Since COVID-19 forced companies to shift most of their operations online in early March, many employees struggled to maintain the same productivity levels as they did while in an office environment. Even after several months, the work-from-home saga is continuing, and workplace leaders are getting creative on how to boost their team’s morale.
Below are a few tactics that we at WadiTek have implemented to maintain team engagement while not being able to collaborate in the office:
One of the most important things to do to stay in touch with your coworkers is to talk to them, whether it be a phone call or video chat. Make sure to keep in touch with your manager to confirm you are accomplishing your daily goals and speak with colleagues to collaborate on projects. At WadiTek, we have thorough team conversations at the end of each workday to get every person up to speed on current projects, and to help team members get organized for the next day.
Taking a mid-day break encourages colleagues to get to know each other better while refreshing the mind and taking a quick break from work. It’s important to remember that getting closer to your coworkers and talking about non-work-related topics can increase productivity when working together on future projects. At WadiTek, we have a designated break-time in the early afternoon that we spend discussing our favorite hobbies, activities, or making plans for outside-of-work bonding.
This could mean turning a work-related task into a competition or introducing a creative at-home project for your team to get involved with. Our team recently participated in a logo-building challenge, where every employee had the opportunity to develop the WadiTek logo out of household items and vote for their favorite upon completion. We posted the logos across social media accounts, which helped us engage in conversations with other professionals and expand our network.
Technology is one of the most effective tools for maintaining communication while working apart. We primarily utilize Google Hangouts to discuss work matters—it is easy to include many people in the call, and tools such as screen sharing can assist when needing to collaborate on projects. We also use Slack for instant messaging or sharing less-urgent information. It is essential to designate different platforms for specific matters, but also to be open in how you communicate with your coworkers.