Engaging Your Team in a “Work From Home” World

With the recent one-year anniversary of our own company’s in-person operations moving to remote, we know first-hand how hard it can be to keep your employees engaged and feeling connected.

In the past year, even traditional workplaces have pivoted (everyone’s new favorite word), adapted, and even found their teams spread across time zones, poised in front of virtual backdrops. The great news is that this shift has shown us remote environments can prove highly successful and productive. However, it’s also exposed a key imbalance: Some individuals thrive remote, while others feel disengaged, overwhelmed, or left craving the bonds of a good, corporate culture.

Creating an inclusive, interactive space can help your entire team succeed, and that starts by being proactive and taking a few small steps. Try these four techniques we’ve test-driven with our teams to leverage your existing resources and help build bonds, strengthen community, and empower your employees to have their ideas heard—even if they can’t physically pop by your office.

Create “virtual water coolers” to foster socialization.

Remember, all living situations are unique. Some employees may live alone, and some may be sharing their home workspace with a spouse or child that is attending school virtually (or both). Regardless of personal circumstances, just about everyone is facing something new or different and trying to find the right balance. Facilitating virtual spaces where workers can chat, share anything from parenting tips or home workout advice to recipes that minimize their weeknight dinner prep provides a social outlet outside of the home and can help unite a scattered team.