Connectivity and engagement: How can teams stay engaged working from home

Working from home has several advantages, such as improved work-life balance and time and money savings on commuting. There are, however, certain disadvantages to virtual workspaces. Remote WFH makes it so that virtual employees are not in the office with their teams, and thus often feel less connected and engaged with the company. This can potentially impact productivity and performance. When managers and company leaders place as much of an emphasis on employee engagement and teamwork as they would for an employee in an office, the organization as a whole will thrive. We have outlined how teams can stay engaged working from home to help ensure remote WFH employees are happy, engaged, and productive at work.

What is engagement for remote workers?

Engagement for remote WFH employees means how much they connect with, care about, feel appreciated by, and are dedicated to their company. It’s about how involved remote WFH employees feel with their team, their tasks, and the business. Now that remote WFH is so popular, employees may feel less a part of the organization, which could hurt productivity and the success of the company. The measurement of involvement is not a universal concept, as it differs throughout businesses, sectors, and individuals. Speaking with remote WFH employees about their work, their level of passion, their future career goals, and any problems they may be having at work is a straightforward method of gauging their level of involvement. Remote WFH employees who are involved and interested usually:

Ask for and give helpful advice: These employees like to talk openly with their bosses and coworkers. They want to know what’s happening with projects and share updates with others.

Think about the overall goal: They don’t just do their daily jobs; they also consider how their work fits into the company’s bigger plan.

Do more than what’s expected: Often, remote WFH employees will do more than their assigned tasks. If something doesn’t work out, they plan how to do better next time.

Plan to stay with the company: When remote WFH workers feel involved, they talk about their career plans, recommend friends for jobs, and stay with the company longer.

What are the ways to help remote workers feel connected?

After setting up some basic rules for remote WFH team activities, it’s time to think of things to do that will bring your remote WFH employees closer together. Here are some ideas you can use in your company:

Group coffee or cocktail hours: Your team will enjoy weekly online coffee time. Every weekend, you can spend an hour on Zoom, drinking coffee and chatting about anything that comes up, like news about movies or updates on your lives.

Special slack channels: You might already be part of many Slack channels for your work teams and projects, but think about making special Slack channels where people can talk about their pets, children, hobbies, or favorite TV shows.

Company-wide competitions: Think of fun ways to set up a competition across the whole company where different teams or departments try to beat each other for a special prize. You can try fitness contests, but you could also do a reading competition or see which team spends the least time on screens.

Snack & learn sessions: Even though lunch times can vary for remote WFH employees in different parts of the world, it’s nice to take a break to eat and listen to someone talk for a bit. This can be a chance for remote WFH team members to talk about their interests or invite an expert to share something new.

Language exchange: If some team members are learning a new language, match them with someone who speaks that language as their first language. For example, if you want to learn French, you could practice with a coworker who is working from home in Paris for 30 minutes every week.

Peer recognition options: Make it easy and common for coworkers to recognize each other. A simple idea is to use a Google form to collect compliments that can be shared during monthly meetings.

CEO town halls: Virtual meetings with the CEO can help remote WFH employees feel part of the team, even if they don’t see leaders in person. These meetings also let employees give feedback that can help the company get better and grow.

In-person meetups: If possible, arrange for team members to meet in person. Events, happy hours, or other activities can help them get to know each other better, which can lead to better teamwork when they’re back on their computers.

How can teams stay engaged while working from home? 

Before we talk about ways to engage remote WFH employees, we suggest using certain tools for managing projects, handling HR tasks, video meetings, and team collaboration to make remote WFH smoother for everyone. You may want to use the following tools:

Slack – for team chats

Asana – for managing projects

GoCo – for HR, benefits, and payroll

Zoom – for video meetings

Milanote – for organizing creative projects

In addition, here are some fun ideas to try:

Introduce remote WFH workers to In-House employees: Now is a wonderful time to start focusing on making remote WFH workers feel included throughout the onboarding process, if you haven’t already. Since your in-house employees likely haven’t interacted with remote WFH workers, arrange a video call for everyone. Ask each person to introduce themselves to the group. To make it fun, have everyone pick a question from a list to start conversations.

Home tours: While some employees might not be comfortable with it, showing their homes can help build emotional connections and foster team spirit. During a video meeting, ask everyone to use their phone or computer to give a little tour of their nice house. It would be extra fun if someone just moved into a new place after checking it out. But, if anyone doesn’t feel okay doing this, don’t make them. Forcing them could cause more problems than it solves.

Show-and-Tell: Do your remote WFH employees have something cool they want to show or talk about? Plan an online show-and-tell where they can share something interesting. It could be anything – a great gadget, a special item, a fun story, or a cool skill they haven’t had a chance to show before. Let your remote WFH team connect and share what they want. Even though the idea is to have fun, you can make it more exciting by having a few judges. Create an online workplace competition called “X Factor” and declare a winner at the end, based on who presents the most intriguing item or idea.

Personal video chats with the founders: Leaders should hold one-on-one meetings with every employee, whether they are remote WFH or on-site, to make sure they feel appreciated. Although it might seem tiring, it’s possible to arrange brief daily video calls with each employee. In addition to offering feedback, remote WFH team members should have the chance to voice their concerns and share their thoughts.

Providing online training and career growth opportunities: If you haven’t done so already, think about investing in an online learning platform and adding various training programs for your remote WFH employees. Social distancing can negatively impact mental health, so completing required company training can be a constructive and engaging way to stay busy. In addition to the training materials you already have, think about buying and giving your employees access to more training courses. This can help them grow in their jobs and achieve their career goals.

Ask for their feedback: To keep your remote WFH team engaged, ask them for their thoughts. This feedback can cover:

• Suggestions for improving current processes
• Concerns and improvements for ongoing projects
• Opinions about the current management
• Thoughts on the company culture
• Ideas for updating the physical workspace (though this isn’t recommended right now) You can gather this feedback through online surveys or individual video chats. 
• Go beyond just asking – show your remote WFH employees that you value their input and take action on their suggestions.

Suggest playing multiplayer games: Ideas to engage remote WFH workers can be fun and not just about work. Let your remote WFH teams have some fun and relax by asking them to join a multiplayer game. Here are some fun games you can play on your phone:

• The JackBox Party Pack
• Call of Duty: Mobile
• Words with Friends 2
• Crossy Road
• Minecraft (It’s also in Spanish)

Heads Up! You don’t need fancy games. You and your team can think of easy games that help you get to know each other better.

Include the family: If you’re a parent, you know it’s hard to work from home and keep your kids busy, especially during calls. But if your child feels left out, let them join in sometimes. Arrange a special Zoom call for the kids of your employees to chat and play together. It provides a distraction from dullness, makes them feel included, and allows for closer relationships within our families.

Set specific achievement targets: Your team probably experienced shifts in their personal and work lives over the last year. Recognizing these changes and setting achievable goals and expectations is crucial. On the personal front, find out what motivates your employees and look for recurring patterns in their feedback. Adjust your company practices to boost employee morale based on these patterns. Regarding work and performance, a well-organized performance management system helps employees follow a clear path to reach their goals and excel (without confusion). Standardizing and automating the performance review process can give your employees the following advantages: Significant time-saving and a straightforward review timeline.