5 Ways to make remote work fun

Tell me where you are right now as you read this. Are you in the process of making dinner? Perhaps you just woke up and are still in your pyjamas. Are you in the middle of a tedious online meeting? Don’t worry, we won’t tell your boss. wink

Working from home is paying off for you. You arrive at work whenever it is convenient for you. Commuting time is now redirected to completing more deliverables while also fitting in household chores in between breaks.

In recent years, many organisations have made a quick transition to working from home. Many companies have realized that permanent remote work is the way of the future, pandemic or not.

On-site employees whose jobs can be done remotely are increasingly seeking remote flexibility. While the majority (65%) prefer hybrid work, the desire to exclusively work from home has doubled since October 2021.

This fully remote workforce has benefited both employers and employees, particularly in terms of health, safety, and productivity.

Managers, on the other hand, are struggling to engage their employees. While it was unquestionably easier to simply call a huddle while everyone was in the office, asking people to turn on cameras during online meetings has now become a chore.

How do you engage your employees now that the majority of them are working remotely? Here are a few pointers to help you effectively improve your remote employee engagement.

Promote a communication culture

Whether a company or workplace has a remote workforce or not, effective communication is critical. Increased engagement requires effective communication, especially when working remotely.

However, how can you communicate effectively if your workmates are not physically present or in a face-to-face setting?

It is crucial to keep them up to date on current company happenings. Allow them to inquire about the performance of the company.

Share your personal and team accomplishments. Allow employees to tell you more about themselves. Listen carefully and with genuine interest.

As a result, remote employees will always trust and listen to you. Then you’ll be glad to know that the environment fosters communication even if they’re not physically present in the room with you.

Be ready to adopt new engagement strategies

If you’re in charge of a company, you should always be looking for ways to get your employees more involved. When your staff has fully embraced the remote setup, going back to the old ways of doing business is out of the question.

If you regularly schedule working lunch meetings with your team, it may be best to schedule them at a different time, since lunch is likely one of the few breaks they get away from the computer.

Besides that, it’s not safe to eat while working at a computer or while sitting in front of one.

If traditional office practices do not translate well to working remotely, consider how to adapt them for remote employees.

Learn about new communication tools

Advances in technology have made remote work possible, and programmers are constantly innovating new ways to make digital interactions even more intuitive.

A few examples are talking to one another on social media, using cameras to conduct remote meetings, and using collaborative software to complete multiple tasks at once.

While waiting for a conference call to begin, users can now play in-built games on their platform of choice. The internet also offers collaborative tools like message boards that can be accessed by anyone with the URL.

You can get more people involved by using one of the many available apps that make group work easier. These methods may help you become more sociable and increase productivity in the workplace.

Employees are not machines

Even if you’ve only been corresponding with Jenny from Team A online for a few months, she’s more than just a talking head on a screen.

You, the employee, are a living, breathing human being, and you deserve better than to be treated like a cog in a machine.

Praise their many achievements and hard work in the workplace. If they need extra motivation to work harder and be more invested, offer incentives.

Don’t expect them to read your mind or be easily programmable like a computer; instead, teach them something by giving them constructive criticism.

Make work enjoyable

Use the quirks that come with running your own business as an opportunity for levity among the staff. We play a game of “guess the drawing” every week at Deer Designer.

We also host a monthly design contest called “Theme of the Month”, awarding cash prizes and paid time off to the designers whose submissions receive the most votes.

While it is true that we must take our jobs seriously as professionals, it is also important to ensure that the work environment is pleasant so that employees remain happy and engaged.

For example, online team-building exercises can be held at any time and from anywhere. Meetings, get-togethers, and even “coffee breaks” can be arranged for the virtual realm.

Prepare icebreakers and games before beginning work with online resources. Spend some time getting to know your teammates.

Happy employees, happy business

Employee engagement has changed over time, so you’ll need to make some modifications.

The rise of the remote worker has made it all the more important to take these tips into account if you want to be productive and happy in your chosen workplace.