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4 ways to stay connected to your people

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Engagement was hard enough when we were all in the same building. Now that we are all working from home, keeping our people engaged may seem like a herculean effort.

But it’s still doable.

We’ve created a Virtual Engagement Toolkit to help you connect and engage your people while we’re working remotely.

I’ve pulled a few examples from the playbook to get you started.

1. INCORPORATE FUN INTO YOUR VIRTUAL MEETINGS

Zoom and MS Teams are great tools to help us stay connected to each other. But these tools can be used for more than just business and team meetings, you can use them to engage your people and have some fun together. I know we’re all busy and stressed, but that’s exactly why we should take moments to have fun and let loose.

Here are a few ideas to incorporate fun into your virtual meetings:

  • Virtual coffee breaks
  • Virtual karaoke
  • Themed meetings with fun backgrounds
  • Virtual talent show
  • Virtual book club

2. HOST VIRTUAL TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES

Team building doesn’t have to stop because we aren’t all under the same roof. The Virtual Engagement Toolkit has some fun ideas to host team activities that will help you and your people connect.

Here are a couple of ideas from the toolkit:

  • Two truths and a lie — Each team member tells the group three statements about themselves. Two of the statements are true and one is a lie. Then, the rest of the team has to guess which of the three statements is a lie. This is a fun way to get to know each other.
  • My favorite things show and tell — Everyone brings one of their favorite things to share with the group. Show-and-tell themes can include favorite kitchen gadgets, favorite spices, or favorite books.
  • Host an art stroll — This gives your people a chance to tap into their creative side. Have team members make an art piece to then share with the group.
  • Scavenger hunt — Make a list of items that your people have to find in and around their homes/yards. Once they find an item, have them take a picture of it to post on a shared drive or in an MS Teams group chat.

3. CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE YOUR PEOPLE

Recognizing your people for their hard work is now more important than ever. This is one of the most difficult times we have faced as a company and our people need to know they are valued and shown how much we appreciate their work.

Although we’ve cut discretionary spending for the time being, you can still show them your gratitude via a shout out in a team meeting, an email, an old-fashioned letter you mail to their house, or a free e-card. Whatever method you choose, your people will appreciate it.

4. SPREAD SOME HAPPINESS

Our days are now filled with stress, fear, and uncertainty. It’s times like these when hope and light-hearted moments are crucial to our mental and physical wellbeing. From time to time, it’s good to send your people bright spots from your team and from around the world. Things like John Krasinski’s Some Good News video or The Good News Movement on Instagram are great resources for inspiration.

You can find more ideas on how to connect with your team in our new Virtual Engagement Toolkit.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your team

We know that times are difficult. You’re stressed. Your team is stressed. And you have the heavy burden of taking on their stressors as well as helping us drive our business. We’re here to help you. So, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our leadership team as well as our culture, benefits, and employee relations teams for support.