Are you finding it a challenge to engage with your team now they are working remotely? Here we’re sharing some successful strategies from our clients and other organisations.
Virtual lunch break
Schedule an hour each week for team members to get together and talk to each other. It’s good to keep the chat away from work topics so it feels like proper downtime, as working remotely can feel quite full on. Some ways to do this are to ask everyone a random question to keep it fun and light. Maybe use this random question generator? You could also theme the lunch break and change it each week. Themes might be gardening, getting outside or travel. All aimed at getting team members talking and learning about each other.
Well-being activities
Yoga might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s an activity that caters to all levels of fitness and doesn’t need equipment. It’s good to break the day up and have an activity that gets people out of their chairs and away from their work stations for a while. Other activities teams can do together online are mindfulness or meditation. There are some lovely ideas on the NHS LiveWell website that you might find useful to share with your team.
Celebrating birthdays
It’s great to get together for cake and a chat when your team is in the office, so why not try and replicate this when your team is at home? Remembering and celebrating birthdays shows you care and are interested in your team members. Having a treat delivered to everyone in the team would be great if you’ve got the budget, otherwise send a treat to the birthday boy or girl, and team members can still share good wishes or messages.