How to Keep Remote Workers Engaged and Your Culture Thriving

Thanks to the pandemic, companies have resorted to transforming their business and equipping a remote setup. Creating a virtual workplace culture for their remote teams has become a priority. However, remote work is not a new concept. Many companies have permanently been remote, and they have thrived. It can be taxing for many employees who have never worked in a remote setup. With the loss of the usual face-to-face interactions, many employees feel “office sick.”

When COVID-19 had just dawned upon us, Zoom, Google Meet, and other meeting apps were the tools that gave us a face-to-face feel. Although employees are exhausted from constantly looking at a screen, the initial fascination has disappeared.

From keeping their cameras off and taking calls in the bathroom, is there a need to wear pants? According to research by Monster.com, 69% of employees are experiencing burnout while working from home. Employees everywhere need motivation. An engagement that brings back the energy from the office to their remote setup. Companies are trying their best to boost employee morale and engagement.

Let us dive into different ways in which companies can keep their remote workforce entertained and excited in today’s scenario or a remote setup in general:

1. Host virtual classes and/or shows.

From hosting Netflix watch parties to scavenger hunts online, the scope is endless for entertainment and engagement. Do your employees join in? That’s the challenge. You can solve this problem by building a virtual culture and having a peer-driven team so people would join in for a good time with their office friends. Some companies just try to copy what other companies are doing and expect it to work.

It can be fun to collaborate with your remote team and help them co-create an idea that would resonate with them. Just help them refine what they come up with, and you can see your employees looking forward to such activities. Some companies go all-in by creating games and raffle nights with fun prizes and host themed/ costume parties online. These are some ideas that you can think of for your next event.

2. Sending them some thoughtful care packages can make them happy.

Who doesn’t like a lovely gift from their office? There are many good options to choose from, especially with many companies providing customized facilities and services. Everything has an app or a website, from storytelling workshops to simplified team-building games. This not only fosters creativity but increases engagement among a remote team.

Sending employees packages to their doorsteps can let them know that the company is always thinking of them and cares that they have a good experience.

3. Encourage employee side projects.

Sometimes, companies have policies that employees are not allowed to do any other work apart from the company’s requirements. It can be time to cut them slack as they spend all their time at home, and there’s always time to focus on passion projects.

Try finding employees with passion projects that align with the company goals and encourage them to innovate further. Fun fact, this is how Gmail was invented. Google allowed its employees to focus on their side projects, which has completely changed the landscape of emails.

4. Create a culture that celebrates connectedness.

You might think that employees don’t care about connecting, but they love feeling included and sharing what’s going on in their lives. Have meetings that connect them to share funny moments and jokes to build relationships with their colleagues. This shows that you think of employees more like family rather than just workers. You respect their uniqueness, identity, and ideas.

Ensure managers only take part of the responsibility to create a space where employees feel like expressing their true selves. Managers can start their meetings on a lighter note, so it is only sometimes about work work work. Try asking them about their best holiday trips, good times with friends, or even something funny that happened in current affairs. This way, they can share their commonalities, celebrate their differences, learn about cultures, and support each other.

These gestures go a long way to impacting employee motivation and engagement. A small organization has to always be on its toes so that the employees do not face burnout from their daily tasks. Companies like Project 10K have employees all around the world. The organization has taken many initiatives to keep them connected, engaged, and motivated, from a monthly Town Hall session that discloses all company milestones to games that support the employees connected weekly, to name a few. To learn more about what Project 10K does, take a look at what we do.