How it works
The team or its manager picks a day based on when people are available and what the team needs to do together. The day repeats on a set pattern, such as every Tuesday or the first Thursday of each month, and is published where people plan their week so nobody has to guess.
On the day, the team sits together, often in its neighborhood, and holds the meetings that benefit from being in one room: planning, reviews, workshops, onboarding and one-to-ones. Focus work that can be done anywhere is left for other days.
Team days give workplace teams a predictable demand signal. Knowing which teams are in on which days lets them assign neighborhoods by date, spread teams across the week and size rooms for the meetings that happen. Attendance on team days shows whether the arrangement is working.
How to measure it
- Track the share of team members present on each team day, not just total attendance.
- Check whether the team's key meetings are booked on its team days.
- Watch occupancy on days when several teams' team days coincide.
Examples
- A sales team meets every Monday to review the pipeline, with mentors and new starters sitting together.
- A distributed product team books a coworking space near most of its members for a monthly team day instead of traveling to headquarters.
Benchmarks
Axalta runs team days on Tuesdays and Thursdays and recorded 40% occupancy on those days.
Kadence customer story: Axalta
Common mistakes
- Letting the team day fill up with calls to people outside the office, which defeats its purpose.
- Moving team days often, so people cannot plan childcare or travel around them.
- Not reserving space, so the team arrives and cannot sit together.
How Kadence helps
Team Kadence lets managers schedule recurring team days every week or month, choose when they start, and pick a location and neighborhood for the team. Members get smart suggestions on their schedule to book for the team day, and Workplace Events with RSVP (WorkOps Pro) can add a lunch or social. Kadence Flex lets distributed teams book coworking space for their team days.
Hybrid working coordination · Workplace events · Flexible office space
Frequently asked questions
What is a team day?
A team day is a recurring day when a hybrid team works from the office together. It is usually set by the team or its manager, repeats weekly or monthly, and is used for the work that benefits most from being in the same room, such as planning, reviews, mentoring and social time.
How often should a hybrid team have a team day?
Many teams start with one team day a week, or a monthly day if members are widely spread. The right rhythm depends on how much of the work needs people together. Review attendance and ask the team after a few months whether the day is worth the commute.
What should you do on a team day?
Use the day for activities that are harder remotely: planning sessions, design or code reviews, workshops, onboarding, mentoring, one-to-ones and a shared lunch or social. Keep heads-down work and large video calls for other days, so the time together is spent together.
How do you get people to come in on team days?
Give the day a clear purpose, set it far enough ahead that people can plan, make sure there is space for the team to sit together, and show who else is coming. People are more likely to commute when they know the colleagues they need will be there.
Related terms
- Anchor days Set days each week when a team or company agrees to be in the office together, with the other days flexible.
- Hybrid coordination The work of getting the right people into the office on the same days and giving them the right space when they arrive.
- In-person collaboration Work people do together face to face, and the practice of measuring whether office time brings the right people together.
- Neighborhood A zone of an office set aside for a team, project or activity, often on set days, so people who work together sit together.
- Team dynamics The patterns of behavior and interaction that shape how a team works together and how well it performs.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed