139 - Going for the Gold: Reconnecting through Virtual Office Olympics

Background: Implementing team-building activities to boost and reinvigorate office morale has become a top priority during these unprecedented times. While it has been necessary to operate with a hybrid schedule the past two years, it has left many library employees feeling like ships passing in the night, rarely if ever seeing their colleagues in person, and sometimes not often enough virtually. Researching team-building activities led us to develop an ‘Office Olympics’ program to provide an opportunity for recently hired employees to connect with their new coworkers in an informal setting, and for library staff to renew team bonds and reconnect.

Description: Coinciding with the dates of the 2022 Winter Olympics, our ‘Office Olympics’ program was held virtually to make the events accessible and open for all library employees. The staff members who opted-in to participate were sorted into interdepartmental teams and had the opportunity to compete in both team and individual, synchronous and asynchronous, virtual events. Leaderboard software was used to track the overall performance of both individual participants and teams. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded, and the team with the highest cumulative score received an extra prize during the closing ceremony. Participants were surveyed to determine our success in helping our colleagues rebuild connections while boosting office morale.

Conclusion: An official closing ceremony was held during a weekly all-staff huddle, announcing the final results and bragging rights for the team who “got the gold”. A Likert survey was used to evaluate the program’s effectiveness in boosting office morale and rebuilding team bonds. Participants were asked to answer three questions about their experience throughout the ‘Office Olympics’ program. Some events were more successful than others and lessons were learned about the planning, implementing, and technology needs of coordinating a program like this. In fact, participants enjoyed our Pictionary event so much that groups have continued to spontaneously meet up to virtually play together.