Improving Employee Engagement In A Virtual World -
5 Ways To Help

Companies have noticed employees are more disengaged than ever before. This leads to a multitude of issues including lower productivity, less collaboration, and unsatisfied workers who may exit the company. Employees working remote are separated from their team and surrounded by distractions. Communication is key, and they need extra help to stay engaged. Here are 5 ways to help:

1. Make Company Communication Mobile

Let’s face it. Employees get bombarded with dozens of emails a day and tend to skim company emails. An easy way to get your information noticed is finding a mobile solution that centralizes everything the employee needs in a singular app. The average person spends 5.4 hours a day on their phone, meaning they get the majority of information from different apps. Employees don’t want to take the time to seek out company information but are more likely to engage if it is centralized in an app. To boost engagement, find a solution that allows you to send push notifications. It will alert the employees of important information and catch their attention. Meet them where they are most acclimated, and you will see your engagement increase.

2. Check-In with Employees

The shift to remote work may cause your employees to feel out of their element. Are they overwhelmed? Is there something you can provide to help with productivity and ease stress levels? An easy way to check-in is through surveys asking how the company can help. Be sure to follow-up with suggestions received so employees know their voices were heard and ideas considered. Throw an incentive in for taking the surveys, such as winning gift cards, to encourage responses. Tie the survey in with your mobile communications to allow employees to fill it out directly from their phones and inform them of the ideas being implemented.

3. Virtual Happy Hours/Fun Meetings

The biggest aspect missing for employees is the ability to interact with their coworkers. They could easily do this in the break room, but now the only interaction they have is through Zoom meetings. When employees can build those relationships, it leads to better collaboration, happier employees, and open lines of communication. A fun way to keep employees interacting is through virtual happy hours or “fun” meetings. It’s a stress-free way to allow employees to hang out and talk about their lives outside of work. Having different theme meetings or even “game-type” meetings, such as trivia, helps encourage employee engagement and bonding.   

4. Monthly Newsletter- Company & Employee Happenings

A monthly newsletter highlighting company and personal happenings keeps people up-to-date with information. From company announcements to employees’ work anniversaries, birthdays, or kudos for a job well-done, it will help keep employees engaged.  Acknowledging employees helps to instill a sense of pride and encourages others to keep up the good work in the hopes of being featured. An appreciated employee goes a long way in terms of engagement and productivity.

5. Encourage company wellness programs

Healthy employees tend to be the happiest employees. Why not create wellness programs to encourage friendly competition and promote a healthy lifestyle? Setting up Fitbit step or Apple watch health challenges is an easy way to have employees join in on the fun. Consider letting employees create challenges to ensure it’s something they would be interested in. Including incentives will boost engagement and create a fun workplace culture.

Companies have a responsibility to help employees navigate this new virtual world. Implementing these 5 strategies can help increase engagement, improve employee’s well-being, and ultimately, impact the bottom line.