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7 ways to keep your remote team on track and happy
How are you and your team doing? I realize many of your employees were always remote but for many, Delta is delaying some workers from getting back to the office and that's just frustrating when we thought we were in the clear. Just this past June I was looking forward to scheduling live events, the kids getting back to school and returning to some sense of normalcy.
It’s getting lonely here so, I was thinking about ways to cope with burnout, telecommuting, balancing work, and family obligations while living under shelter-in-place orders in my area of Austin, Texas.
There are some practical things we can do to help remote staff members experience connections, build stronger social bonds and alleviate feelings of isolation.
Read on if you want some suggestions…
With joy and creativity,
Donna Blodgett Lita – Owner, Laugh A Lot Art Events
It’s getting lonely here so, I was thinking about ways to cope with burnout, telecommuting, balancing work, and family obligations while living under shelter-in-place orders in my area of Austin, Texas.
There are some practical things we can do to help remote staff members experience connections, build stronger social bonds and alleviate feelings of isolation.
Read on if you want some suggestions…
- Gather your team for a virtual fundraiser – Acts of Kindness lift the spirit. This year we had this crazy unprecedented weather event… “Snowpacalypse.” Austin lost power for several days (just 36 plus hours here) in subfreezing temps. Northerners don’t always get it (I’m from NY) but we are not set up to handle this. My point is, there was so much kindness even during the pandemic. By providing meals for neighbors that ran out of food and other’s bringing me bottled water when my pipes froze – we found community and connection through the simplest kind acts. This just feels good! So, maybe a fundraising event with your team for a charity they choose will help you connect with each other. I do online paint party fundraisers with my favorite nonprofit Art from The Streets. By selling tickets and distributing deluxe art kits packed with snacks and auctioning off prizes we raise money for the local homeless community in a fun way with all the good feels! Does your company have a select charity?
- Create A Fun Squad – Fall and holiday season is upon us! Assign staff to arrange fun activities for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holidays & New Year’s where they meet online. The entire remote team can have a blast celebrating Halloween together online with costume parties, pumpkin painting and one of my favorites is the Glow in the Dark Mask Making art party! It works great online because the costume is the mask – much easier to convey on a virtual platform. I play fun and goofy spooky tunes while teams make their own unique masks and then surprise each-other at the big reveal at the end! I also like our Gratitude Stone painting for Thanksgiving time – it’s a more relaxing practice you can do together online. Your “Fun Squad” can find the right activity for you – like crafting cocktails, online trivia … so many choices! The point is to create connections and share the joy!
- Recognize & Celebrate Employees -Inviting your team to a Zoom call where a senior staff member will be present to hear you tout the accomplishments of individuals is a highly valued personal form of recognition. Knowing what that employee loves or their “hot button” and creating a theme around it and shipping fun kits to attendees is a great way to make it even more special! My art kits can be customized and it’s the favorite part of my job!
- Encourage Informal Interactions – The “water cooler” or breakroom banter is a normal function of a day at the office that is missing from remote employees’ lives. But how do you facilitate these informal meetings? Schedule optional meetings with no agenda- invite across various teams. This way junior and senior staff members from other departments get a chance to interact socially. Call them virtual coffee connections! I belong to a women’s business group that holds bi-monthly “Coffee Connects” with no other agenda than to network and “Power Hours” with a featured member that will present a topic.
- Start Meetings with A Warm-up – Instead of getting right to your meeting agenda, be sure to begin with a non-work-related icebreaker. If your team already knows each other well, you might not need a round of “Thorn & Rose.” State we have 10 minutes for informal conversations and then we will get started.
- Infuse Levity & Laughter - I recently met the authors of Humor Seriously; Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business – Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas my sister's best friends in San Fran! They teach a humor in business class at Stanford University. Impressive – right? Reading it affirms why the name Laugh a Lot Art Events is a good choice for my business. I realized that non artists come to my events just for the fun social interaction and the laughter. Playing with paint is just something to do to remove the awkwardness of having to make conversation. We get to be silly and laugh at ourselves with each other! There are other ways to keep work fun like inviting a comedian to entertain your team online or have a virtual cooking class or cocktail making event. Virtual games are fun and of course, virtual arts & crafts are my specialty (nope- I’m not a comedian – it’s my guests that are funny!)
- Reach out & check in – Nothing says you care for your staff more than being present and listening, even if you can’t be present physically. A one-to-one chat may help you connect and really get to know each other. With boundaries in place, you can encourage and provide support while uplifting employees.
With joy and creativity,
Donna Blodgett Lita – Owner, Laugh A Lot Art Events
