Nearly six months ago, business as usual became anything but. Office workers were sent home; meetings became Zooms; rush hour slowed down; and managers everywhere had to turn on a dime and figure out what was necessary, what wasn’t, and what had to be reinvented.

Work still got done; if anything, the new normal proved just how productive a remote workforce could be. But, a lot of the workplace intangibles — like friendly catch-ups, good-natured gossip, coffee breaks, and group lunches — fell by the wayside. And, we all missed them. It turns out that the five minutes here and there spent not working were a valued part of our definition of work.

Within the Skillsoft marketing department, we’ve addressed this by creating a small, but mighty, Spirit Committee. The mission, as the name implies, is to cultivate, grow and nurture the team’s spirit. In our current situation, this needs to be a more deliberate and — sometimes — creative endeavor.

This past weekend, I was sharing some of the fantastic ideas from our Spirit Committee with several non-work acquaintances. One of them piped up and said, “Why do you even bother with that? What material impact can it have to the company?” I’m sure I had a (very) snappy retort at the ready, but instead, I took a moment to reflect and respond.

First of all, I explained the importance of maintaining a work/life balance where possible. As a leader, it’s an important part of my job to model balanced behavior and ensure that our culture encourages it in others. I don’t just want to work with skilled professionals; I want to work with whole and healthy people.

Second, it’s also critical that everyone feels valued and supported. The Spirit Committee is a great opportunity for people in diverse roles to develop and sell their ideas, then see them through to fruition. It’s de facto management training and makes people feel good about their own growth and development.

Finally, I believe there’s real value in providing a bit of fun to break up the monotony of our very long days, weeks, and now months. It makes work and life more enjoyable, which surely results in better attitudes, improved performances, and increased productivity.

Really, it’s a win-win. It’s the right thing to do for everyone, and it delivers tangible results for the business.

All of this seems so obvious to me that I wondered why anyone would even question it. Then it occurred to me that not every department, or even organization, sees company culture activities as a key ingredient of success.

I’m here to tell you, they are.

Whether you call them Team-Building, Culture, or Spirit Committees, here are the reasons why I believe they are essential:

1. They take — and, consequently, foster — real teamwork. On Friday’s call, the team joined together to brainstorm ideas and determine who would take the lead on a particular activity based on affinity. Going forward, these teams will plan activities to support the broader needs of our department across geographies and time zones.

2. They demonstrate inclusive behaviors. The team found ways to include all of their peers in the various activities they planned, knowing that not everyone is prepared to run a marathon nor bake bread that would warrant a Paul Hollywood handshake.

3. They allow us to take much needed breaks from the everyday. We all work more hours, even now, and we are dangerously close to unhealthy burnout as the pandemic rages on. A study by productivity software company Time is Ltd found that online meetings have nearly doubled since February (this was only measured through April) and the number of people included in each grew by 18%. HR Dive found that employees are spending one extra hour of work a week since the onset of the coronavirus.

4. We need healthy outlets. While so many people are finding the work-from-home routine to be a pleasant alternative to commuting to an office every day, there is a downside to this new normal. First, we have fewer stress outlets than we had pre-pandemic (e.g., gym, dinners out with friends, traveling, etc.), and that’s meant increases in social media usage, unhealthy eating, poor sleep habits, and my personal challenge: news binging (why, CNN….oh, why???). By offering healthy and fun outlets at work, we can (hopefully) stave off some of these bad habits or at least counter them with wholly positive activities.

Do you agree? If your company sponsors these types of groups and activities, be sure to join in. If it doesn’t, I encourage you to propose them. Define your mission (getting to know each other better; building new relationships; or that important goal we all share: stress relief). Then let creativity take over. How about a sing-along? A funny hat contest? A recipe share? Bring your pet(s) to work day? A virtual pizza party?

This is truly one of those initiatives in which no idea is a bad one. And, one in which everyone, in every role, everyday, is not just welcome. They’re essential.