Author: Gabby Davis

Gabby Davis is the Lead Trainer for the US Division of the Customer Experience Team. She develops and implements processes and collaterals related to the client onboarding experience and guides clients across all tiers through the initial implementation of Engagedly as well as Mentoring Complete. She is passionate about delivering stellar client experiences and ensuring high adoption rates of the Engagedly product through engaging and impactful training and onboarding.

4 Leadership Skills to Improve in a Hybrid Work Environment

A special edition on Leadership Skills written by Engagedly’s President and Co-Founder Srikant Chellappa.

COVID-19 changed many employees’ interests and overall perspectives on work. Some of them will be eager to return to the office, while others will prefer to work from home to avoid interruptions and time wasting commutes. Transforming your workplace to accommodate their needs is great, but you also need to enhance your leadership skills because they will also help your team stay engaged. Here are a few skills to consider:

Communication

Working from home may cause people to feel excluded from business decisions. Frequently communicating with your team by making weekly or daily updates to your company’s operations and working policies can ensure they are still informed about what’s going on even if they are not in the office. As more alignment and collaboration between people occur, transparent communication will be especially important to make sure both remote and in-person teams are aware about the tasks that need to be completed.

Care

In addition to communicating more often, you also need to invest in the wellbeing of your employees. Returning to the office can be distracting if people got used to working alone. Offering wellness programming like yoga, meditation, or coaching can help them take their minds off those distractions as they readjust to working around other people.

Also Read: Employee Wellbeing Trends For 2021

Appreciation and Recognition

Being more appreciative and acknowledging your employees for their work. Doing it publicly using a platform like Engagedly (I am biased here), can be highly motivating. Employers who do not express value for their employees will experience a high turnover rate. Now that businesses are starting to hire again and willing to allow remote work, it will be easier for employees to quit their jobs if their managers fail to recognize them for their accomplishments.

Also Read: Recognition At Work: The Virtual Edition

Flexibility

It will take a  long time before things start to feel normal again; people will still feel uncomfortable in crowded spaces and thus opt for a hybrid work environment, while many may continue to work remote. Being flexible not only means allowing people who feel most comfortable working from home to do so, but it also means giving them the resources to complete tasks if they need it. For instance, if they need a noise cancelling headset at home or need more time to work on an assignment because they were occupied with taking care of their children, you must be willing to provide them with those requests so they have the resources to be successful at their work.

If there is one important lesson that emerged from this pandemic, its how to be more human-centered. Many articles about returning to the office post COVID-19 focus on transforming the physical structure of the workplace but very few discuss why leaders also need to transform their leadership styles to help employees reintegrate into this new setting.

Want to know how Engagedly can improve collaboration of your remote team? Then request for a live demo.

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5 Employee Appreciation Ideas For Your Remote Team

“Rob, you did a great job! Your presentation is insightful and will help us on our future projects.” 

Who does not love appreciation for their work? Positive feedback like this will keep your employees motivated and encouraged. It helps them to take pride in what they do and take ownership of their work. Additionally, it improves the productivity of employees and keeps them engaged. William James, an American psychologist and philosopher, rightly concluded that the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

In 1995, Dr. Bob Nelson introduced the first Friday of March as ‘Employee Appreciation Day’. He emphasized the importance of boosting employee morale and satisfaction for organizational success. It serves as a great initiative to appreciate employees for their hard work and strengthen the employer-employee relationship. With all the unprecedented changes since last year, employee appreciation has gained importance now more than ever. As per research in HR Resource Executive, 64% of employees feel that employee appreciation is more important while working remotely.

Also Read: Performance Management Gone Virtual And More Progressive

But with organizations working remotely or in a hybrid model along with the norms of social distancing, a pat on the back would not be possible anymore. Organizations need to adapt to newer processes for appreciating their employees. Here are five simple ways to appreciate your employees virtually and have the same impact on them.

Instant Appreciation

Employee appreciation is effective when done on the spot and on time. Currently, when employees are still working remotely, it is important to keep track of their wins. At times, it is the instant show of gratitude that makes all the difference. When you spot someone going beyond their call of duty, appreciate them immediately.

Using real-time performance management software such as Engagedly or business communication platforms such as Slack, you can appreciate your employees from anywhere and at any time.

Set Up Remote Workspace

Working from home can be exhaustive and overwhelming at times. In a physical office setup, workstations have an ergonomic design. It helps employees to work comfortably without any physical or psychological stress. However, we cannot say the same for a work from home setup. Invest in your employee’s workspace set up so that they work in an ergonomically friendly environment. It will make your employees feel that they are important to the company. Additionally, it will let them know that the organization cares about them beyond their work.

Also Read: Remote Onboarding : Essentials To Know

Peer-to-Peer Recognition

According to a survey by SHRM/Globoforce, 41% of organizations have seen an increase in customer satisfaction, which uses peer-to-peer recognition.

Getting recognition from managers is one thing, but employees love it when colleagues appreciate them. Implement and promote peer-to-peer employee appreciation programs. Encourage your remote employees to appreciate and praise each other’s hard work. Invest in a performance management software that will support peer-to-peer recognition in the form of praises or 360 degree feedback. But in the absence of a software in your organization, peers can praise each other through emails or chats.

It creates a great bond among your employees and reduces the cut-throat competition.

Invest In Virtual Wellness Program

As per a recent research in Harvard Business Review, employers who invested in the well being of their employees saw three times the return of their money spent.

Employee health is known to have a direct impact on productivity. The fear of COVID and its newer strains has affected the mental and physical health of the employees. According to recent reports, employees working remotely have reported increased levels of stress and anxiety. So no other way of employee appreciation would be as useful as organizations investing in employee wellness. Here are some ways to take care of your remote employees:

  • Offer virtual yoga or gym classes
  • Awareness sessions on mental wellbeing
  • Access to online doctor consultation platforms
  • Sponsor medical insurance for all your employees.

Also Read: Understanding Employee Well Being In 2021

Continuous Employee Development

One of the major reasons why most employees leave is that they don’t find any room for professional growth. Encourage your employees to cross-skill and up-skill themselves. Give them access to online training academies such as Coursera, Udemy, edX, etc. Have frequent one-on-ones to understand their personal development and growth plans and align them with organizational goals. Track their progress from time to time so that they don’t fall off the track.

When employees are allowed to cross-skill and up-skill themselves, they get a reason to stay in the same organization and explore themselves.

Have you appreciated your remote employees yet? 

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with implementing employee appreciation program? Then request for a live demo

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5 Reasons Why Weekly Check-Ins Are Important For Your Remote Team

What most managers do not realize is that with the changing work culture, it is important to monitor the employee’s progress and help them with the roadblocks they face from time to time.

Employee check-ins are a great way for managers to gain a clear understanding of their employees. They help you improve your organization’s overall productivity by enabling managers and team members to frequently discuss any questions, concerns, or ideas they have. In the current scenario, where most organizations are still functioning remotely, the importance of weekly check-ins cannot be denied. It will not only help everyone stay updated but will also keep the employees engaged.

Also Read: Want To Measure Employee Engagement? Here’s How

Here’s how having a culture of frequent check-ins at your company, can help you increase overall productivity.

Establishes Communication Channel

Having frequent employee check-ins allows you to communicate with your employees frequently and get a proper understanding of their current work. This also makes employees feel that they have a safe place to share their concerns as well as discuss their ideas. Keeping an open line of communication between managers and employees boosts morale and fosters positive relationships.

Also Read: Awkward Post Review Conversations? We Have Your Back

Builds Trust And Support

Communication is the key to establishing trust between employees and managers. Having weekly employee check-ins allows you to build that rapport with your team members. Encourage employees to come to you with questions, ideas, and concerns so that they understand that you genuinely want to support them.

Instills Sense Of Responsibility

Having healthy work discussions from time to time through weekly check-ins leaves no scope for employees to procrastinate. This practice helps them understand and stay current with what the organization expects of them. It helps in reinforcing good behavioural patterns in employees and make them stay away from bad practices.

Also Read: 5 Best Practices For One On One Meetings

Increases Productivity

Having weekly check-ins for your remote employees allows you to fix potential issues before they escalate. It is easy to correct any employee performance issues quickly and enhance employee performance that contributes to an increase in productivity. Employees tend to feel valued and included when their work is validated and approved by their managers. Employee check-ins allow you, as a manager, to motivate your employees to feel validated and heard that in turn results in improved performance and improved productivity.

Leadership And Problem Solving Skills

Having frequent discussions with different levels of employees helps you improve your leadership skills and helps the employees improve their problem-solving skills. This practice is a great way to understand the nature of work and predict any roadblocks and fix them beforehand.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with your weekly check-ins? Then request for a live demo

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5 Virtual Office Celebration Ideas This Holiday Season

The year 2020 is coming to an end, and it is time for office parties. This year has not turned out exactly how everyone had wished. It has been a year of uncertainty and unprecedented changes with the presence of COVID19. Businesses changed the way they work, and employees shifted to working remotely. While the year may not have been as everyone expected, it can surely end on a high note.

A typical office party, unlike last year, may not be on the cards this time. But thanks to technology, organizations can still conduct a virtual office party. It helps employees to reduce their stress, reduce disengagement, and start the new year with zeal. Moreover, it will also help your employees know that you appreciate them and want them to stay with your organization.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why You Need A Performance Management Software

Here are five simple virtual celebration ideas for this holiday season that will help your team bond remotely.

A Meet With Close Ones

Celebrations and holidays are incomplete without friends and family. Divide your team into small groups of five or six and invite them with their spouses, children, partners, and pets in the virtual happy hour. It will give everyone a chance to meet each other’s loved ones and know them better. Moreover, it also helps employees to connect at an informal level and improve their bond with each other. Otherwise, remote working has restricted a “business only” connection between the employees. It was not the case when people were working out of the physical workspace.

Online Meal

There’s no better way to connect with your peers and employees than sharing a meal together. In the current scenario, many organizations are still working remotely, and many countries have strict norms for social distancing. But a team lunch or dinner celebration is still possible. Yes, you heard it right! Companies like Amazon have initiated informal luncheons and cocktail parties for employees.

Book and schedule a suitable time slot of forty minutes to one hour on your team’s calendar for having the celebratory meal. Everyone can connect over a video call at the scheduled time and have their meal together. You can give them a chance to showcase their culinary skills by letting them bring in their own food. Alternatively, you can even get the meals delivered to their doorstep from nearby restaurants. It will help everyone to bond, especially the ones who joined the organization virtually.

Also Read: Virtual Onboarding: A New Reality

Play An Online Game

Online games are a great way to get your office party started and your employees to bond. Board games are still a favorite among many, and they help in refreshing the mind and boost productivity. Board games like Chess, Checkers, and Scrabbles improve the thinking capacity of individuals. As a result, it leads to creativity and the generation of new ideas. Many online applications such as ‘Tabletopia,’ ‘Vassal,’ ‘Board Game Arena,’ and ‘Dicebreaker’ have online libraries and stimulations where employees can play with each other on their browsers.

Other online games such as UNO, BINGO, Pictionary, and charades are some great options too.

Annual Virtual Award Ceremony

As per a recent study, 69% of employees would have worked harder if they received appreciation for their efforts.

Awards and recognition motivate employees more than anything else. When employees receive rewards, recognition, or praise for their contribution, they feel valued. It makes them feel good and inspires them to continue to work harder. In this era of remote working, it is essential that your employees stay motivated and engaged at all times. So a year-end virtual award ceremony will motivate your employees for the year 2021. Some of the ways how you can recognize and reward your employees in the annual virtual award ceremony are:

– Give them awards digitally
– A call out for all those who performed exceedingly
– Gift cards for all the rewardees
– Announce names on company social media accounts
– Praise using a Real-Time Performance Management Software

You can choose to be creative to reward your employees and add some new and innovative categories for recognition and rewards. It will increase the probability of maximum people getting rewarded.

Also Read: Employee Rewards And Recognition For An Engaged Workforce

Gifts

Holidays are gifting seasons, and everyone loves getting one. Get gifts packaged and delivered to your team at their doorstep. Make sure they keep them wrapped and open them together during the virtual celebration. Depending on the budget, the gifts can be something as simple as a coffee mug or chocolates. You can also send them office goodies or party bags.

You can also organize a Secret Santa where team members give gifts to each other. It is an exciting activity for everyone to guess from whom they have received the gifts.

 

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you improve Employee Engagement? Then request a live demo.

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Tips To Manage Stress Of Your Remote Team

Over the past year, more than half of the global working population shifted to remote working due to COVID19. It has been quite some time now that teams have been working remotely and getting adjusted to the new normal. It has proved to be beneficial not only to the employees but also to the organizations. For organizations, it helped them in reducing the costs and recruiting employees globally. And, for employees, it allowed them to work flexibly. Remote working has a lot of benefits, but it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the major challenges faced by remote employees is that they suffer from anxiety and stress, which affects their mental and physical health. It results in disengagement and affects their productivity, which in turn affects the success of the organization.

Also Read: Employee Recognition and Rewards During COVID19

Let us look at some of the common causes of stress and anxiety among remote employees:

– Lack of Social Interaction: When working from home, one might be disconnected from others for long hours. It can lead to loneliness and isolation, and have a negative impact on employee productivity and mental health

– Work / Life Balance: Employees unknowingly put in extra screen hours while working from home as there is no specific demarcation between work hours and non-work hours

– Too Many Distractions: While working from home, employees can get easily disengaged as there are too many distraction

Here are some tips for you which will help you manage your stress and that of your remote team.

Establish A Routine

Establish a clear and well-defined routine for yourself that will help you create a synergy between work and life. Decide on an appropriate start and end time for your work hours and stick to it. In-between your work hours, set apart some time to take breaks or interact with your peers to get your mind off from work. In addition to creating a work schedule, it is also recommended to design a schedule to include reading, exercise, and self-care in your daily routine.

Having a well-established schedule prevents employees from overworking and hence avoiding burnout.

Also Read: Employee Engagement Software To Help Enhance Productivity

Connect With Your Team Frequently

Connect with your employees on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on the need, to track their progress and share updates with them. Share with your team members all the rules and policy changes of the organization from time to time. It reduces uncertainty about the future and helps in reducing any possible anxiety.

As a manager, schedule one-on-one meetings over video conferencing tools with each member of your team to hear out their concerns. When communication takes place over a video call, it is easier to understand them as it sets a personal connection.

Frequent check-in with your employees keeps them engaged, reduces their stress, and they feel more connected to the organization.

Virtual Meditation And Yoga Classes

Yoga and meditation are known to reduce stress and calm the mind. Organize virtual yoga/meditation classes for your employees before or after work hours. With so many video conferencing tools such as Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, and Skype, it should be very simple to organize one easily. Reduce stress and produce a calming effect on the mind and body by encouraging your employees to practice breathing exercises whenever possible.

Also Read: How To Curb Digital Distractions

Team-Building Activity, But A Virtual One

Team building activities help employees to work better as a cohesive team. But in the current scenario, traditional team-building practices are not feasible anymore. So, plan and organize virtual team-building activities that will help in building a strong team culture. Meet over virtual lunches or conduct activities such as quiz sessions or a virtual book club. These activities will help in building a sense of trust among your team members and will keep them engaged. Moreover, these activities help employees to take some time off from work and reduce stress.

Empathize With Your Employees

Remote work is still a relatively new concept for most employees, so it can be overwhelming for them at times. Acknowledge and empathize with their struggles and anxiety so that they can stay engaged and productive for a longer period of time. Ask them simple questions such as, “Are you managing well so far in the remote work situation?” or ” Do you need any help to make your remote work experience better?”. Listen to their concerns and responses and find a solution. At times just talking and empathizing with your employees about their stress and anxiety can help a lot. Formalize and document the responses with the help of employee survey tools.

Engagedly’s inbuilt survey feature allows you to create and assign simple surveys to measure employee engagement, employee motivation, and employee happiness.

Also Read: Employee Burnout: What You Need To Know About It

Identify High Productive Hours

According to research on ultradian rhythms, the human body follows a cycle that affects how productive they are. They go through a cycle of 90-120 minutes, where they go from a productive peak to an unproductive trough. 

Encourage your employees to identify their highly productive hours and schedule their most important work during those hours. During high productive hours, the human body is more active, focused, and more engaged at whatever it does. It helps employees to improve their intensity of focus and produce better results. The routine and less important work can be scheduled for low productive hours when the body is not as focused and engaged. It helps employees to improve their intensity of focus and produce better results.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you with Employee Engagement? Then request for a live demo.

Request A Demo

Tips To Improve Productivity As A Remote Worker

When it comes to work, we all know that there isn’t any better feeling than accomplishing all the things you have on your plate. With the current remote working situation, it is understandable that you might not  always feel pumped up to work and accomplish the tasks assigned to you.

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A Guide To Manage Your Remote Employees

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely limited our workspace to our homes. Globally, managers and leaders are suddenly finding themselves managing remote teams who are working from locations all over the world. This has created challenges for managers, including those from the HR industry. In this article, we have shared some tips on how to manage your remote team.

Setting Up Remote Work Space

Whenever a new employee joins the organization, the manager works on setting up the workspace, which includes assigning desks, providing laptops or desktops, and other important job-oriented necessities. Similarly, when employees are working from home, they need proper tools and applications to make their work easy. Employees should be able to collaborate and interact with each other easily with the help of these tools. Some of the tools which employees can be given access to, are:

  • Engagedly: A real time performance management software to manage goals, performance reviews, rewards and recognition, and feedback
  • Slack / Zoom / Google Meet: To communicate with each other easily
  • Trello / Basecamp / Asana: For project management

These tools will help in improving employee engagement and productivity for remote employees.

Frequent One-on-Ones

Ensure to engage with your remote employees on a daily or weekly basis. Use emails, Instant Messaging, or Video Conferencing tools to communicate with your employees. As a manager, interact with them to know whether they need any support with their remote working. Keep them informed with all the rules and policy changes of the organization. 

Also Read: Know How To Conduct One-On-One Meetings Effectively

Video Conferencing

Conduct your weekly team meetings face-to-face over video conferencing tools, instead of conducting it over a call. As per the Harvard Business Review, when employees connect over a video conference, they feel more engaged and motivated. It sets a personal connection with the teammates, and everyone gets an in-office feeling, although working remotely. Tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, or Skype can be used for the meetings.

Recognize Success

Employee reward and recognition helps in improving employee engagement, productivity, and lowers the turnover rate. With everyone working from home, it is very common for employees to feel disengaged from time to time. As a manager of a remote team, appreciate and recognize your remote employees whenever possible. It is the best way to keep them engaged and motivated. Since traditional appreciation methods are ineffective in the present circumstances, you can do the following instead:

  • Feature employees on the organization website
  • Gamify your employee’s achievements
  • Invest in performance management software that supports rewards and recognition functionality

Also Read: Employee Recognition & Rewards During COVID-19

Team Activities

Organize virtual team-building activities to motivate and engage your remote employees. Team building activities give all the employees a chance to engage and bond with each other. These activities help in building a human connection and trust irrespective of the physical distance. Activities such as a virtual book club, a quiz session, or facts sharing session can be conducted to involve and engage your employees. Make the team activities engaging so that your employees take part in them and not refrain from doing so.

Prevent Meeting Overload

Although connecting regularly or frequent check-in with your employees is recommended while managing a remote team, be careful not to overdo it. Holding too many meetings or check-ins will end up disturbing your team’s productivity instead of improving it. Schedule meetings before-hand and keep them short, preferably under 20 minutes. Group calls should be planned once or twice a week and not more than that. If the meeting is completely unavoidable, try to include small games in your meetings, which reduces the stress of your employees and makes it more interactive.

We at Engagedly value employee engagement and satisfaction, so we include games like ice-breaker challenges in our weekly meetings.

Also Read: Wondering How To Set OKRs for the Engineering Team?

Be Flexible

As everyone is still getting adjusted to the new normal, give your team a certain degree of flexibility to work. Focus on whether the work gets done on schedule instead of stressing on the number of hours they punch or the time of the day when they work. Allow them to take a day off from work if they request one. Some time off from work will reduce employee burn-out, stress and anxiety which in turn, will improve employee engagement and productivity.

Find out more about Engagedly’s Real Time Performance Management Software by requesting for a free demo!

Engagedly is offering a suite of products part of its Remote Work Toolkit free to any organisation, until Sept 30th, 2020. 

The Coronavirus has affected the way we work today and for months to come. Unprecedented events require unprecedented measures. We at Engagedly believe it is our responsibility as socially conscious corporate citizens to help equip organisations with additional tools and resources during this time of crisis.

Get in touch with us to know more about the free remote working tool-kit. 

Things To Consider When Recognizing Remote Employees

COVID- 19 has changed the way we do business. We need to find ways to keep our remote workforce engaged and happy now, more than ever. The pandemic is making companies mandate working from home for their workforce.

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Create a Positive Company Culture For Your Remote Employees

In the past decade, we have discussed enough about how to build a positive work culture in various workplaces. The core aspect still holds true. But now, we’ve to concentrate more on how to amp up the company culture for remote workers.

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A Guide to Stay Productive While Working Remotely

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”776603″]The whole idea of working from home is great, if it’s taken up voluntarily. Because then you know what you are signing up for and if you wish to, you can just decide to opt out of it and start working from office instead.

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Employee Rewards And Recognition For Remote Employees

In a traditional office environment, it is easier for managers to make their employees feel valued because it is easier to keep lines of communication open. Managers and direct reports tend to interact with each other on a daily basis. However, a study says that remote workers feel undervalued and under-appreciated when compared to their traditional-working peers.

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A Guide For the Managers: Handle Remote Employees Seamlessly

Given the current worldwide scenario, work from home is not a benefit anymore, it’s a necessity. Because of COVID-19, more and more companies are urging their employees to work remotely. But as leaders, do we know how to keep our employees engaged? How well equipped are we to handle a situation like this?

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Remote Team: Goal Setting And OKRs

Now that most teams across the globe have started working remotely, owing to the global COVID-19 panic, it is time for organizations to find a way to keep their teams functioning normally and drive engagement and productivity. 

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