Three Immersion Day Ideas to Get Employees Excited About Coming Into the Office

We have experienced a tsunami of bagel stations and taco bars as we meet with clients who are trying to lure employees back into the office. We have no argument with a good taco bar, (who doesn’t love some guacamole and spicy salsa to perk up your day?), but we see time and time again that food is set out, employees randomly go grab it when convenient, and then they head back to a cubicle or office and work in solace.

At the same time, we hear leaders air their frustration that employees don’t want to come back to the office – even if it is just one or two days a week. We understand the lamenting that employees aren’t as engaged as they once were, and we also recognize that work from the office as it was defined isn’t coming back.

But what if there were ways that leaders could offer some value for employees in the office that they can’t get from home – and it didn’t involve a taco bar?

We believe the answer is scheduling Immersion Days.

What is an Immersion Day you ask?

Simple. It is a planned yet flexible day where employees come to the office to for one or more of the following:

Mentoring
Provide individual mentoring and growth opportunities for employees.

Now let’s address each of these three elements in more detail.

ONE: Showcase What Is Happening In the Organization

While it makes sense to have a formal, more organization- and presentation-oriented session at the beginning of the year to showcase the high-level plans, employees crave knowing about how initiatives are progressing and what other leadership conversations and action items are cropping up. What if once per month (or at least once per quarter), the leadership team gives an in-person update on actions and plans, and allows employees to ask questions? In subsequent weeks, one team or department can be assigned to talk about a specific initiative, hitting milestones, challenges and where they need help.

Win-Win: Leaders benefit from having employees being engaged and informed, and employees benefit from feeling like they are part of a bigger mission.

TWO: Purposeful Team Engagement Activities

This is NOT meant to be a simple round robin discussion of what everyone is working on, or project status update meeting. We suggest that you think of more engaging cerebral conversation topics for the team, and make sure those topics/meetings are part of the in-person day gatherings. If your team members come into the office, leaders should take advantage of scheduling activities that benefit from in-person participation, such as:

• Scheduling project milestone celebrations
• Business challenge conversations
• Market assessment/strategy conversations

Win-Win: Include 30 minutes at the start for the bagel bar plus socializing and team building, or the break for lunch is the perfect time for a taco bar and a ‘get to know each other’ session for employees.

THREE: Individual Mentoring Sessions

Employees want meaningful conversations about how their career is progressing, and knowing there are opportunities to learn and grow within the company. Usually, employees have these types of conversations in an annual review, and they are conversations that both leaders and employees often dread. Throughout the year, managers can take advantage of in-person days to have an in-depth conversation about growth and development. Or, they can bring in an outside expert/coach that can schedule specific mentoring sessions.

Win-Win: Whether you choose to lead growth and development sessions yourself, or bring in a coach, employees benefit from the opportunity to grow, and leaders benefit from employees that are inspired.

The next time you are considering how to make employees feel more engaged and inspired, reflect on the ideas above. If you need any help planning an official Immersion Day, don’t hesitate to reach out to Corporate Path Leadership. We have deep experience in all three areas and are happy to help you make your next in-person office day a success.