to work together as they gradually open back up, the workplace in 2022 is very different to the one we left in 2019.

And it’s not just the practical elements of business that have changed but also more intangible elements like team culture which have been transformed. But is this transformation for the better or the worse?

In this blog, we’ll look at how team culture has survived covid and how you can build a strong culture for the future.

What is team culture?

It’s hard to define something as changeable as ‘team culture' which looks different in every organisation. But, in essence, team culture is the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours shared by a team of people working in a company.

Company culture is something that is constantly changing and evolving as team members arrive, leave and are promoted within the organisation. Although a company might strive to create a culture that looks a certain way, company culture is lived by the employees and might look very different in practice.

How has team culture survived covid - the negatives…

Great Resignation (or Great Reshuffle)

Perhaps one of the most significant and surprising workplace trends to come out of the pandemic has been dubbed the ‘Great Resignation’. Globally, there has been an increase in people leaving their jobs. A survey of more than 30,000 employees in 31 countries shows that 41% of workers are thinking about leaving their existing jobs.

The top cited reasons for leaving jobs are ‘toxic culture’ at work such as failure to promote diversity and inclusion or promoting unethical behaviour.

In Australia, this en masse exodus of employees from jobs has been referred to instead as ‘The Great Reshuffle’ as unemployment is at a record low.

Team culture is one of the most important things to ensure employee satisfaction and avoid high turnover rates. Covid-19 shone a spotlight on company culture and showed that employees are no longer willing to accept unhealthy workplace cultures.

Quiet Quitting

When employees don’t leave a company with poor team culture, they may instead be guilty of ‘quiet quitting’. This is when employees don’t quit their jobs but they quit ‘the idea of going above and beyond’.

If employees are feeling burned out by unrealistic deadlines and toxic workplace culture, they are less likely to want to give their all to a company or work overtime to get things done. Team culture is about more than fun staff benefits, it’s about how well team members feel supported to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

In a workplace where overtime hours are an unspoken expectation and sick leave policies are stringent, employees with children or other personal responsibilities might struggle to be as productive as their colleagues and are likely to become burned out and frustrated with their employer.

How has team culture survived covid - the positives…

Work-life balance

Working from home was a massive improvement in work-life balance for many people as they gave up lengthy commutes or travel times for business meetings.

For lots of people, they found that remote working allows increased flexibility in planning their day as they were able to spend more time with their families before starting work or even find time to squeeze in a workout or a walk with a friend during their lunch hours.

In 2021, over 41% of employees in Australia worked from home and this new style of working is not going anywhere as Australia’s top statistician predicts.

Some people find that remote work makes it harder for them to define the boundaries of their personal time and working time, but for many, it means increased flexibility, less time commuting, more efficient meetings, and generally a better work-life balance.

Focus on mental well-being in the workplace

Another positive team culture change that has come from the Covid-19 pandemic is an increased focus on caring for employees mental well-being in the workplace.

During the height of the crisis, employers had to face the fact that their teams were working through a time of unprecedented global change and anxiety. Many of them were vulnerable to infection or had loved ones who were, and were facing difficult personal challenges alongside their jobs.

Companies with good team cultures were able to support these employees with generous leave policies and other practical accommodations. In 2022, as we’re coming out the other side of the pandemic, companies with positive cultures continue to support their employee's mental and emotional well-being by being mindful of the ways that personal issues can leak into the working day and providing sufficient support to help team members deal with this.

Benefits such as flexible working hours, generous leave policies including mental-health days, and quiet break-out areas in offices are all ways that employers better support their employees’ well-being after the Covid-19 pandemic.

How to build a strong team culture

The key to building a strong team culture able to withstand crises such as Covid-19 is empathy. The best culture policies involve trusting employees to do their jobs without micro-managing them and recognising that personal issues may impact productivity from time to time.

The elements of a good company culture include:

Trust
Flexibility
Emotional security (team members feel empowered to speak up about issues)
Generous maternity, paternity and sick leave policies
Reasonable deadlines
Open communication

When it comes to improving team culture, the best thing businesses can do is to talk to their employees, listen to what kind of support would make them feel appreciated in their roles, and act on their feedback.

For help and advice on finding a job with a company that cares about creating a great team culture, or finding the best candidates for your role vacancies, speak to a member of the Conquest team today.