Working from home initially sounded like the ideal setup for many employees. It means no commute, more flexibility in terms of when you can work and more time to spend with the people, or doing the hobbies, that you love.
Yet as remote work has moved into its second year for many, with no return to normality for the vast majority of countries, fatigue and burnout have surfaced as important challenges for many remote employees.
When remote employees feel fatigued and burnt out, productivity suffers. Employees will feel tired, they will be easily distracted, they will feel disconnected from their coworkers and procrastination will begin to seep into their day-to-day jobs.
To counter this, it’s crucial that organizations take proactive steps to boost communication, engagement and collaboration among their remote teams.
The results of a successful communication and engagement strategy are huge. Bringing your remote team together through fun initiatives can reduce feelings of isolation, boost employee morale, reinforce better communication, drive up productivity levels, encourage team collaboration, inspire creativity, and improve the health and wellbeing of your staff members.
Fun ways to increase connection, team spirit and collaboration among your team
Just because your team is isolated while working from home, doesn’t mean team connection, employee engagement and peer-to-peer collaboration need to suffer. Here’s five fun ways you can improve both communication and morale among your remote team:
#1 - Host virtual team building events
Hosting virtual team building events for your remote team is a fantastic way to strengthen relationships between your staff members, motivate your employees, show them that your business cares about their wellbeing and encourage collaboration.
Here at Teambonders we are able to design and facilitate a wide range of virtual team building events to boost the happiness and productivity of your employees, from live chef experiences, game shows, charity events and much more!
#2 - Encourage home-based water cooler chats
Your organization will want to keep its team members professional, but at the same time it’s important to understand how crucial informal communication is to building relationships within your team.
Find a way for your employee to share interesting facts, what they are up to or funny stories with their peers when working from home. This could be creating a specific thread on your instant messaging platform, encouraging employees to talk to each other through video conferencing or even opening a team WhatsApp chat.
#3 - Break the silence
Remote workers who feel socially isolated and unmotivated communicate significantly less with colleagues and managers. Checking in frequently with all employees is a fantastic way to encourage communication and give them an opportunity to discuss, and overcome, the challenges that come with remote work.
#4 - Host lunch and learn sessions
Are any members of your team passionate about a specific topic that other employees could learn from? If so, ask them if they would speak about it during a team meeting over breakfast or lunch. Not only will this encourage your employees to learn new skills, it also a fun way to encourage interaction within your team.
#5 - Workout, mediate or stretch together on video
Employees who work from home can benefit greatly from regular exercise and movement, in fact it’s crucial for their health and wellbeing - both physically and mentally. Why not use that to encourage employees to take a break to get some movement or mindfulness during their workday?
See if one of your team members will lead a group sesion, and then send out a notice for team members to sign up. It could be anything from leading a group workout, running a quick stretch routine or even a meditation session. Whatever it is, it’s a sure way to help our employees loosen up, joke around with their teammates and relieve some of the stresses of working from home.
Want to learn more about building team spirit among your remote employees, and how virtual team building events can help? Contact Teambonders today.
