We need to look at how we can make this not a stop-gap strategy, but one that is sustainable for the long-term.
As we see COVID-19 cases spiking across the U.S. and the rest of the world, new lockdowns being put in place, and experts warning that current conditions will likely continue to 2022, it’s clear that remote work will be here to stay for a while.
As we all have been finding creative ways to keep our teams engaged during this time, we now need to look at how we can make this not just a stop-gap strategy, but one that is sustainable for the long-term.
Here at TriviaHub, we are a company that has been built 100% remotely; read on to see some of the tactics we have found most helpful in building company culture and getting our team engaged.
Communication is still key
As with in-person engagement, communication is still key. We know with all the dynamics in your own home environment, it can be easy to get lost in your remote office and go without taking time to reach out to your team. And the natural run-ins at the coffee maker aren’t there to assist anymore.
Given this, it’s even more important to make sure you schedule regular touchpoints with your team. We recommend weekly check-ins and during these sessions, make sure to provide specific recognition of team member efforts and convey your gratitude for their work.
And it’s not only one-on-one connections that are important, you need to make sure the entire team doesn’t lose sight of what you’re all here for. Here at TriviaHub, we have weekly all-hands meetings where we share important company updates, celebrate our successes, and acknowledge great performances.
Through all communication, it is important to have a common, clear mission, that all team members can understand and lean on if things get stressful.
Get some help from tools
We can’t do it all on our own, and sometimes we need to get a little help. In this case, we’re recommending some tools that have really enabled remote work and culture to thrive in our own environment.
Slack - Slack has likely been one of our #1 culture building tools. Our teams are connecting with each other over Slack constantly throughout the day. The tool is intuitive and it is quick to reach out and get instant feedback.
In addition to quick, direct conversations, we’ve also designed fun channels for teams to give shout outs to each other, share their pet pictures, or even just vent a bit!
Zoom - We use Zoom heavily in the delivery of our products, but it also is a great team communication tool. We always make sure everyone has their video on and is showing their smiling faces! It’s great to see everyone and the virtual backgrounds let teams show off their personality throughout any meetings we have.
There are several vendors of communication tools, and likely most of them are able to deliver similar results to the ones we have selected. The bottom line here is that getting yourself out of email and voice-only calls helps enable more meaningful communication that drives engagement.
Keep gathering OUTSIDE of WORK
Even though you can’t take your team out to the favorite watering hole, it’s important to keep bringing everyone together with events other than company meetings. We host team trivia events and have gotten incredible feedback from clients about how fun and seamless they are for teambuilding. Here’s just one example from one of our recent feedback surveys:
“It was very fun and great to finally see my team participate in something that was not ‘work-related’!”
We host our own trivia events with our team and it’s great to see the ad-hoc teams that assemble, areas of knowledge certain people have, and just how competitive everyone can get!
We’ve seen other virtual event types offer great team building experiences as well and we’d encourage you to keep it fresh with karaoke, mixology lessons, and more!
IN SUMMARY
Team culture drives engagement. This is key to creating motivated teams, and in turn, satisfied clients. We’ve found a completely remote workplace to be, in many ways, better than a physical space, as we’ve been able to assemble team members that align with our mission from across the entire country.
We think that the same tactics can help you do the same, and we wish you all the best in this new working environment!
And don’t forget, we’re here to help. Our turn-key trivia events can help gather your team and supply a unique and fun teambuilding experience with minimal administrative effort on your part.