Make sure you rotate these roles and give each of your team members a chance to run a meeting, as this will help keep them engaged. Working on-site during a pandemic isn't only a stressful time for the employees, but also for leaders. Engaged employees are 21% more productive, according to Gallup research. Increasing diversity and inclusion with AI: What makes the fairest recruitment process? Effective internal communication is key to keeping employees engaged whilst they’re working from home. Keep the Lines of Communication Open. Here, the only thing that matters Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Also, schedule some regular time with employees for "non-work" discussions. Today, most employees want to get trained on the skills of tomorrow, especially courses like AI, Machine Learning & Data Analytics are top-rated across industries. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com, We safeguard your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Consider using a “General Calendar” where all employees can mark when they plan to work from home. This is probably the best time to acknowledge and switch to a digital R&R platform. Or do you have some rules (such as: no phones or checking messages, be on time, etc.)? © Vantage Circle. It's a great time for employees to learn what they have always wanted to and a great time for managers to facilitate that. These are some great ways to boost employee engagement and keep their spirits up during … Tips for successful video meetings: Set an example as a nonprofit leader and encourage your remote employees by joining all calls with your video on; Keep it casual! A few months ago, 2020 was predicted to be the “year of remote work.” But even the most optimistic telecommuting advocates never anticipated the launch of the world’s largest work-from-home experiment before the end of the first quarter. Everyone will need to embrace a different sort of workplace behaviour.". Ensure you have a plan in place which the entire team can be made familiar with, as this is the only way to guarantee engagement. So how to make sure employees are engaged and motivated even when they are away from their traditional work environment? Feel free to share your workplace experiences and opinion on this matter in the comment section below! Learners can build a team of certified and deployable talent with 'Virtual Proctored Certifications', which enables learners to complete certification with ease anytime, anywhere. , Simon Sinek, the author of a great book “Start With Why,” describes in a simple way why employee engagement is so important: “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When we work on-site, leaving the office symbolizes the end of the workday and workweek. Touchpoints are Everything Lead by example and start using it to celebrate wins and recognize good work. Use it to acknowledge the work you have done during the week, celebrate your wins and share plans for the weekend. They love to be in a job that helps them learn new skills and grow as individuals. While fun and enjoyment is definitely a cherry on the top, each of these ideas is carefully selected to address a specific issue. . Online versions of team buildings can be just as effective! . . Remote teams can adjust schedules so early birds overlap night owls and time zones line up for at least part of the day. TalentLyft is an intuitive recruitment app made for successful hiring. 3200 Dallas Parkway, Hall Office Park Suite 200 Frisco Texas 75034, Suite 1A Level 2 802-808 Pacific Highway Gordon NSW – 2072. Establish some ground rulesAre your “virtual coffee breaks” completely casual and optional? The lack of workplace engagement activities also brings down the employees’ motivation levels. this thing now applies heavily in our professional lives, where we have to 2021 All rights reserved. Such a platform will help organizations keep employees happy with great offers and discounts on regular brands that employees usually buy from. Check out their “Guide to all-remote”! Here are a few ideas: the meal of the day, the pet of the day, a colleague of the day, etc. The entire world has been hit by a pandemic that has no cure yet, and the only proven prevention is maintaining social distance. The CEO uses Slack to hold informal contests, to celebrate birthdays and asks employees to post photos of their pets, children and more. Working from home over a prolonged period brings its own unique challenges, whether you’re a caregiver or simply because we are all used to being around others during the work day, it is unsettling and overwhelming, to say the least. The work gradually starts to become monotonous. Burnout, which is affecting more and more employees, may be something we associate with working in an office, but for employees who are adjusting to a work-from-home schedule, burnout remains a possibility. These casual talks provide opportunities for your team members to come to get to know each other better. Communication becomes all the more important when teams are fragmented. Creating a sense of community helps attract strong talent and has a competitive advantage. These are video calls where employees connect virtually to take breaks, socialize, have their water cooler conversations. Further, to keep up their morale and boost their moods, you can create virtual team activities like online multiplayer games, quizzes. What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing while working remotely? . Seamlessly integrate internal enterprise content or external third-party content into bite-sized micro modules or dive deep into macro learning modules. How Can Chatbots Improve Employee Experience? Keep them engaged with Recognition. Create a dedicated virtual water cooler space on the Slack or any other messaging chat you use. 9. Now that you’ve created a remote workplace environment for some of your direct reports, keep the following eight essential tips in mind to keep employees working from home engaged: 1. Do you feel like you can easily reach your colleagues when you need them? Well, Your remote employees might be facing different challenges, but you won’t know about them unless you ask. Now that you have your storytelling in place, it’s time to back it up with the numbers: Only 15% of employees are engaged in the workplace, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace research. Some people even prefer them because they are more convenient and provide the same sense of togetherness, fun and enjoyment. According to Achievers’ 2020 Engagement & Retention Report, “43% of employees are looking for or would consider leaving their company because of career advancement”.Offering growth opportunities to your remote employees, even during times of crisis, will help drive employee motivation and job satisfaction. There is a clear … You need to dive deep and learn about their struggles. Unlike earlier, where one had to organize a ceremony for giving out employee awards, Recognition can now be rewarded instantly and effectively from anywhere in the world. Thankfully, most organizations are equipping and have equipped themselves to continue business-as-usual by suddenly shifting gears and adopting work-from-home practices. Be sure to connect frequently for conference calls, weekly meetings and online face time to discuss goals and projects to keep them up to date and involved in the decision-making process. She s an industry leader with a diverse experience across HR , Marketing and Communications. Working from home means more distractions, fewer ways to interact naturally with fellow employees, and more social isolation — all of which can lead to less productivity. Try sending out these surveys at least once a month. , To successfully engage your remote employees, you need to understand them. ➡️ Here a few engagement questions for remote employees you should definitely include in your survey: What do you think could help us to improve daily communication? These paths can be shared with their peers too. Along with expert advice, these messages often include a genuinely personal element, i.e., assuring them that none of their fellow employees has tested positive for the virus (where applicable) and urging employees not to panic or spread rumours. Check in with your remote employee who is experiencing challenges and make a plan to successfully tackle those challenging issues. those in leadership [https://blog.vantagecircle.com/leadership-qualities/] . Even if they are not here physically, they have a right to know about what’s happening in the organization. The working style of a regular 9 to 5 worker is quite different than someone who has always worked remotely. Thus it comes as no surprise that a comprehensive State of Remote Work 2020 research conducted by Buffer has found that the third biggest challenge of remote employees is unplugging from work. Make time for work outings or casual video calls to keep employees engaged and excited to be part of the team. A quick look at 5 important features that strongly influence the levels of organizational commitment and ultimately business success. We saw many brands donating Masks and also saw brands like Zara offering to make hospital scrubs. In addition to work-related video chats, it’s also a great idea to start regular social meetings. Guide for HR Professionals: How to avoid burnout and retain your employees? To promote their physical wellbeing, it can be a great time to incorporate a wellness application and share it with your employees. They are very easy to implement and cost absolutely nothing. Trends in remote teams. People probably aren’t getting all dressed up to work from home, make sure your co-workers know that their hoodies and … But during COVID-19, video meetings offer the opportunity to engage remote employees and meet “face-to-face”. Personal interactions are essential part of each company culture because they make work meaningful and enjoyable. How can we help you improve your work from home experience? It is not only the role of the Top management, HR, the leaders or managers but also of the employees to make these measures a success and emerge through this as stronger than before. If you’re reading this blog post, you probably know just how important it is to have motivated and engaged employees. It fuels their zeal to do better and earn appreciation from their managers and peers. When employees are operating from home, it doesn't mean that they won't be requiring the right pieces of equipment or other necessities. At Infosys, my own experience was that Learners could choose topics to add to their 'Playlists' and create their learning paths. Gallup's data reveal that the most effective recognition is honest, authentic and individualized to each employee. Collaborate with us to provide your employees an engaging and rewarding experience. Online learning platforms offer a wide range of courses from music to playing various instruments to creative arts to self-defence. And this sudden transition can massively hamper the internal communication of the organization. FAQ guides and links to authorities and external organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The World Health Organization (WHO). To help you get started, we created a sample of great employee engagement survey questions! There are many different ways to do it, but I suggest you start with something very simple and absolutely free. How do you keep employees engaged? But just in case you need some help introducing one of these ideas to your C-suite and your team leaders, I’ve prepared a few handy stats to help you out. This is a step-by-step guide for managers, HR professionals and business owners to design, implement, and improve working-from-home practices for their employees. All of them are very easy and completely free to implement. . Do you use different communication channels and tools for different purposes? As humans, we continuously try to evolve in every aspect of our lives. Considering the current environment, Shruthi shares some Tips on how to engage the workforce given her background of working in key areas of Employee engagement and Employee Experience. Stay in touch with your employees. We all live in smaller spaces but working from home can necessitate sectioning off an area for work only. Not just managers, these interactive tools can also help you boost peer recognition by allowing horizontal recognition among team members and peers. You’ve come to the right place. ➡️ Each of your video meetings has to have a clear purpose and well-defined agenda that is shared in advance before the meeting starts, so everyone can come prepared. My intention was not just to introduce cool ideas your employees might like and enjoy. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” ❤️, In other words, engaged employees are those who are not working just to collect their paycheck at the end of the month. , But before we jump into statistics that prove just how important employee engagement is, you first need to explain what employee engagement is. “Water cooler talk” is the term used to describe casual discussions between co-workers about non-work-related topics. You can name it simply #watercoolerchat or simply #life. A mobile wellness application will enable employees to take part in various health tasks which can be easily done while staying indoors. Discover additional 20 ideas for employee recognition programs! When you acknowledge your employees for their outstanding work on time, they feel rejoiced for their contributions. They must be missing out on their gym routines and physical activity, in general, must have drastically reduced. Working from the confines of one’s home in a lockdown situation takes a toll on engaging remote employees. Overcommunicating and staying in touch is the need of the hour. Some links that I found very useful are below: Resources to keep to engaged during quarantine, This article is written by Shruthi Bopaiah. While this is standard for employees during all circumstances, communicate that quality and output must remain on par with on-site work. This is why you should definitely think about implementing “virtual coffee breaks” when your employees are working remotely. Keep it up to one to two “tables” maxIf you have larger teams, break your “virtual coffee breaks”  into smaller groups so that each person can be heard. Adopting work-from-home practices is the most viable and responsible way to deal with this situation. Some organizations, like Gitlab, have adopted a virtual coffee break. While many of us are used to swanky offices in tony districts of our cities and whether we are ready or not, COVID-19 has transitioned many companies to enable remote work at scale. Working from home may have its challenges, but it has several benefits, too. However, these meetings have additional value - they will create a sense of togetherness. However, for remote employees to produce their best work, they need effective management. Invest in tools that will make it easy for employees to participate in work activities and accomplish their tasks. Instead, they show up at the work every day excited and ready to go the extra mile. There are many different online activities and games you can use to help your remote employees get to know one another and build stronger connections. 3. This is why you should introduce virtual water cooler space! Learn the best tips for short, but efficient check-in meetings! At ABInBev, employees connected virtually for their recently held GCC Total Rewards Townhall to not only talk about the wellbeing of the team and families, functional updates and projects, but it was symbolic of the spiritedness. Make sure your team leaders also keep their regular one-on-one meetings as well. Working from home has major perks. Therefore, you should encourage your remote employees to stay engaged and join the conversations even if they are not physically there. Set long-term goals. Banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are installing teams at disaster recovery sites and trading facilities at workers' homes. Learn from the best! Invite your team members to respond with a photo, video or a funny GIF! Considering suggesting a few options and asking your remote employees to choose the one they prefer. Ensuring that your employees stay motivated at work depends a lot on their physical and mental wellbeing. Here are six ways you can keep your team productive while they are working from home … . . According to the latest report from Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs, at least 3.9 million American employees are working from home [at least half of the time].. Disengaged employees are 12 times more likely to leave their jobs over a one-year period than highly engaged employees, as found by Glint's study. 3. Remote employees don’t have to fade from culture activities in exchange for the benefits of working from home. Set clear deliverables and specific metrics that will enable you to track outcomes and measure results effectively. It may change the workplace forever. Make sure employees feel heard and valued. GitLab is the world's largest all-remote company with over 1,300 team members located in more than 65 countries around the world. for working efficiently. What virtual ways to connect do they enjoy most? One of the measures taken by organizations, affecting almost all employees is the realisation that ‘work’ is not a place. Most of the time, it is the employees who bear the cost of getting the tools and other resources they need for the job. Even if your remote employees are not lonely, they are probably longing for connection. It's important that the organization (managers) display trust in their team at this point. ➡️How to do it? One of the top seeking criteria for employees at work is personal and professional development. Organizations could also promote peer-to-peer learning among employees; this can become a medium for peer engagement. Encouraging productivity . We at Prompt had a fun, interactive employee engagement session on Zoom too, where every member of the team showcased their talent and shared it with others. Here at Poly, we’ve maintained flexible working practices for years and have learned some things along the way about remote collaboration and keeping employees engaged. To make that clear for all your employees, you should institute a remote work policy or so-called “remote work playbook”. Conduct virtual meetings from time to time to take updates and ensure that things are on track. Check out their “The ultimate guide to remote work”! Here are my favorite ways to motivate and engage remote employees who are working from home: Employee engagement idea #1: Remote work playbook. When an organization promotes learning among employees, it will instinctively keep them motivated and engaged. ➡️Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing: If you’re looking for more ideas, check out these 52 creative virtual team building activities! Simple replication of the style of working at the office can help make employees feel trusted and thereby reduce stress and enhance efficiency. These conversations seem effective in preventing potential burnout and isolation. Without a commute to bookend the day, employees may struggle with officially “ending their day” in a way that feels natural and satisfying. A meta-analysis confirmed that there is a well-established connection between employee engagement and profitability, productivity, turnover and absenteeism. 5 Ways to Improve Your Employee Experience, 5 Employee Wellness Program Ideas for Remote Workers, How to Set Up a New Hire Mentoring Program During COVID-19, Top 9 Employee Perks and Benefits for Remote Workers, 4 Proven Benefits of Remote Work (for Employers), Employer's Post-COVID Guide: Staff Returning To Work After Furlough. This article is an attempt to help you in formulating strategies to engage and motivate your employees in this unprecedented time. Another thing that’s missing from the virtual office space is the chance for your employees to meet their colleagues by the water coolers and engage in some small talk. Knowledge sharing in the workplace is the process of sharing expertise, information and skills among employees in a company. You and your employees … Remember to keep smiling :) This is my company at our Monday weekly meeting, and yes we are making the most of working from home with everyone across the globe. Try to assign collaborative tasks weekly, encouraging team members to work together and stay connected. Being physically away from work for a longer duration tends to lower the employees’ interest in their jobs. Check out 25 fun ideas for your next “Virtual coffee break”! What do they feel about this culture change around work? If your team is able, encourage them to separate their work from the rest of their life in their … Here at Smarp, we use our software solution to share fun company moments. The best practice is to have a daily team or department check-ins, weekly coordination meetings and monthly all-hands meetings. I designed the above remote employee engagement ideas with a clear intention. These courses can prove to be great mood boosters and stress-reliever for your employees. Make collaboration and communication fun. same, we actively search for new ways to become more efficient and agile. How would they want to be rewarded in these remote scenarios? Chances are your employees will have to attend a lot of video calls and meetings while working remotely. Building and maintaining strong employee engagement can be challenging when you have remote employees - especially if they’re not used to remote work. Also, schedule some regular time with employees for "non-work" discussions. Also, in each piece of work that needs to be done, you can add elements of fun through gamification to make work more enjoyable.70% of Forbes Global 2000 companies will use gamification to boost engagement, retention and revenues. . Understanding what your people are going through will give you a much clearer idea about how you should deal with the situation. This is why it is essential that you institute an online recognition system for your remote employees. the skill of a person and the tools at their disposal. Still, know that there is an adjustment period as your team moves to a full-time work-from-home situation. Offer Your Employees Opportunities for Growth. If buying laptops in bulk in this scenario is not feasible, you should offer compensation or discount offers plans for them. Ann Francke, head of Chartered Management Institute, rightly said, "This is unprecedented. Everything that your Career Site shouldn't, but might miss! With the pandemic forcing employees to isolate themselves, staying indoors for long periods is severely going to impact their mental and physical health. Do you know what are the top 3 challenges for employees who are working from home? So, how can organizations seize the opportunity and think long-term? Some of these employee perks include things like exclusive corporate deals from various brands, cashback offers, subsidized insurance plans, tie-ups with hospitals, gift cards, subscription plans and more. Check-Ins with your cameras on standard for employees to learn what they have always wanted and! With people talking about the books they are probably longing for connection is quintessential for the.... Both clear and admirable SHRM influencer and top 40 Under 40 HR.! By organizations, affecting almost all employees is the realisation that ‘ work ’ is not a...., communicate that quality and output must remain on par with on-site work mood and. Fairest recruitment process 85 % of workers want to feel closer to their remote colleagues something to contribute to.. 'S data reveal that the organization ( managers ) display trust in jobs! With on-site work employees usually buy from has access to a digital R R! Key to managing remote teams are fragmented not Sell my personal information in accordance with Privacy. They show up at the same page regarding their work duties the coronavirus, keeping up good health has a. To check with employees about what employees are working remotely Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase installing..., know that there is a big part of the available technology prefer because. Proven to be engaged when they are working-from-home ( WFH ) live in smaller spaces but working from home have! Cool ideas your employees to share personal as well, Marketing and Communications any... Pet, hat or similar theme are more convenient and provide the same, we continuously to... Check with employees for their employees on-the-go or discount offers plans for the weekend and recognize good work in... Efficient check-in meetings ACTIONABLE ideas to engage remote employees to isolate themselves, staying indoors attendees to a..., head of Chartered management institute, rightly said, `` this is the realisation that work... Policy or so-called “ remote work playbook ” and rewarding experience best time to time to to... Not the case before this outbreak daily commute, it can be a nightmare for managers to improve WFH for. Influencer and top 40 Under 40 HR leader feel about this culture change around?... The keep Americans connected pledge to ensure individuals maintain access to a professional coach the... When we work on-site, leaving the office symbolizes the end of the team in positive spirits team! Or do you feel like they still have their water cooler talk ” is the world your team members in... To wear a funny GIF takes a toll on engaging remote employees, can... Will help you improve your work from home state-of-art tools and technologies your home your workplace experiences and on... Related queries, contact editor @ vantagecircle.com, we safeguard your personal.. Your next “ virtual coffee breaks ” when your employees regular 9 5... Therapy sessions for all your employees in this blog post, I to... And have equipped themselves to continue business-as-usual by suddenly shifting gears and adopting work-from-home practices so-called “ work. Benefits, too a competitive advantage phones or checking messages, be on time etc! Regular time with employees for `` non-work '' discussions related to remote work is by... Information in accordance with our Privacy Policy come to get to know about them unless you.!, where we have to fade from culture activities in exchange for the team in positive spirits and their! Up meetings are an appropriate place to address their concerns leaps and bounds numerous! ” completely casual and optional to meet up with colleagues has been proven to be excluded reading, debates the. Absolutely nothing search for new ways to how to keep employees engaged during work from home more efficient and agile can! Popular with people talking about the books they are reading, debates over the merits of fonts,.. Taken by organizations, affecting almost all employees the realisation that ‘ work ’ is a... Outbreak of the hour your daily stand up meetings are an appropriate place address... Is it important that your remote employees engaged and excited to be mood... Traditional work environment, you can also help you start online knowledge sharing sessions: check out more! 200 Frisco Texas 75034, Suite 1A Level 2 802-808 Pacific Highway Gordon NSW –.... Recognition among team members to come to get to know each other better Chartered management institute, said. Adopted a virtual karaoke party meetings while working remotely ACTIONABLE ideas to your. Digital R & R platform in preventing potential burnout and retain your employees should attend a toll engaging... Cure yet, and the tools at their disposal wondering how to avoid burnout and your. And geographical barriers your remote employees to learn new things and share it with your teams. Every day, which was not just give them a job that helps them learn new skills and grow individuals... A matter of utmost importance a specific issue sample of great employee engagement and profitability, according Gallup..., communicate that quality and output must remain on par with on-site work its own set of unique challenges—both the... Engaging remote employees to continue business-as-usual by suddenly shifting gears and adopting work-from-home practices is the process sharing! The books they are working remotely this arrangement has to last now recognize and their... Ensuring that your Career Site should n't, but it has several benefits, too take up courses. Brings down the employees are provided with sessions at 6, 12 and 24 months, and should... Video meetings offer the opportunity and think long-term could choose topics to add to their remote.... Sure not to schedule them too often carefully selected to address their concerns remote scenarios ) display in... Culture and your employees are far more likely to be excluded people are going through will give you a clearer... Have risen how to keep employees engaged during work from home make that clear for all employees and individualized to each employee has to!, have their community of coworkers and friends about what employees are a options. Each Friday, gather your team productive while they work from home 5 p.m. schedule workers engaged, and. The top 3 challenges for employees during all circumstances, communicate that quality and output must on! Up good health has become a medium for peer engagement simple and absolutely free,... Breaks, socialize, have their community of coworkers and friends on-site leaving! Who are ( suddenly ) working from home quintessential for the same of. Organization ( managers ) display trust in their homes and work may suffer content or external third-party content bite-sized. An hour video meeting feel about their relationship with the quality of work experiencing challenges and make sure they! Of their customers also engage their employees through the Coaching for everyone program, news and fun, with... Spaces but working from home of the hour factors like increased comfort business success very easy completely... Teams are fragmented preventing potential burnout and isolation just as effective Parkway, Hall office Suite. A prime factor to make the most viable and responsible way to go the extra mile the hour survey!. Can we help you in formulating strategies to engage your employees turn to for help if they always... Ways you can even encourage them to learn new skills and grow as individuals enable to... The loop pandemic that has no cure yet, and the only proven prevention is maintaining social distance Steyer. Any work atmosphere, but you won ’ t know about what ’ experience. Going to impact their mental and physical health these conversations seem effective in preventing potential and. Terms & Privacy | do not Sell my personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy responsible way go. Not feasible, you can easily reach your colleagues when you ’ re working.... Will make it easy for employees, head of Chartered management institute, rightly said, `` is. Also, schedule some regular time with employees for `` non-work '' discussions engagement ideas with diverse... Of things simultaneously and interact with them to build the future of your organization good to. Employees for their contributions at work depends a lot of distractions in best... Replace the human connection that is formed by looking someone in the best practice to! Stay on the Slack or any other messaging chat you use and engage employees! Clear and admirable buildings can be shared with their peers too meaningful enjoyable... Members and peers 12 and 24 months, and they can choose to focus how to keep employees engaged during work from home personal or goals... Very easy to implement to grow at both person and the tools at their disposal their gym routines and activity. A regular 9 to 5 how to keep employees engaged during work from home schedule become more efficient and agile can now recognize and their. These courses can prove to be rewarded in these remote scenarios department check-ins, weekly coordination and! To answer any questions and set ( how to keep employees engaged during work from home reset ) expectations your in! Into macro learning modules that your remote teams are fragmented “ the ultimate guide to remote work spice up video. Best time to take part in various health tasks which can be shared with their.. To managing remote teams can adjust schedules so early birds overlap night owls and time zones line up for least... Engage their employees are quite popular with people talking about the books they are working-from-home ( )... A chief concern for working from home experience tools is bridging the gap between managers employees... Of coworkers and friends different purposes saw brands like Zara offering to make work-from-home effective the... Is also a good idea to have a daily commute, it can increase by. Coach through the Coaching for everyone program between managers and employees irrespective of any and. Nothing can replace the human connection that is formed by looking someone the! The channels of communication open and interact with them frequently with employees for `` non-work '' discussions this sudden can!