The Case for Team 1:1's
Friendships in the workplace have many benefits. These benefits include a greater willingness to reach out for help, a feeling of belonging, and mental breaks from an eight-hour workday. Friendships allow us to assign more meaning to our work and to feel a deeper level of camaraderie as we drive towards our goals. In fact, one study conducted by LinkedIn found that 46% of professionals worldwide believe that having work friends increases your overall happiness.
You might be thinking to yourself, “Friendship happens organically. Either I like someone, or I don’t.” While this may be true in our lives outside of work, in the workplace we often need to make the time and space to explore our relationships with our teammates.
What prevents us from forming deep connections with our teammates?
A study of 3,000 Americans conducted by researchers at Oliviet Nazaren University in Illinois found that roughly two thirds of Americans would describe the people they work with as “strangers” or “coworkers.” This could be for a variety of reasons, but I’d be willing to bet that one of those reasons is time. We’ve all been part of meetings and participated in the small talk that usually precedes everyone arriving. Yet questions like “How’s the weather in (insert colleagues’ location)?” or “How is your day going so far?” don’t necessarily engender the deep discussion that is required to know someone on a personal level.
Additionally, it has become increasingly difficult to form and maintain connections with our teammates as our workplace becomes further decentralized. Working from home allowed us to eliminate our commutes, our office dress codes, and our inflexible 9 to 5 days. However, it also eliminated the water-cooler conversations, the unplanned collaboration, and the sheer proximity to our teammates that often naturally gives way to more human centered conversation. The conversations about life outside of work have been replaced by heads down time on the other side of a screen.
What can we do to improve our connectivity?
If we’ve learned anything from the video game generation, it’s that connecting virtually is possible. Plenty of friendships were formed online during the Fortnite craze and plenty more will be formed as social gaming continues to gain popularity. All it takes is a little bit of planning.
That brings me to team 1:1s. Some people groan at the idea of adding another meeting to their calendar, but I’d argue that if used strategically 1:1s can provide a much-needed respite during a jam-packed day. They can also be used as an on-ramp or off-ramp to the day which is often how I find myself using them. More importantly however, 1:1s allow you to intentionally take time out of your day to connect with your teammates on a personal level. Our team generally keeps our 1:1s amorphous meaning that sometimes we plan to discuss a specific topic whereas other times we leave it wide open and let the conversation flow naturally. The open-ended conversations have created some of the most interesting discussions and have given me insight into how my teammates think, the things they enjoy, and what goals they are personally working towards. It also gives space to ask my teammates for help or advice which often provides a two-way learning experience.
I haven’t even mentioned the benefits that 1:1s provide from a collaboration standpoint. Even if I haven’t been on a project with someone in a year, 1:1s keep me abreast of their experiences and allow us to pick up right where we left off. They also help to ensure that no ice breaker or get-to-know-each-other period is needed because the person I’m working with is not a just a colleague. Thirdly, 1:1s allow us to build trust with one another so that if everything seems like it’s falling apart we know that the person we are working with has our back and not just because their paycheck requires them to.
My advice is that if you have a desire to form stronger bonds with your teammates, try to set up a few recurring 1:1s. Schedule 30 minutes and see where the conversation goes. Maybe it turns into a monthly recurring event. Maybe you have some great friendships sitting on the other end of that meeting.
Team 1:1s help our team strengthen our culture and I’m willing to bet they can do the same for you.
A Fusion publication. We are employees of UHG and these views are our own and not those of the company nor its affiliates.
