As many companies continue to have their staff work from home, employers and HR leaders are making employee engagement their top priority. Maintaining a highly engaged and enthusiastic workforce is a critical part of retaining top talent as well as attracting new talent.
Employees who are engaged in their work are more likely to be motivated and remain committed to their employer, which in turn leads to businesses achieving their goals and driving the organization forward.
We have some tips that go beyond “Virtual Team Drinks” and truly engage those remote employees of yours.
Employee feedback surveys
Every employee is facing different challenges right now, and getting a pulse on what those challenges are can help you adapt your approach to help ease those difficulties.
Employees may not feel comfortable bringing up their concerns in a daily team meeting or one-on-ones, so try an anonymous employee engagement survey instead. Conducting surveys once a month allows you to see if the changes you’re implementing are effective.
Need some help to kickstart your survey? Here are a few examples of engagement questions:
- What do you think could help us to improve daily communication?
- Do you feel like you can easily reach your colleagues when you need them?
- How can we help you improve your work-from-home experience?
- What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing while working remotely?
Videos
Try using video content as a tool for your internal communications. Short clips that are readily accessible can be easily consumed and therefore engaged with.
Go behind the scenes and work with a video team to remotely interview employees to showcase what is going on in the company. Videos are more personal and “real” which allows employees to feel more connected with one another.
Videos are also a great asset that can be used for: company-wide events, team workshops, internal newsletters, and company-wide announcements.
Celebrate success
Working from home means relying on conferencing platforms to keep up communications and maintain day-to-day productivity. Why not use that same platform to host a fun awards ceremony?
It’s a great way to showcase to employees that you appreciate the work that they do! It doesn’t have to be elaborate and can work with whatever budget you have. Highlighting achievements with monthly awards like “Most Creative Solution to a Problem” or “Most Inspiring Leader” paired with a small token of appreciation can increase morale and engagement throughout the month.
You can then showcase these employees in your newsletter or in video content as per above!
Health & Wellness
A focus on health and wellness is great for improving employee morale and productivity. Create a well-being plan for your employees and encourage them to take time for themselves.
Consider sharing apps, podcasts, and online programmes which focus on mindfulness and meditation. Did your company once offer exercise classes? You could now organize virtual ones!
It’s also important to offer advice around working remotely. Send reminders for everyone to take breaks and lunch, go for walks, and stay hydrated throughout the day!
Workshops
Encourage engagement by hosting interactive workshops. These workshops can be about anything from professional growth to how to make a good cup of coffee. Just by setting aside dedicated time for your employees, they feel included in a conversation that isn’t strictly work-related. You can also host workshops to brainstorm future strategies for the company – you’ll get engagement and new ideas at the same time!
Introduce unique workshops in different departments but also host company-wide sessions. Remember that employees, especially newer ones, want the opportunity to connect with their colleagues.
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