Creating and managing an environment where your team’s happiness and engagement is a priority can be challenging, especially if your colleagues are scattered nationally or globally. As we continue to move towards remote work and office spaces, creating bonds and building employee satisfaction will be crucial.
A recent study states, out of “600 US businesses with 50-500 employees, 63.3% of companies say retaining employees is harder than hiring them”. So, no matter what size company you are, there is a precedent for maintaining your team’s engagement and happiness levels.
We’ve brought you the top tips that we know will keep your remote team happy and engaged!
Virtual Team Building Activities
Virtual team bonding activities help remote teams build engagement while boosting team productivity. Many of the online activities focus on communication and creating collaborative efforts.
Virtual team building games and activities bring more bonded interactions to virtual work. Do you need a little inspiration? Check out the top 21 Fun Virtual Team Building Activities that provide insight into activities that range from fun happy hours to collaborative game ideas.
An excellent platform that will guarantee team building engagement we’ve used is QuizBreaker.com. QuizBreaker has made an easy and accessible icebreaker game where the quiz questions consist of guessing “who said what”—designed with maximum gamification that includes a leaderboard for “friendly competition”.
Show Appreciation
The value of employee appreciation starts with upper management and can directly benefit all levels within your company. Appreciation inspires people to engage more and create a purpose for their work. It also can build employee retention and general happiness in their position.
According to a survey from Survey Monkey with Bonusly, “82% consider recognition an important part of their happiness at work”. A little appreciation in the workplace goes a long way with engaging your employees.
Top suggestions to show employee recognition:
- “Thank you” meetings, messages, or phone calls
- Rewards (gift cards, team lunch, etc.)
- Spontaneous days off
Continuous Education
Everyone always has the opportunity to learn more. Creating a team goal or budget for continuous education will show your employees their value. Engage them with quarterly workshops or put aside stipends for extracurricular education. It will not only engage your team, it will also benefit your company as a whole. Continuous education will help improve productivity that will build their skills and create a more efficient workplace.
Go-to platforms that encourage building skills professionally and personally are Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and a ton of others.
Virtual Team Culture
Being on a remote team can sometimes feel isolating when you don’t interact with your co-workers in person at least a few times a year. Team culture is influential because it allows your employees to see your company’s values, from building a community and creating a work-life balance. It also helps create an automatic connection while bonding over similar goals and priorities. Cultivating trust within the culture of your company will allow for immediate team engagement and overall happiness.
Build team culture by communicating your company mission, create a good working environment, and establish at least a few office traditions even if you aren’t in the office.
Open Communication
Just like any other team, open communication is vital. Open communication is especially important when employees are working remotely. Not always having the opportunity to communicate with their team in a personal setting, an “open-door policy” policy is welcomed.
Make sure to have weekly team meetings and schedule a monthly one-on-one to show an open communication channel. Make sure there is a sense of transparency and be open to employee feedback.
There are great platforms that will help regulate your team’s communication, such as Slack, Interface, and many others.
Setting Goals
Providing goals for your remote team to accomplish together will bring a sense of clarity and mission for them. Goal setting benefits both the employees and your organization.
Take time and be clear when you set objectives for each task. Goals will motivate, help create guidelines for challenging projects, and promote teamwork. Goal setting drives involvement, organization, and places importance on project management.
Great tools for companywide public goal setting are Basecamp, Milestone Planner, or team brainstorming sessions via zoom or conference call.
Investing in employee engagement is directly connected to employee happiness and satisfaction. When your team feels engaged, they will bring their best effort in order to achieve their goals.
Remote teams will be tasked and challenged, so help create this crucial environment as their leader. These tips will help boost engagement and satisfaction within your employees’ ideology. Don’t forget to branch out and try new activities and experiment on what works best for your remote team.
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