{"id":12498,"date":"2022-04-12T01:12:13","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T00:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awa-old.pnpd.co.uk\/?p=12498"},"modified":"2022-09-09T16:30:14","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T15:30:14","slug":"maintaining-social-cohesion-in-a-hybrid-working-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advanced-workplace.pnpd.co.uk\/us\/maintaining-social-cohesion-in-a-hybrid-working-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Maintaining social cohesion in a hybrid working world"},"content":{"rendered":"

How cohesive is your team? Do you know each other as people? Do you know what each other knows \u2013 i.e. what skills and experience you each have? Are you supportive of each other? Do you get along? When you have different opinions, can you work together without falling out? All of these questions point to a single team characteristic \u2013 social cohesion<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Social cohesion is the essential glue that binds a team together. It is very strongly correlated with team performance \u2013 this is so for co-located and hybrid working teams<\/a> alike \u2013 meaning that when social cohesion is achieved, teams work better.<\/p>\n

But unfortunately, social cohesion is something that can come under particular strain when we are working remotely, which is why it\u2019s so important that hybrid workers take steps to protect and sustain the relationships that deliver cohesion.<\/p>\n

Why is social cohesion important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social cohesion and trust<\/a> are closely linked. Together they ensure that we are happy to share our expertise with colleagues and to work collaboratively and generously to meet shared goals.<\/p>\n

Social cohesion also extends beyond the boundaries of our immediate team. If we know people in other teams well, then we feel able to reach out and share expertise and knowledge \u2013 to the benefit of their objectives or of those we share.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t neglect social cohesion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relationships between colleagues essentially oil the wheels of work \u2013 but they don\u2019t maintain themselves. When people first started to work from home in March 2020, many did not realise that their relationships needed to be consciously maintained.<\/p>\n

But over time, less strong relationships \u2013 and even the strong ones, actually \u2013 need more intentional maintenance. As we embrace different hybrid work models, we need to adapt our practices to keep those relationships in the front of our minds.<\/p>\n

What does \u2018maintenance\u2019 mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Essentially, we need to think about all of our colleagues and consciously:<\/p>\n