Being a new manager has always been a little bit tricky, especially with the recent change that happened to every workforce. Even though some companies started operating again from the office and employees started to get back to their old routine, some other companies still operate from home or specified certain days to operate from the office, which makes being a new manager challenging.
If you’re being promoted or about to join a new company, you might be worried about getting to know your team and colleagues, especially if this company still operates from home or operates from the office for a couple of days.
Although it seems challenging, there are some ways that you can follow to bond with your team.
1- Organize Gatherings
You can pick a weekend or a random day after work and invite your team to hang out together.
You have to get to know your team outside of work; this is how you can really start forming a bond. Gatherings will allow you to know the other side of their personality, the non-professional side. When your employees or team get to know you outside of work, they will feel more comfortable around you and they will start communicating with you.
2- Virtual Meetings
On the work from home days, you can have a virtual meeting every week or two.
Whether your company operates from the office or not, having meetings is necessary to bond with your team. If you couldn’t have an in-person meeting, then make it virtual. Meetings will help you create a bond, as they will give you the opportunity to get to know the team as a whole and discuss many work-related topics.
The more communication you have with your team, the more your bond will strengthen.
3- One-On-One Meetings
Use the office days to have a direct meeting with each member of your team.
One-on-one meetings will show your employees that you care about them. Also, you will have the chance to know each member individually; you will get to know their ideas, thoughts, and skills. You can use these one-on-one meetings to share feedback regarding the performance or to ask about what each member needs to develop and improve themselves.
This will encourage your team to communicate with you directly if they needed any guidance.
Also Read ➤ 7 Easy Tips to Keep Your Remote Team Engaged and Run a Great Virtual Meeting
4- Daily Check-Ups
You can text or call your team members and ask them if they’re facing any obstacles or if they need any guidance.
As a new manager, your employees need to feel that you care about them and they will also be curious to know how you will be managing them; a daily checkup will give them a hint of who you are as a manager.
Everyone needs a manager who is friendly and can be a mentor; when you ask about their tasks and if they need help, you will be forming more than just a bond, you will form mutual trust.
5- Create New Traditions
Think about something that you all can do together and start making it a company habit.
Organizing gatherings can be your company’s new habit; you can also start celebrating each member for their achievements. Try bringing something new and cheerful to the team; the more you appreciate your team and get to know them, the more you will be able to form a bond with each one of them.
You can also start doing activities together; they can be work-related or you can do activities outside of work.
6- Team Up
When there’s a new project, you can get involved in their brainstorming meetings and help them out.
Learn to always be part of the team and be one of them. This means that when there’s a new project you can always get involved and be part of it, don’t just supervise. In fact, there is a type of management style that allows managers and employees to cooperate in the decision-making process.
Remember, don’t make major changes in their work system, instead, add to it and work on improving it.