It’s no secret that remote work has countless benefits.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become part of our day-to-day lives. Many employers and employees began to work from home, not as a work perk, but as a necessity for health and safety.
As time progressed and employees slowly returned to an in-office setting, many organizations adopted a remote or hybrid work environment. This is due to the many benefits that working remotely has offered employees and employers alike.
Remote employees can benefit from:
- No commute stress
- Better work-life balance
- Improved inclusivity and accessibility
- Location independence
- And so much more!
But unfortunately, a remote workforce can also leave employees feeling lonely and disconnected from their teams and the broader organization. To help remote employees feel more connected, there are a number of things that employers can do.
Begin Your Journey Toward Improved Remote Employee Engagement
Thankfully, in our extremely online world, there are many creative ways to cultivate a sense of connectedness in the workplace. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favourite virtual event and activity ideas to help you make remote work more enjoyable for your organization.
The Importance of Remote Team Engagement
Keeping employees engaged at work, especially remote employees, is crucial for companies due to the following reasons.
Lower Attrition rates
Engaged employees are more likely to stay with the company longer. Remote employees may feel disconnected from the organization, so keeping them engaged is important to reduce turnover.
Increased Productivity
Engaged employees are motivated to perform at their best, resulting in higher productivity. Remote employees may face distractions and lack of supervision, so keeping them engaged can help maintain their focus and drive.
Building a Positive Work Culture
Engaged employees contribute to a positive work culture, even in a remote work environment. Their enthusiasm and dedication can inspire other team members and create a sense of camaraderie.
Preventing "Quiet Quitting"
Remote employees may disengage from their work without overtly showing signs. This phenomenon, known as "quiet quitting," can lead to decreased productivity and, ultimately, attrition. Engaging remote employees proactively helps prevent this issue.
Supporting Mental Health
Remote work can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Engaging remote employees helps combat these challenges by fostering social connections and providing support, positively impacting their mental health.
Promoting Collaboration and Teamwork
Remote work can make it challenging for employees to collaborate effectively. By actively engaging remote employees, organizations can create collaboration, teamwork, and knowledge-sharing opportunities, leading to better outcomes.
Enhancing Employee Satisfaction
Engaged employees are more likely to be satisfied with their work and the organization as a whole. By prioritizing employee engagement, companies can improve overall job satisfaction levels, leading to higher employee retention.
Retaining Institutional Knowledge
Engaging remote employees helps them retain valuable institutional knowledge that they possess. Remote employees may have unique perspectives and experiences that can contribute to the organization's growth and success.
Boosting Innovation and Creativity
Engaged employees are more likely to think creatively and contribute innovative ideas. By keeping remote employees engaged, organizations can tap into their diverse perspectives and leverage their creativity to drive innovation.
In Summary
Keeping employees engaged, especially remote employees, is crucial for organizations with remote teams, as it can lead to a positive work culture, more support for mental health, enhanced employee satisfaction, and boosted innovation and creativity — among many other benefits.
For more information about the psychology of creating happy remote workers and how you, as the employer, can make a difference, read this article from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The Top 10 Best Ways to Engage Remote Employees
Are you ready to boost engagement throughout your remote, global workplace? Borderless believes in creativity and innovation, so we've put together this list of the ten best ways to engage your remote employees!
1. Virtual Coffee Date with Remote Employees
Small talk and coffee have always been a perfect pair. Luckily for your remote employees, proximity doesn’t need to stand in the way of that.
Try booking virtual coffee dates as a way to enhance remote employee engagement. You can connect one-on-one or by team to chat about their day, work-related challenges, or just their weekend plans.
To get started, all you need to do is get brewing, log into your preferred video conferencing platform, turn your camera on, and voila!
2. Get Playing with a Virtual Gaming Session
Once a month, consider closing the “office” an hour or two early to host a virtual game session.
There are countless virtual multiplayer game platforms, from trivia battles to photo-sharing activities, that are super accessible for larger groups. All your remote team needs are devices to play on, and you’re good to go.
3. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
Visit a museum anywhere in the world alongside your remote employees.
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Louvre in Paris, your team can virtually tour some of the world’s most iconic museums — all from the comfort of home.
This is a unique way to engage your teams and encourage colleagues to spend quality time together while taking in beautiful art and culture from across the globe.
Not sure where to go? This travel and leisure article rounds up some next-level museums offering virtual tours. All you have to do is click and enjoy.
4. Indulge in Virtual Tastings
From chocolates and wine to other unique snacks, virtual tastings have grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. While this virtual event might take a little more planning, it’s a unique way to unite people.
Just pick a food and/or drink item, ideally, something easily packaged and mailed, and jump online together to taste test and critique.
Looking for something a little more coordinated? Tons of professional tasting classes offer virtual guided sessions, so you can get someone else to do the planning and hosting.
5. Host a Show and Tell Session
Who doesn’t want to relive their childhood a little bit?
Set up a virtual show and tell session, where employees can choose something to present to colleagues, taking a few minutes to explain what it is and its significance.
Whether it’s a championship bowling trophy, a handmade pair of mittens, or a beloved pet cat, this lighthearted activity gives remote employees a little more insight into their colleagues’ interests, hobbies, and unique lived experiences outside of work.
6. Online Scavenger Hunt
Give your remote workers a challenge that not only sparks their creativity but also helps them work as a team. Whether you're in an office environment or at home, your team members can work together to problem solve and complete an online scavenger hunt.
Step 1
Begin by forming teams with your remote employees. You may want to consider merging team members from different departments to help employees get to know one another in a non-work setting.
Step 2
Select a host to manage the virtual scavenger hunt. They will keep score, answer questions, and guide your team throughout the scavenger hunt.
Step 3
Let the games begin! Issue each challenge and allow one team member to search for the item. It may be something virtual, such as a link on a certain website or a screenshot on social media, or in-person, such as a photo with their pet.
Step 4
Once the challenge is complete, tally up the points and award the winning team.
7. Team-Building Trivia
Nothing says employee engagement like team-building trivia.
Boost your company culture, challenge employees, and give your virtual team members an opportunity to work together. Not only do trivia questions provide a challenge and help to improve brain health, but they are also fun and engaging.
Begin your trivia game by dividing your remote team members into multiple groups and selecting a host to run the game. The host can ask questions, award points, and help choose a winner once the game ends.
To kick things up a notch, why not consider giving a theme to your trivia game or adding some workplace-related questions?
8. Award Ceremony
Have trouble keeping your remote workers engaged? Sounds like it's time to host a virtual award ceremony. What better way to entertain, celebrate, and offer a little employee recognition?
Employees, whether working remotely or within an office environment, often feel more respected, appreciated, and motivated when provided with recognition from their team. By hosting a virtual award ceremony, you can take time to thank and celebrate the entire team in one fell swoop.
To up the ante, consider encouraging your remote employees to dress up a little — so that everyone can enjoy a little red carpet celebration.
9. Virtual Escape Room
If your employee engagement could use a little boost, a virtual escape room is the perfect opportunity to perk things up around the workplace. Not only are escape rooms fun and enjoyable, but they can also help to promote teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
To get started, first select a virtual escape room platform that is accessible to all of your remote employees. Divide your teams into two or more groups, and let the games begin! Your escape room will generally begin with a debrief about the scenario, objective, and rules.
Once your team has worked through the escape room, it's time to award the winning team. Afterward, organize your own debrief to discuss challenges, victories, how they worked together, and what they would do differently.
10. Painting Class or Activity
Employee engagement isn't just about critical thinking and teamwork. Sometimes it's about simply enjoying yourselves as a group, perhaps with a calming activity.
If your team could benefit from a little R&R, we can think of no better way to boost remote employee engagement than with a peaceful painting class or activity.
Nurture self-expression, help employees relax, and encourage a break from their daily routine that leaves them feeling refreshed.
Once you have selected a virtual painting instructor who can host and guide your activity, ensure that the proper supplies are sent and received by your remote team. After completing the painting activity, encourage your employees to share their final paintings.
Signs Your Remote Employees Need Engagement
Decrease in Efficiency
Have you noticed that your remote employees aren't as efficient as they once were? Whether it be that deadlines are being missed or the quality of work has been impacted, these can be signs of poor work-life balance and the need for a well-deserved break to recharge.
Lack of Motivation and Energy
If your remote team isn't quite bringing the energy that they once did, this is a clear-cut sign that morale is low. A team that feels connected, appreciated, and refreshed is much more likely to feel motivated while at work.
Disconnect Between Colleagues
With a better approach to engaging your remote workers, you can prioritize teamwork and collaboration. The more time your employees have to spend time together, form genuine friendships and collaborate, the better their connection will be.
Low Employee Morale
Your organization's company culture is very important.
If morale is low among your employees, chances are that company culture could benefit from an improvement as well. Through various strategies, including virtual events and activities, you can help to improve employee engagement — effectively boosting employee morale as well.
Employee Feedback
One of the best ways to determine if your remote workforce could benefit from an improvement in culture, morale, or engagement is through direct employee feedback.
This feedback may be gathered in the following ways:
- Team meetings
- Virtual meetings
- Anonymous surveys
- 1:1 meetings
Based on this feedback, you may plan employee engagement activities for your team.
Manage Remote Workers With Borderless
Like virtual events, paying your remote employees should also be fast, accessible, and easy to execute. And with Borderless, it is. We make it easy for companies to pay remote workers by depositing directly into their bank accounts with no or low fees and better exchange rates.
With an Employer of Record, such as Borderless, you can enjoy a simpler and more compliant approach to hiring, managing, and paying your remote, global team.
Request a Demo with Borderless Today
Would you like to learn more about our Employer of Record services? Request a demo with our team of international employment experts today!
Disclaimer: Borderless does not provide legal services or legal advice to anyone. This includes customers, contractors, employees, partners, and the general public. We are not lawyers or paralegals. Please read our full disclaimer here.
