Team building in the workplace has always been a challenge.
It was before computers, before the internet, and before COVID normalized remote work. The barriers that make camaraderie difficult haven’t changed. Differences in personality, the constant pull of deadlines, conflicting priorities, and silos created by roles or departments can all make it hard for people to connect beyond their tasks.
But what has changed is the need to find solutions to these obstacles that span geographical differences.
In the old paradigm, our teams would serve primarily clients within our region – typically only expanding by referral or if clients moved. Ordinary professionalism and respect were sufficient to manage all necessary inter-office communications.
But today our client base spans coast to coast, even internationally, and we assign people to clients based on department, skills, and experience – not geography. This means teams must collaborate daily, and they must have the ability to connect beyond task management.
Here’s how we’ve built camaraderie across multiple offices, where people don’t just work together, but genuinely enjoy being part of the same team.
Sharing Good News
A simple, yet effective tactic we’ve had success is setting aside 20 minutes during our Monday all-hands meeting for every team member to share something fun or positive from their personal life or weekend.
Just 30 to 60 seconds each creates a space where colleagues see each other as more than their job title. We’ve been doing this for about 18 months now and the impact has been noteworthy.
As our firm grows, we’ll need to break out into rooms to continue this ritual, as would firms with more than a couple dozen people on all-hands calls.
Tools Amplify Culture
While productivity does not equal camaraderie, it’s easier to find time to get to know your colleagues more personally when your work’s getting done. Investing in Canopy and other tools keep both communication and tasks flowing between our Seattle and Boulder teams.
- Canopy for Collaboration: With client work spread across departments and locations, Canopy keeps everyone aligned. Shared workflows and document hubs reduce the friction of distance.
- Playful Tone for the All-Firm Chat: Our all-firm chat has become a living community wall where teammates can post vacation photos, share family updates, celebrate milestones, or make professional announcements or requests. Encouraging the chat to take on a human tone more closely mimics how people prefer to interact.
- Camera On Policy: Whether meetings are short, long, one-on-one, or include everyone, our camera on policy builds stronger team connections, improves communication clarity, and encourages engagement.
Recognition That Resonates
It’s easy for appreciation and recognition to get lost in the shuffle when teams do not share an office. Weekly “open” callouts are a great way to give everyone a chance to raise up their teammates for accomplishments big and small.
We encourage callouts for everything from landing a big client to maintaining and spreading a positive attitude. This way, recognition isn’t only reserved for leadership. The more we can get our team to share the love, the stronger they’ll become.
Kudos from the boss is great, and should be part of any healthy work environment, but when you create a culture of everyone lifting everyone – that’s how you create a family.
These moments reinforce that collaboration across locations is not invisible. It is noticed, valued, and celebrated. Build a culture of gratitude, and your team will want to be part of it.
Keep Iterating on What Works
Building camaraderie across locations is not a one-time project to be completed. It is an ongoing initiative that must both be intentional but also natural. We regularly check in on what we’re doing to make sure nothing feels forced.
Some experiments stick and others don’t. And in our industry, we also need to be realistic about how much time we have to devote to team building during the busy season. But we’ve learned that zero is not enough. If you let up on fostering camaraderie, you’ll lose the inter-team support you need most when the going gets tough.
The End Goal
Measuring team strength and camaraderie can feel difficult. It’s 100% qualitative. But it doesn’t have to be complex.
Yes or no? Do your employees look forward to working with their colleagues?
If yes, keep doing what you’re doing.
If no, invest more time and energy into the human side of work.
Ready to learn more about Canopy?
