Did you know?

With the shift to work-from-home and virtual workplaces amplified by the global COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are trying to think up creative ways to keep remote staff engaged.

The good news is that studies have found remote workers and those who work from home at least some of the time are happier and more productive employees.

Latest survey results from Statistics Canada has shown that 90% of employees feel they are as productive, or even more productive when working from home.

And with remote work having become a necessity as opposed to the perk it once was in most cases, there are meaningful ways in which to help remote workers stay as engaged as they would’ve been in an in-person setting…

5 Ways to Keep Staff Engaged Virtually

1. Encourage virtual “watercooler” talk and informal team lunches

As a manger, it’s a good idea to encourage your team members to continue having virtual team lunches or informal 1:1 virtual video calls between them, that doesn’t just involve talking about work. It’s a great way for staff to get to know each other, builds team morale and helps avoid remote team members starting to feel isolated.

2. Turn video on more often

With remote work, it’s easy to stay in your pajamas all day (and why shouldn’t you), but encouraging employees to turn their video on more often than not, helps replicate that in-person experience where nonverbal communication forms a part of human interaction and engagement.

3. Don’t micromanage

One of the concerns some managers have had with remote employees has been managing productivity and performance. However, building trust between a manager and employee is a critical strategy in improving engagement. As a manager, you should trust that your employee will get the job done while in turn, your staff should trust that you believe in them to perform.

4. Allow feedback often
   Open communication, where employees feel heard, remains one of the top strategies in employee engagement and strong culture. Communicate often, have regular team and 1:1 meetings with staff and encourage employees to give you feedback and suggestions both in meetings and offline.
   

5. Virtual fun and recognition

There’s a myriad of fun virtual team games or activities, such as starting or ending a meeting with a customisable general knowledge test, for example, that can create great engagement, participation and rapport. In addition, keep up recognition and rewards with shout-outs to a performer of the week or month, or even sending a gift card or meal kit to a deserving employee’s house to show staff that they’re valued.