Belonging in distributed teams: Systems for collaboration and growth
What we learned about fighting burnout and creating connections in hybrid workplaces
Burnout is skyrocketing across Belgium and Europe. Over the past five years, Belgium has seen a 44% increase in burnout cases, costing EU employers over €100 billion annually. But there's a way forward that doesn't involve forcing everyone back to the office.
At our recent Ahead of the Curve webinar, culture strategist Andrea Strohmayr from Culture by Design shared practical approaches to building belonging in hybrid and distributed teams. The webinar explored how strong social connection acts as an antidote to isolation, disengagement, and ultimately, burnout.
Watch our webinar replay now!
Belonging is no longer a nice-to-have but a system teams can intentionally design. Research shows that people need two core conditions: frequent positive interactions and stable, enduring connections. When both are present, teams become more resilient, productive, and genuinely connected to their work and each other.
The 4 Rs: routines, rituals, rhythm, and rewards
In our webinar, Andrea introduced a strategic framework for creating belonging.
- Routines are your tactical meetings - the regular check-ins where work gets done.
- Rituals are moments of emotional significance where people connect as humans, not just colleagues.
- Rhythm is the predictable cadence that reduces mental overload and helps everyone know when and how they'll come together.
- The secret 4th R: Rewards for reaching shared goals that can’t be achieved alone are a powerful way to build belonging and a sense of camaraderie.
Make a clear distinction between output-focused routines like task-related strategies or team meetings and connection-focused rituals like moments of connection, celebration, and creativity. A brainstorming session could be either, depending on whether you're solving a business challenge or simply creating space for creative energy and learning.
Beyond pizza Fridays
Generic team-building rarely works. Andrea shared the "3 Cs" for designing meaningful moments:
- Co-creation: design with your team, not for them
- Contribution: give people ownership, even in small ways
- Challenge: add light, positive competition to spark energy
- The 4th C aka Celebration - give enough space for recognition and closure
One powerful insight the attendees left with was that teams bond more through shared challenges than through comfortable moments alone. When you set common goals that no single person can achieve individually, people start to genuinely care about each other's success.
Curious to learn more about:
- How to move from an accidental to an intentional hybrid team belonging?
- How to bring together people with different interests and personalities?
- What creates a healthy team culture?
Watch our webinar replay now and get your copy of the materials below!
DOWNLOAD THE SLIDES | DOWNLOAD THE BELONGING CHECKLIST
