Skip to main content
Commsy creative stuff straight to your inbox

Blog

Team days: why they matter in the age of remote working

< Blog home

Team days: why they matter in the age of remote working

The snacks were great, the chats even better. But more than anything, our recent team day reminded us of something simple yet powerful: no matter how digital our working world becomes, human connection still sits at the heart of great communication.

It’s easy to underestimate how much being physically together, even just for a day, can spark ideas, strengthen relationships and energise the way we work. In a world where remote and hybrid models are the norm, making space for in-person connection has never been more important.

Comms is all about helping people feel part of something bigger – even when they’re not in the same building, or even the same time zone. But here’s the catch: the people responsible for building that connection often don’t prioritise it for themselves.

Here’s what our team day taught us – and why it reinforced just how essential these moments are for anyone working in comms.

 

Making space for clarity

We spent time unpacking our ways of working and how we actually use our communication tools – Slack, Teams, email, video calls – and where our preferences and habits differ. Should Slack be for quick updates? Is Teams best for meetings? What deserves an email?

These are questions comms teams often answer for others but rarely revisit for themselves.

A team day offers the space to pause and reset expectations. To clarify what’s working, what’s not, and to agree on how you want to collaborate. The result is fewer assumptions and clearer communication.

 

A human-first approach

One of the most valuable parts of the day wasn’t the workshops – it was the moments in between. Laughing over lunch, catching up on life, reconnecting outside of project work.

As one team member said:

“Great to come together as a team and chat things non-project related!”

And another:

“Being ‘productive’ as creatives isn’t just about the client work. Sharing knowledge, engaging with each other’s work and just being human together is so vital.”

When we make time for these moments, we create the kind of connection we spend our days encouraging across the wider organisation. We live our values, not just communicate them.

 

A chance to reflect and refocus

The feedback from the day said it all:

“It was great to have dedicated time to focus on ourselves as a team.”

“Even though we’re spread out, we can still come together to explore ideas and feel connected.”

Comms teams are often in constant response mode – delivering campaigns, handling change, supporting leadership. Stepping back gives us space to think more intentionally about how we work, not just what we deliver.

Turning ideas into action

The day wasn’t just a feel-good exercise. We left with clear actions to improve how we work together:

  1. Establish project teams for clearer ownership and collaboration
  2. Open office days to encourage in-person time
  3. Slack status emojis to signal availability and protect focus

We also agreed to align how we use each channel across tasks and projects – not just based on personal preference, but with team clarity in mind. Even loose guidelines can reduce friction and make collaboration more natural.

 

Why it matters

Remote and hybrid working aren’t going anywhere. And while we’re all still adapting, days like these help us recalibrate.

They remind us that collaboration isn’t just about productivity – it’s about trust, understanding, and confidence. It’s about choosing to be intentional in how we show up for each other.

As one colleague put it:

“Collaboration isn’t just about improving our performance. It’s about how we communicate, how we build confidence in our team, and how we bring out the best in each other.”

Whether you’re a part of a comms team, a creative agency or any team navigating hybrid work, our advice is simple: make time to come together.

The impact doesn’t end with the day itself. It lives on in how you work, communicate and connect.

 

 

Need help planning or workshopping your own team day? Give us a shout – we’d love to help you make it matter.

 

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
Alive logo