According to Gallup studies, increasing employee engagement is one of the key factors for business success. However, with work from home (WFH) becoming a default and most connections done via Zoom or other digital tools instead of face-to-face interactions, it is increasingly difficult for management to engage their employees and foster rapport.
If you’re looking for ways to bridge the gaps between people in your company, read on because this blog will provide information and tips for remote team building that’ll help your employees feel more connected.
What happens when employees feel disconnected?
If employees become detached to their co-workers and their company, they may start disengaging. Without feeling any sense of affiliation or belonging, they might put in less of themselves into the work they produce. Uncertainties about their performance, goals or even if they are going to keep their jobs can overwhelm them and put them in a state of distrust with the management.
Fundamentally, employees want to stay informed and feel included through regular communication and online team building. Even though 60% of the companies believed they’ve done enough to bridge the gap, nearly 80% of employees surveyed disagreed.
Why is connection amongst colleagues important?
In Gallup’s studies, it was found that adequate employee engagement can have a significant impact on a company’s overall performance. Employee engagement not only increases customer ratings by 10% but also raises profitability by 22% and productivity by 21%!
What’s more, when employees feel included and a part of the team, they tend to feel more focused and committed to achieving corporate goals. Evidently, such emotional gratification can also lower turnover, absenteeism (37%) and cause fewer safety incidents and quality defects.
Tips to build rapport
There is so much to gain when your company is fully engaged with the employees. Here are three tips that will make your team feel more connected:
1. Establish regular communications
Managers should take the initiative to reach out to their team members regularly to understand their progress and difficulties. If a physical meeting is not possible, leveraging digital tools for virtual meetings are good options too. Alternatively, organising a remote team building activity could be a great way to bring the entire team together.
2. Offer help
A great way to build rapport is to offer help whenever you notice employees struggling or having difficulty coping. With remote working, many employees tend to work in silos and suffer in silence because they find it harder to reach out to others for help. If you can show you care enough to help them with such small issues, they’ll feel valued and more positive to commit to their tasks.
3. Recognise and empower
Empowering your team members to take action and make decisions is essential to establishing trust. When you recognise their abilities and effort, they will feel more like a trusted individual in the company. Similarly, award praises or rewards whenever appropriate. It’s the best way to let employees feel that their hard work is being appreciated.
Making the best out of working virtually
WFH might have made communications with your team a lot harder but there is an increasing number of digital tools designed to bridge these gaps. A quick search online and you’ll find ample options like online team building sites, virtual whiteboard for sharing information and Zoom for virtual meetings. Such tools are must-haves that will make workflow more productive and efficient.
Importantly, all these digital platforms come with comprehensive instructions that will guide you through even simple steps like how to use Zoom and how to change Zoom background. They are easy to understand and incorporate into your daily work.
Build strong connections in the workplace with Making Teams
Companies must pay extra attention to employee engagement and communication to ensure a healthy, thriving workplace and business success. One simple way to do this is to organise remote team building activities with Making Teams, a dedicated company that has been providing high-quality virtual team building activities to clients around the world. Try our virtual Treasure Hunt or online Murder Mystery or get in touch with us to find out more.
