Working Remotely – Photo by Paide Cody on Unsplash
With everything going on in the world at the moment, it can be easy to get a bit down. So many changes have been made to our lifestyles and the roller coaster that is COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be willing to let us off any time soon. Of course, the world is not all doom and gloom, but we still need to find new ways to keep morale high. This is particularly true if you’re running a business with employees working remotely and feeling more distant than ever. How do you keep moods high and employees engaged? The following tips should do the trick.
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Care Packages
Everybody likes knowing that someone is thinking about them, and while your morning video conferences can help keep your team connected, they just can’t stack up to the real thing. Since seeing each other in person may not be practical right now, consider sending your staff little care packages. These can include scented candles, books, activities for their children if they have them, or even corporate gifts and promotional products. Branded merchandise is a particularly powerful method for helping staff feel more connected as each day they’ll have a little piece of the company with them.
Virtual Team Building Exercises
Just because you are physically distant from each other doesn’t mean your team has to grow apart. Consider turning your next round of training into virtual trivia or holding “Friday Night Drinks” over your preferred video conferencing platform. If you are after something a little different, there are plenty of ways to participate in team building exercises online, and even if they don’t turn out as productive as they may have been in person, they’ll be great for company morale.
Virtual Team Building – Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Be Empathetic
While working from home, staff are going to come up against different challenges to those faced in the office. Where they would only normally be distracted by the phone ringing or the tapping of keys, they are now faced with children, pets, the postman and more. Being understanding of this and showing empathy for the changed work environment can go a long way towards helping your employees feel comfortable. As a bonus, you will likely see their performance and productivity improve.
Schedule Catch Up Time
Whilst in the office, it would not have been uncommon for your staff to catch up by the water cooler or chat while waiting on their coffee. By scheduling time for social chats like these, either at the beginning or end of video meetings, you’ll keep your crew connected and boost productivity. You will also find that this interaction, beyond basic work and collaboration chatter, will greatly boost positivity among your staff.
Things are changing rapidly around the world and it can be hard to know what is best to do in all the new situations we are faced with. Working remotely is uncharted territory for many, making it a stressful experience for employees and their families. This is going to be a bumpy ride, and there will certainly be pot holes along the way, but if we all stay connected and look out for each other, we can keep morale, productivity and business function high and we will deliver more than what is expected of us.
If you have got anything to add, drop a comment below to let us know how you are keeping staff morale high while working remotely. We will all be in a better place if we learn from each other, and sharing your advice and experience can often lead to new opportunities and valuable partnerships. So, let us keep the conversation flowing.
