- Companies are frantically attempting to develop a virtual office culture for their distant staff. The urge to invest in a vibrant culture is exhausting. While remote work is not a new concept, the vast majority of employees have never experienced what it entails. As a result, they are experiencing a loss of face-to-face interaction that they were accustomed to when working in an office.
- Employers rushed to Zoom during the outset of the epidemic to maintain face-to-face engagement. However, employees were so tired of the frequent Zoom happy hours and meetings that they lost the motivation to attend. According to Monster, 69% of workers who work from home are burnt out.
- Employers’ little interest has now been lost as they attempt to convey office enthusiasm to the remote work area. As a result, businesses are rethinking their Zoom strategy and relying on alternate channels such as Slack updates or brief video messages to communicate.
- “Not all meetings need to be live,” said Spencer Waldron, Prezi’s head of distant communications. Asynchronous video meetings should account for at least 25% of all video meetings.” Asynchronous meetings maintain a personal connection while allowing remote workers in various geographic zones to get information without missing out due to schedule problems. If live video meetings are required, a new Prezi/Harris poll suggests confining them to an average of 18 minutes. This is because, at the 18-minute point, employees’ brains begin to wander, prompting them to check out of the meeting.
Here are some innovative strategies for businesses to keep their remote staff engaged and interested.
Approaches to improve employee productivity for remote employees:
Some of the approaches to improve employee productivity:
Hosting virtual classes/shows
There are several methods for organizations to engage their staff and keep them enthused about getting up, ranging from weekly Friday Netflix watch parties to Tik Tok challenges to scavenger hunts to trivia games to vision board workshops. The idea is to collaborate with them to create a virtual culture that they are enthusiastic about. The most common error employers make is attempting to replicate what other organizations are doing and expecting it to be successful with their personnel. When you enable your remote staff to co-create the experience they want, they will build it precisely as they want, according to Kari DePhillips, owner and CEO of The Content Factory. As a leader, all you have to do is assist them to develop and perfect what they come up with.
Other inventive ideas include virtual terrarium building, a raffle night with interesting prizes, and themed yoga/costume events like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
By sending fun and thoughtful packages:
Employers can pick from a range of care packages offered by companies such as TeamBuilding, such as little campfires, storytelling workshops, and simplified role playing games. This not only encourages innovation, but it also boosts engagement and is an excellent method to bring distant employees together.
The Creative Suite’s founder, Tenin Terrell, discussed how care packages may increase employee satisfaction and engagement. According to Terrell, firms may choose a theme each month and send out a selection of relevant things in a care package that arrives on employees’ doorsteps. This is a terrific touchpoint that lets employees know they’re being thought about no matter where they are and adds some fun to their job.
Encouraging Employee side projects:
Allowing workers to work on personal projects that correspond with company aims generates more business innovation. 3M’s Post-It notes and Google’s Gmail were both created as side projects. Indeed, 3M has over 22,000 patents obtained from employee side projects, popularly known as their 15% initiative. Similar to Google’s 20% initiative, 3M’s 15% program allows employees a portion of their time to build new products. LinkedIn, Facebook, Jooble, and Hewlett-Packard have all deployed their own versions of the software.
Allow each employee 10% of their time to work on new initiatives. Employees can divide this 10% into many modes: 4 hours per week, 2 working days per month, or 12 working days each half year.
By creating a culture of connectedness:
- Employees want to feel connected and included. They want to communicate what’s going on in their life, share humorous moments and jokes, and create relationships with their coworkers. Creating a culture of connectivity requires acknowledging that employees are more than just employees; they are individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, and views.
- Managers should take the lead in fostering an environment where workers feel comfortable being themselves and sharing what makes them unique. Managers can do this by devoting some time at the outset of the meeting to a lighthearted dialogue. Another method is to inquire about employees’ weekend plans or what they did during a recent holiday. This is an excellent approach to relieve stress during these trying times.
- It not only keeps employees informed about what’s going on with their team members, but it also allows others to celebrate achievements, provide support, and gain a better knowledge of what’s going on in one another’s personal life.
By giving Appreciation:
- Employees, of course, want to be acknowledged and thanked for their work. Working remotely is not something most employees agreed to, but they are doing their best to make it work. Working parents are battling to keep their children engaged in their online school while handling their own professional duties now that school has resumed.
- A simple thank you or sincere praise may go a long way toward expressing gratitude. I truly liked how you handled (the problem) and delivered (the solution). Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we are fortunate to have you.” These apparently insignificant acts have a significant influence on remote employee engagement. Employees who feel valued are more likely to go above and above for their company.
Check out the infographic below for more tips on creating a great remote-office culture!
Infographic provided by Halock Security Labs, a HIPAA compliance consulting firm
