![]() Many employees are starting to become concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their jobs and their financial situation. Other organizations have shared tips for setting up a home office and best practices for working remotely. For instance, APCO’s Parents Affinity Group provided a list of resources for parents who are now juggling with homeschooling and working. Share information about where they can go for help and additional resources. Provide Support. Employees might feel overwhelmed during this period. Establish daily check-ins to set clear expectations and provide updates with needed information.Ĩ. Managers should strike the right balance between being available and overly communicative, but giving employees some room to breathe. Employees want to hear from their managers, but they don’t want to feel that they are being micromanaged. Over-communicate, without micromanaging. Research shows that managers can be an effective and welcome channel for communications. Companies can introduce a weekly award for employees who are positively impacting colleagues, living the company’s values, or doing great work and recognize those employees through Zoom/Slack or through email.ħ. Employee recognition is an important part of team building and morale but can sometimes get lost when employees move to remote-working. Employees can also participate in a “Wheel of Fortune” competition on Zoom or Slack through the online tool Wheel of Names, where the winner receives a lunch delivery or gift card.Ħ. One interesting way to get employees involved is to start a dedicated Spotify playlist or daily “best song” competition. Employees are also sharing photos and tours of their homes/kids, and even holding “Woofing Hours” where they show off their pets. Make it fun. Employees are staying connected by holding virtual birthday celebrations, dance parties, happy hours, bake-offs, workout challenges, and video game competitions. Creating this virtual “water cooler” can be a great way to host informal coffee breaks or hold themed discussions, such as sharing favorite recipes, podcasts, movies, books, etc.ĥ. In addition to regularly scheduled meetings, we’ve seen several organizations start to Zoom meeting or Google hangout and leave it open all day for people to pop in and interact. We’ve also had regional happy hours, featuring guest speakers, and posed trivia. Podcasts, music, news, family, and wherever else the conversation leads. We have it every day and use it as a chance to talk about things besides work. This week at APCO, we instituted a daily 8:30 am meeting called The Morning Commute. Get social. Consider ways to use Zoom/Slack to build culture. It will help break the ice and ensure that no one shies away from joining because of a bad hair day.Ĥ. Camera shy? Consider mandating that everyone wear a hat. Encourage employees to hold all meetings via video. Turn on the camera. Employees who are new to remote working may feel a lack of collaboration. We are putting in place regular check-ins through our parent affinity group in collaboration with HR, and daily touch-bases with managers.ģ. As many people emerge from their first or second week of working from home and home-schooling, and we hear discussion of longer-term school shutdowns, parents and caregivers need to consider how to prepare for the months, not weeks, ahead. Be agile. We’ve found that each week is creating new demands for information sharing. It will pay huge dividends in the long run.Ģ. Start team chats or practice chats to keep everyone informed and up to speed on business realities, personal situations, and new opportunities. Embrace online meeting tools. To keep an ongoing thread of conversation and get collaborative juices flowing, consider funneling conversation into Zoom/Slack chat function. Emails are great for external communication, but internally they can create fragmented conversations. ![]() With a significant number of employees now working remotely, how can organizations ensure that their people are productive, engaged and connected? Below we share some trends and best practices.ġ. Employees who primarily work at home report feeling less passionate about their careers than those who work in offices. employees when it comes to work, found that a worker’s setting can affect how they feel about their job. APCO’s Future of Work study, which looks at the perceptions and expectations of U.S.
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