If You Bring Your Team Together

This week, Infinity Group brought together many of our remote team members and our teams based in our satellite locations for a few days at our Hartford Design Studio. Pre-pandemic this would have been a routine practice for companies with multiple locations or hub and spoke workplace models. But in this new world of hybrid and flexible work, this felt different. It felt pretty special actually. And some of the following reasons might help explain why. You can also click on any of the photos in this blog to reach out to our talented team.

IF YOU BRING YOUR TEAM TOGETHER…

1. TRAINING IS ENHANCED

Technology like video meetings, chat feeds, texting, and good old-fashioned email and phone calls can really enhance remote collaboration. However, the speed and comprehension of new concepts and skills is remarkably quicker when teams are working side by side in person. This isn’t to say there isn’t value in heads down remote or in person work. But when it comes to learning new things, in person is fantastic.

Think about it, as a new employee. If you’re in the middle of learning how to use a new program essential to your job, and you have a quick question. Being able to turn to a coworker proficient in that program who can answer it and keep you moving is a huge win. Also, employees who serve as trainers and mentors can deepen their knowledge of a program and build leadership skills by sharing quick feedback in person. In particular, Infinity Group’s newly expanded Design, Preconstruction, and Architecture and Engineering teams benefited from getting together to review new and exciting projects, and streamline processes.

2. NEW HIRES ABSORB CULTURE

This point feels a bit more abstract and harder to quantify. But you know what an erosion of culture feels like when it’s already happened. It’s the first thing many companies we work with will talk about. How do we enhance culture? This week, our newer Infinity Group team members got to experience all that our HQ city Hartford has to offer. The roses were in full bloom at historic Elizabeth Park, dining al fresco in the summer weather, and visiting unique breweries that dot the map in Connecticut. Bigger than that, we got to really listen to each other. We got to check in differently. We could enjoy the cookies someone sent to the office with a cup of coffee together in the café while having a conversation about new project material selections.

After this intentional time together, we hope our new hires have a better understanding about how they fit into the bigger picture. We also hope there is a deeper connection to why we do this work and the people we’re positively impacting. You can see some of our projects here.

3. EMPLOYEES GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER

Learning someone has a hobby or a passion project outside of work hours is a gift. To know that one of our coworkers is a father and a coach is insightful. Finding out that someone has a hidden talent for competitive games is also cool. These are the kind of things that connect our team to the reality that we are all people who have lives outside of work. And when the work gets demanding, if we can remember our humanity, great things will happen for us as individuals and for the team.

4. IN PERSON MEETINGS HAVE MORE PURPOSE

Our team certainly asks “how’s it going today?” over video calls. But it just hits different when you can ask that question in person and pick up on non-verbal cues during someone’s workday. When a meeting is called, and everyone is in person, it’s easier to read the room. You can make sure there’s comprehension of new topics before moving to the next topic. And if the in-person meeting is rendered irrelevant because of a great brainstorming conversation in the hallway or the parking garage, that’s good too.

5. YOUR PEOPLE CAN HAVE FUN

Sharing physical space with others is a gift. It can lift your mood, nurture new relationships, and be just plain fun. Many laughs were shared over our week together.