Remote work comes with so many positives – especially in a global pandemic – but there are also some drawbacks that you might not think of until you’re forced to work from home 24/7.
For some remote workers, the boundary between work and home is further blurred, while others report feelings of disengagement, suffering from ‘Zoom fatigue.’
Engaging virtual employees should be a priority in every remote workplace – here are five tips for owners and managers to get it done.
Keep the Lines of Communication Open
With staff in different locations – and sometimes, different time zones – it can feel as though the organization is working in isolated silos.
While it’s impossible to expect all staff to be reachable at all hours of the day, there are certain steps that owners/managers can take to help remote workers still feel connected – at any time – from behind the virtual screen.
Internal communication software like Slack or Microsoft Teams have direct messaging capabilities that can give teams that casual connection opportunity they might be missing from the traditional workplace. Plus, these platforms offer great file-sharing and access capabilities that come with unparalleled security. Nice!
Make Time for Breaks
It can be easy for workers to become engrossed in their work without typical workplace distractions, so it’s important to encourage employees to step away from the screen at various points of the day.
Encourage them to do something they enjoy; whether it be taking an outdoor stroll or making time to prepare and enjoy a nourishing lunch, it’s critical that workers take time to refresh themselves to avoid burnout and disengagement.
Encourage Employee Wellness
And speaking of a refresh, encouraging employee wellness is a critical initiative in the workplace that has big payoffs for workers and owners/managers alike.
Research shows that employee wellness programs can help staff adopt and maintain healthy habits, lowering health risks and increasing mental health and physical health outcomes. Workplace programs aimed at enticing employees can in turn benefit the organization, leading to higher productivity and lower rates of absenteeism.
Companies can approach employee wellness from a variety of ways, but sometimes it’s best to get staff input before getting started. What resonates with them the most? What would make them be more likely to participate in a wellness challenge? Getting employee buy-in is the best way to ensure your employee wellness plan benefits all involved.
Host Fun, Casual Hangouts
It might seem difficult to get your team together in a fun and casual way when you account for virtual roadblocks, but it’s actually easier than you think!
Virtual team building activities transcend physical boundaries to bring teams together to have fun, all while engaging them to learn new skills and build team cohesion.
Although activities Zoom happy hours or a virtual “paint night” which can also help employees take a break from the regular, mundane Zoom meeting), consider exploring specifically designed virtual team building activities that actually help teams strengthen new bonds and build additional skills that actually pay off in the workplace.
Team building activities focus on collective thinking and communication skills, requiring participants to look at existing problems from a new perspective – all while helping them to break through the trance of the digital screen.
Show Your Appreciation
And this one goes hand in hand with the point above – be sure to take the time to show employees that their hard work is appreciated, no matter where in the world they might be!
Virtual, fun hangouts that also focus on team building have several benefits: not only will these activities help employees feel more focused, refreshed, and engaged, they’ll build new bonds, a renewed sense of belonging, and develop new appreciation for their peers after being put to the test together in a relaxed environment.
Book Your Team’s Virtual Team Building Activity Today!
Are you ready to get your team together? Reach out to us today to get started!
Antonioron
Provide a free information flow According to the previously cited Microsoft research on the effect of remote work on team collaboration, teams are in dire straits when it comes to the free flow of information. As the antidote to blockages placed in the way of free information flow , you can: Encourage your employees to share information among each other; Make communication easier, with the help of the right tools; Make file sharing easy; Build a sense of community; Provide more opportunities for collaboration; In addition to these tips, make sure all employees are aware of the importance of knowledge-sharing, and how it impacts everyone in the company, themselves included. Several employees felt that other colleagues have been keeping important leads to themselves, and they think this is unfair.