When the new year comes around, your people will likely come back to the office with plans, goals, exciting stories, and a momentum that is so important to keep alive as the following months near. Here are 10 ways that we can help you achieve this in the new year.
1. Resolve old conflict.
You’ve heard the phrase, new year, new me. Well, since you’re still you, why not say new year, better me! And how better to achieve this than resolving old conflict that was brewing with the end-of-the-year anxiety and rush. If you still feel a negative energy lingering into January, learn how to deal with conflict in the office so that everyone starts out ready for whatever comes their way.
2. ARRANGE A VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR
If your team is used to meeting for post-work drinks or even a coffee break on a weekly or monthly basis, this is another activity that translates well to the virtual space.
Make sure that you set a suitable cap on small groups to avoid the experience being overwhelming; 10 is ideal, although 20 is workable. Get team members to bring a drink to enjoy, and pre-plan discussion points or just let the conversation flow as you would normally. Being able to sit back and trust employees to gel in this context is one of the key leadership qualities you should foster.
3. PLAY ONLINE GAMES TOGETHER
Gaming may not be everyone’s favorite pastime, but there are lots of multiplayer experiences that are great for team bonding. Fostering cohesion in this way can even be one of the pros of telecommuting that would not necessarily apply to the office.
In terms of the team-building games themselves, popular options include the trivia-based JackBox.tv titles and the Scrabble-inspired Words With Friends.
4. SET AN ICEBREAKER CHALLENGE
Activities that engage remote workers’ brains are the best to pursue, so establishing a hypothetical scenario and asking people how they would cope can spark a lot of fun and debate.
A fun icebreaker question is to ask team members to think which 3 items they would take to a desert island to survive after being stranded on a limited list. This icebreaker will get people talking and stimulate their imagination.
5. RUN A BOOK CLUB
Whether or not a book club is already part of your team’s activity schedule, this works well for remote working as it does when face-to-face meetings are possible.
Be sure to choose books that are accessible, enjoyable, and interesting. Length also matters, so avoid picking “War and Peace” unless you want to spend weeks waiting for everyone to finish and meet up.
6. SET FITNESS GOALS
Working remotely can reduce the amount of physical activity that team members get each day, so you can capitalize on this by getting remote employees to choose their own fitness goals and aim to complete them together as constructive teamwork.
Be sure that this is handled sensitively and do not put undue pressure on a member of your team for whom fitness and exercise may not come easily.
7. ENCOURAGE NON-WORK-RELATED TALKS
While virtual meetings and conference calls are all well and good, sometimes it’s nice to talk about things other than work without being scrutinized by lots of other people in real-time.
To that end, partner people in small groups with one another and ask them to become pen pals, corresponding via email about their days and boosting each other’s morale through this online team building.
8. GET CRAFTY
When working remotely, team members may have more time on their hands freed up by not needing to commute daily.
This can make completing craft projects together an entertaining option for team-building events. Whether you decide to take up pottery, woodwork, knitting, or any other craft-related hobby, doing this while chatting with colleagues on Zoom can eradicate feelings of isolation in a fun way.
9. TAKE HOME TOURS
As team members may well live long distances from one another, a remote working scenario could be the ideal opportunity to let them show off their abodes and also display a bit more of their personality to their remote team members.
Each member can be given the chance to show everyone around their home, either in real-time or by filming clips and editing them together.
10. SHARE PERSONAL PHOTOS
Seeing pictures of someone as a baby or from their youth can be a fun way to engage with others in a work environment.
Get team members to send you photos of them in their youth, collate them all together and then share them with the rest of the team in a video chat, then get attendees to guess the identity of each pic.
Read more about virtual team-building ideas here.
Most importantly, listen to each member of your team and work out which team-building activities for remote teams will best suit their personalities and needs. Being responsive and open to feedback is the best way to improve your management of virtual offices.
Do you know those days at work that feel fun, when you’re doing work you really enjoy? You probably want your people to feel the same way, but how do you know if they do?
According to Gallup® “Nearly 85% of employees worldwide are still not engaged or are actively disengaged at work, despite more effort from companies.”
Employee engagement metrics like these reveal how vital it is for managers to adjust their strategies and make employee engagement a priority.
Engaged employees are less likely to look for positions at other companies, will recommend the company as a great place to work, and often have a sense of pride about being involved in the organization.
If this sounds interesting, keep reading for 10 employee engagement initiatives that will lead to an improved employee experience that leads to increased productivity, growth, resiliency, and happier employees.
1: PROVIDING MULTIPLE EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK CHANNELS
Employee engagement surveys say that employees want to feel heard, so make it easy for them to leave feedback and get in touch with you. Also, offer multiple feedback channels, including an anonymous option.
As part of your performance management efforts, be responsive by going through this feedback and decide when it makes sense for the organization and your team.
Always be authentic and transparent with your team so they feel comfortable coming to you when they need to have a conversation.
2: RESPONDING SUBSTANTIVELY TO COMMENTS ABOUT COMPANY CULTURE
Have you ever been in a workplace that feels toxic? Did you really want to be there? Probably not. It’s vital to create a culture that promotes fairness, civility, and inclusiveness for employees from the start of the hiring process, through onboarding, promotions, and moving through the ranks.
Misaligned company culture can create an environment that’s counterproductive to what you’re aiming for, which is high employee engagement.
Whether the issues are very evident or very subtle, they may impact your team. When you can’t change the whole company culture, personalize a team culture that works best for your people.
3. PERFORMING EXIT INTERVIEWS
While current employees may shy away from fully open and honest feedback, exit interviews with an employee leaving for another company may be able to help you measure employee engagement and identify existing problems.
It’s important to identify any gaps and common trends in the feedback to learn and implement how to engage your people best and reduce employee turnover.
4. USING A COACHING TOOL TO KEEP EMPLOYEES ENGAGED
Imagine having a coaching tool that fits effortlessly into your team’s workflow and can help you drive your employee engagement initiative. Cloverleaf does just that. You can visualize your team on the Team Dashboard to get a quick view of everyone involved in engagement efforts.
Automated Coaching™ and personalized tips go straight to your team’s inboxes, providing employee engagement ideas ranging from simple reminders of each employee’s birthday to strategies to improve the work environment.
5. ENCOURAGE AND ORGANIZE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Some employees donate their time and money to causes outside of work, so why not offer opportunities to express that altruistic spirit together with their co-workers?
Opportunities to volunteer for a good cause are effective employee engagement activities, promoting team building and encouraging employees to think of the company as giving. They can demonstrate company values and follow through on the company’s mission statement. Partner with local businesses to show the community what your company stands for.
Empower employees to propose volunteer activities and win back disengaged employees by helping them support causes that they believe in.
6. KEEP TECHNOLOGY AND TOOLS MODERN AND EFFECTIVE
Do your employees have computers that take way too long to boot up, struggle to load essential software, and email systems that lose important messages? If this is true employee performance will decline, and new employees struggle with glitchy hardware and software.
It’s hard to keep employees engaged when they’re working with old, slow, or insufficient tools, so empower them with the right ones. Use technology to engage remote employees, create a collaborative office environment, and encourage cross-team communication.
Make Technology a Team Effort
Talk to your team about the way they work and the problems with their current tools. Employee job satisfaction will go up when they have solutions that support their business processes and work efficiently.
When your organization chooses new software and tools, make sure to ask the end-users of these solutions which features are must-have first to avoid problems later.
7. INVEST IN YOUR EMPLOYEES
Investing in professional development for your employees will make them feel valued, improving happiness and health. Invest in both professional and personal development by promoting healthy work-life balance.
Allow employees opportunities for remote work and flexible office hours, particularly if they are facing problems in their personal lives, raising a family, or investing in their career by taking time for training and education.
8. RECOGNIZE YOUR EMPLOYEES!
Provide recognition for what your employees achieve, from extraordinary efforts to everyday personal celebrations. These are drivers of employee engagement that will help develop self-esteem and well-being. You can set up an employee of the month award or create category-specific options for your team members.
Try to make awards personalized and unique for your team so you build a sense of team identity. You can offer perks, such as gifts or additional paid time off, to engage employees to put in more effort without creating an overly competitive environment among employees.
9. CREATE AN EMPLOYEE MENTORING SYSTEM
When a new employee is onboarded, they get up to speed on business processes and other basics, but new employees have to pick up on skills and knowledge that go beyond the job description.
An employee mentoring system could match up each new employee with an engaged employee who has experience. Different employees have different learning styles, so be sure each mentor is a good match.
Reward employees who are successful mentors with pathways to senior leadership positions. Encourage employees to share knowledge and support one another by creating an open office space. Incorporate mentorship into the onboarding process by encouraging fellow employees to welcome and guide new hires.
10. ENCOURAGE SIDE PROJECTS AS A TEAM MANAGER
Your people are likely curious and have ideas for personal projects related to the organization, so provide time and resources for them.
Reward Innovation
Innovation can come from the most unlikely places. For example, Google is one of the most well-known for empowering employees to pursue side projects, which are known as 20 percent projects due to the amount of work time they can take up.
If team members have different skillsets and a similar idea, you can pair them up together to collaborate and bring it to life.
Team lunches encourage innovation by allowing team members to share ideas in a relaxed setting.
OTHER WAYS TO RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES
Celebrate other fun things, such as birthdays, holidays, and significant life events that employees are willing to share with the team. Give employees positive affirmations if someone has a baby, adopts a pet, or achieves a personal goal.
Some people may not feel comfortable sharing much of their personal life with work, and that’s okay too. Focus more on those employees’ professional efforts, such as earning certifications or having high-performance ratings during a particularly tough project.
Employee engagement initiatives provide many benefits for the individuals, your team, and the organization as a whole. Do you want to improve employee satisfaction? Get off to a good start with these 10 employee engagement strategy initiatives.