Wow, how the world has changed in just a couple of months.
Employees who were used to working in an office every day, chatting with colleagues and supporting each other, are now isolated at home. The closest they get to social interaction are emails and Zoom meetings. Perhaps they are furloughed and not even getting that!
Employee wellbeing during this time is more important than ever, keeping your workforce engaged will help you boost morale, reduce anxiety, and keep your team culture strong so you can hit the ground running when business is back to normal.
1. Make it fun.
We all need some light relief at the moment. Try to get people involved in challenges that are interesting and encourage communication, extra points for making it team-based. Quizzes, bake-off challenges, fitness challenges are all great ideas. Keep it light-hearted and make sure people don't feel pressured to get involved. A little prize will help!
2. Keep in touch.
Schedule regular virtual meetups to check in on peoples challenges and offer support. Make sure they still feel engaged and involved with the business. It's amazing how quickly a new normal can become normal. Don't let employees get used to being on their own, keeping lines of communication open is very important.
3. Ask for feedback and ideas.
Set up a system that encourages your employees to put forward ideas that would make their home working more efficient or somewhere they can put forward initiatives they think would help the business during this time. They might be sitting on some golden ideas that they haven't felt there was an outlet for.
4. Whatsapp groups.
Create a lockdown group for your employees so they have a place that can help recreate that office environment. It can be a quick way to ask for help, to share news, ideas or just for a little moan. Remember, sharing is caring!
5. Employee treats!
Sending your employees a physical special treat, even just something small can go very far to making someone feel valued and not forgotten. We have created letterbox branded biscuit treat boxes to fulfil this exact need. Each box includes an all butter biscuit and a bag fo Yorkshire tea so they are set for a well-earned tea break. In a world that has become infinitely more virtual, holding a physical gift is a real game changer. Why really encourage a sense of community and set up a big company tea break online. Ask everyone to share a photo of their break with a company hashtag, this is a great idea to make everyone feel like they are in it together.
What are your top tips to boost employee engagement?
If you would like more information on our employee letterbox treat boxes just click here!