Remote working has posed a challenge to many organisations as it often leaves team members feeling disconnected from their colleagues and workplace. To address this, companies must make changes, such as revising programmes and policies to improve employee well-being, which is necessary for achieving better business performance.

Virtual engagement activities are being incorporated into remote work culture with events like virtual happy hours, virtual team-building activities or work anniversaries – all to create team bonding for virtual teams!

These remote employee engagement ideas will be discussed further in this post. But first, let’s find out what remote employee engagement is. 

What is Remote Team Engagement?

Distributed workforces are becoming increasingly common, so employers must innovate and create virtual employee engagement programmes.

Remote team engagement refers to the level of connection, collaboration, and motivation experienced by remote team members. It involves creating an environment fostering a sense of belonging, active participation, effective communication, and meaningful collaboration among remote team members.

Through this, companies can ensure virtual employees are motivated and feel like they are valuable participants who contribute directly to the workplace’s ongoing success.

Benefits of Engaging Remote Employees

Fostering an inclusive workplace through innovative solutions for remote employee engagement boosts productivity while encouraging work-life balance and camaraderie among employees.

Keeping employees engaged may also improve employee satisfaction and retention when policies and programmes are implemented well. Indeed, a great company culture enhances collaboration and communication, as employees can work together regardless of location!

Creating Employee Engagement Programmes

When building an employee engagement programme, aligning this with the company’s culture and values is important. Involve employees in the design process and communicate clearly to the entire team.

Here are several factors to consider in creating engagement programmes:

Effective employee onboarding

The first impression lasts. A great start helps employees acclimate to their new work environment creating a positive first impression. The onboarding process should be heavily detailed to ensure the successful transition of the new remote employee into the organization and culture. This includes providing orientation materials, access to tools, and training on organizational policies to help create a smooth, organized onboarding experience.

Additionally, connecting with other team members demonstrates that the organization values each person’s contribution and ensures a supportive, engaging environment allowing remote employees to reach their greatest potential.

Regular virtual meetings

When all communication happens digitally, employers must ensure their remote employees feel seen, heard and understood. One way to keep remote employees feeling involved and connected is to hold virtual meetings regularly. This can be done through video conferencing tools such as Skype and Zoom, allowing everyone in different locations to communicate simultaneously.

In a virtual meeting, sharing ideas and updates can provide necessary feedback, foster collaboration, and ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. Building activities such as brainstorming or challenging questions into the agenda encourages team members to engage more actively in the discussion and helps to keep morale up amongst the group. The atmosphere should cater to everyone’s needs, from candid conversations to comfort-building initiatives, allowing dialogue between colleagues and management.

Set an agenda beforehand with key points that need to be covered and any important updates that need to be communicated. That way, both the employees and the company will know what’s expected of them and can make progress together. This will improve employee engagement, keep remote members in the loop, and enable them to participate in important decision-making, which makes them feel that their ideas matter.

As a bonus, these meetings serve as a creative outlet for employees to build trust among each other and practice their public speaking abilities in a safe environment.

Online employee engagement activities

Keeping remote employees engaged in the company culture and developing meaningful relationships with their colleagues is challenging for any business. The lack of physical face-to-face contact can make remote workers forget about the bigger picture, leading to decreased motivation. To tackle this problem, organizations should consider utilizing online activities that engage employees and deepen the sense of connection within their team.

Ideas such as partaking in virtual team-building exercises, holding online meetings with ice-breakers, or playing games together can be fun ways to boost morale and encourage collaboration despite physical separation. These activities will likely lift spirits and help keep everyone on the same page so productivity isn’t hindered.

Ultimately, giving employees opportunities to engage with each other online can help strengthen the overall organizational culture and create a sense of belonging amongst colleagues.

Virtual work etiquette

One of the challenges in remote work setup is that employees tend to neglect the proper work etiquette. A remote workplace must establish work etiquette to promote a culture of respect and professionalism and ensure that everybody knows the expectations and norms for communication and behaviour in working remotely.

Virtual work etiquette includes:

1. Setting clear guidelines for effective communication.Establish protocols for when and how employees should communicate with each other, such as using appropriate language and tone—setting clear expectations for response times for emails, messages, and specific communication platforms, and providing context for messages. This helps to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding that can occur in a virtual work environment.It can also include video conferencing etiquette, such as being on time, actively participating, dressing professionally during video calls, muting when not speaking, and using relevant background images.
2. Guidelines for remote workers’ behaviour. A professional code of conduct is important in a remote work setup. Guidelines for behaviour apply in virtual interactions, such as being mindful of others when using video call or chat tools and respecting others’ privacy and personal space. It also entails being aware of the work schedule and respecting colleagues’ work-life balance. For instance, sending work-related messages or making calls outside regular business hours should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.Practising work etiquette promotes a positive work culture and creates a sense of community among remote employees.
3. Establish a culture of trust and accountability. It is important to ensure that all team members work towards the same goals, are responsible for their actions, and can rely on one another to get the job done. Trust and accountability can help to mitigate the risks associated with remote work, such as isolation and communication breakdowns. Help remote employees feel confident in their ability to complete tasks and be supported by their team.Virtual work etiquette can help prevent misunderstandings and conflicts in a remote work environment. This ensures that all team members can work effectively and efficiently, regardless of location.

Open communication and feedback

Communication is key for any teams that are working remotely. Establishing a regular check-in cadence, such as daily standups or weekly one-on-ones, can allow employees to ask questions and stay updated on what’s happening in the company. Regular feedback is also important to ensure remote employees feel valued and appreciated.

Companies recognise that regular communication among team members boosts morale and increases productivity. High engagement enables teams dispersed around the globe to achieve great results together!

Tools for remote work

Technology has made it easier for the remote workforce to stay connected and engaged. Investing in the right technologies, such as video conferencing software, collaboration platforms or project management tools, can help keep virtual team members involved and productive.

Here are the most common tools used to facilitate remote work:

• Zoom – Video conferencing
• Gather – Web conferencing and “water cooler”
• Asana – Project management 
• Slack – Instant messaging 
• LastPass – Password management
• Toggl and Hubstaff – Time tracking 
• Google Drive – File sharing 

Employee recognition programme

One of the best virtual employee engagement ideas is rewarding employees. Create programmes that show appreciation for remote workers’ hard work and dedication. Such initiatives create a culture of acknowledgement that encourages and reminds employees to feel valued, even when they cannot be physically present in an office environment.

Remote workers could be one of your most effective assets, but only if they are properly engaged. Make sure to create an engaging environment that supports communication and encourages collaboration among remote workers to remind them that they, too, have a big part in the company’s mission.

11 Virtual Employee Engagement Ideas

For teams scattered across different locales, employers must prioritise meaningful remote employee engagement opportunities for their team members. Encourage employees to remain connected and part of the company’s mission-driven journey!

To spruce up your virtual team-building exercises, check out these cool remote employee engagement ideas you can use on some platform or software like Zoom. Get creative, have fun and build strong connections with colleagues even if they are at a distance apart.

Here are a few virtual employee engagement ideas you can try at work!

1. Weekly One-On-One Meetings

This is a common practice in many organisations where managers, supervisors, or team leaders meet individually with each team member. It gives an opportunity to check in with the team member, provide feedback and guidance, discuss any concerns or issues, and ensure that everyone is on track to meet their goals and objectives.

2. Create Online Team Projects

Assemble a team and create online team projects, regularly monitor the project’s progress, and make adjustments as needed. This is an opportunity to see your team’s strong points and keep them engaged among other members.

3. Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Work doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Virtual scavenger hunts can be a creative way to encourage engagement for virtual employees. Determine whether the game aims to learn more about the company, promote teamwork, or have fun. Create tasks, divide members into several teams, provide instructions and monitor if the set objective is met.

4. Virtual Trivia Challenges

Liven up employee engagement with virtual trivia challenges! Host an interactive session and encourage teams to get competitive as they test their knowledge on various topics. With the help of this entertaining activity, companies can deepen relationships within teams while also having some fun.

5. Team Sports Competitions

Virtual team sports competitions can be a great way to promote teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills among team members. These activities can build stronger relationships and a positive, healthy work environment.

6. Solve Puzzle

Get the entire team involved with this fun activity. The facilitator may ask the participants to solve puzzles that are work-related. This way, they also enjoy learning more about their co-workers and company.

7. Movie Time

Unwind together and make movie time for remote teams! Take a break from the usual hustle of work and wind down with an entertaining flick. It’s also a great way to get your team bonding while having fun – putting productivity into overdrive!

8. Virtual Coffee Break

For a positive work environment, incorporate coffee breaks into employee engagement! Taking short pauses throughout the day also boosts mental energy and prevents work burnout.

9. Virtual Happy Hour

Remote workers can socialise and get to know each other better in a relaxed setting outside the usual work environment. Some ideas for remote happy hours include virtual meet and greet sessions, online games or trivia, or video calls where remote teams can share their hobbies or interests. 

It’s important to remember that not all team members may be comfortable with virtual socialising. Make sure that happy hour is optional.

10. Virtual Employee Appreciation Day

Celebrate the big and small wins of the entire team. Acknowledge and appreciate team members’ hard work and dedication throughout the year, which can help motivate and inspire them to continue to excel in their roles.

11. Virtual Christmas Party

Celebrating a virtual Christmas party can benefit remote work engagement because it fosters a sense of community and connection among team members who may not have the opportunity to interact face-to-face as often.

In the era of remote working, online employee engagement activities are more important than ever to ensure that team members feel connected and supported and that their contributions are valued. This can help improve employee retention, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.

Conclusion

Investing in virtual employee engagement can reap enormous benefits for your company. Highly engaged employees are happier and more productive, improving job satisfaction and higher retention rates – leading to significant cost savings on recruitment and training. Moreover, caring for their mental health fosters a strong connection between staff members – creating an energised workforce motivated to go above and beyond!

Make remote working fun! Create exciting, fun activities that can boost employee engagement. Invest in the right communication and collaboration tools and frequently check remote team members to avoid feelings of isolation and burnout. Engage remote employees through several engagement ideas, such as virtual conferencing and virtual employee engagement games.

Do you have any other virtual employee engagement activities or virtual employee engagement ideas that you love?

Please drop us an email and let us know!