Home-based working has become the new normal for a significant number of employees. As a result of the pandemic, an increased number of people are working from home. Consequently, it is more important than ever to be able to have fun with employees in a virtual setting to maximise their engagement and promote positive wellbeing.
Why is it important to have fun with employees online?
Both employees and managers can gain many benefits from positive virtual interactions:
- Increased employee engagement.
- Reduced social isolation, especially for employees who live alone.
- Increased levels of positive mental wellbeing.
- The development of stronger relationships between colleagues.
- A “time out” during a very busy and stressful working day.
- An opportunity to feel “normal” again as if they were back in the office
Consequently, ensuring that you create and implement a framework for your employees to promote online fun, team-building activities and increased social interactions can bring significant positive benefits for everyone.
So, what are some ways to facilitate this?
Run employee engagement sessions
Weekly employee engagement meetings allow you to identify how employees are feeling when working in their home-based work environments. They are a good opportunity to find out what employees need from you in order to enjoy their employment experience more thoroughly. Additionally, they provide an excellent opportunity for workers to share stories, show their family pictures and openly communicate without any pressure.
Engage your employees in team building activities
Online team building games are an excellent way of giving your employees the opportunity to have fun, unwind and relax in their home office. Not only will it make the workday more fun but it will cultivate relationships between employees and maximise their engagement with co-workers and the company itself. Ultimately, when employees are more engaged and they feel that their workday is an enjoyable time, they will attain higher levels of job satisfaction and be more productive in an overall sense.
Promote social time online
One of the biggest upheavals for workers that have been accustomed to an office environment is the lack of social interaction they have when they are working remotely. At home, it is not necessarily possible to chat with a colleague during their breaks as they enjoy a cup of coffee together.
- Encourage your workers to host virtual non-work related “catch-up” sessions with each other
- Set aside a few minutes at the start of meetings for employees to remotely socialise
- Cultivate the normal camaraderie and banter that they would experience in the office
Ultimately, you will be normalising their work experience and giving them back their social interactions as well as optimising their enjoyment of every working day.
