Three Ways to Engage Your Virtual Team This New Year

If your team has shifted to a WFH or hybrid work routine for the foreseeable future, it’s important to keep a pulse on how everyone’s adjusting. While working from home has its perks, the kitchen-table commute can get monotonous, causing employees to feel disconnected, disengaged and fatigued. All of this combined can impact productivity, performance and general work satisfaction. As we adapt to this new way of work, managers need to find creative ways to keep employees motivated and connected in different ways. 

With a fresh new year ahead, there’s no better time than now to make some lasting changes. If you notice your team has been having a hard time staying connected while working from home, try some of these fun ideas to strengthen relationships, improve engagement and bring more smiles to the screen.

Learn something new as a team 👫👫

Teamwork doesn’t have to end at 5 o’clock. In place of a team outing, keep everyone together after work hours for a good time with a range of fun activities. 👍🏼

Cocktail Parties 🍸

Hire a mixologist to host a virtual class and teach your team how to create signature cocktails, while learning the tips and tricks of the craft. 🥂

Cooking Classes 👨🏻‍🍳

Learn how to make fresh, authentic pasta 🍝, discover the secret to the perfect sushi roll 🍣  or explore the art of french baking! 🥐

Virtual Games

Does your team love a good challenge? Join a virtual escape room and work together to solve a mystery. 🕵🏻‍♂️  Have you ever wanted to be on a TV Game Show? Host an “Employee Feud” over Zoom for a Thursday game night. 🎲

Get moving, together! 💪🏾

We all know that our productivity at work is directly linked to our mental and physical health. When you find your team is feeling bogged down, introduce new ways to sharpen their minds and improve their well-being. Host a group yoga class 🧘🏻‍♀️ or create an incentive for everyone to get their steps in. Nike Run Club is a great tool teams can use to stay connected, track their fitness and hold themselves accountable on a weekly basis. Stepping out for fresh air or getting a little sweat in is the perfect antidote managers can prescribe for long hours at the desk and all that Zoom fatigue.

Coffee breaks but virtual ☕️

In the corporate world, getting a coffee means more than simply getting a coffee. 😉 It’s a social outing that sparks conversations, creates opportunities to network and actually helps to build relationships with co-workers. Working from home unfortunately eliminates this altogether. Managers can change this by sending employees e-gift cards to their favourite coffee shop or an immediate spend approval for their daily order of a venti almond milk latte! If your team uses virtual cards like ours at Float, thoughtful gestures like these are simple and easy to do – and can make all the difference in your employees’ day. 😊

Whether your organization is working from home indefinitely or taking the hybrid route in 2022, keeping a pulse on everyone’s mental and physical wellness and boosting engagement is a non-negotiable. Creating a culture of collaboration and connectedness with virtual teams doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be really fun! 🎉

If you and your team explore any of these ideas, let us know! Share your experience on Instagram or LinkedIn and tag Float!

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