5 Incredible Remote Employee Engagement Activities

Participating in fun activities can help increase the productivity among remote employees.

Virtual workplaces are the new normal in the modern workplace. In fact, the culture of remote working arrangements is thriving at a swift pace. More and more businesses are now going remote given its amazing benefits. However, it is also true that employee engagement becomes a much greater challenge in a virtual workplace.

Needless to say, the significance of employee engagement is as in a virtual workplace as in a traditional workplace. What we need to understand is that as a leader, you need to look at employee engagement differently when it comes to a virtual workplace. The traditional approaches or ideas of employee engagement have limited success in remote workplaces.

How are engagement dynamics different in remote cultures and how can you excel in it? In this blog, we find effective answers to this important question. To explain, this blog highlights some of the most incredible engagement ideas and activities for a remote workplace. So, let us get started without further ado. 

5 Outside the Box Engagement Activities for a Virtual Workplace:

1. Host mental wellness webinars

All of us do acknowledge the fact that in the modern workplace, employees feel more vulnerable to high stress and burnout. These times of enormous competition put unprecedented pressure on us to give our best every day. To substantiate, as per Gallup, more than 50 percent of employees in the global workforce experienced burnout instances in 2021. 

Although it is true that remote working arrangements offer greater flexibility, even remote workers find their mental health vulnerable. To validate, As per Flexjobs, more than 75 percent of remote workers feel that their work stress affects their mental health. Therefore, if you need to engage your virtual workforce, it is important that you support their mental health.

Let us acknowledge the fact that productivity and burnout cannot go hand in hand. For delivering exceptional performances, employees need to feel at their cognitive best keeping negative influences aside. Can there be a way to support your employees’ mental health in the virtual workforce?

Well, hosting mental health webinars for your employees on weekends can be a great employee engagement activity. After all, one of the vital purposes of engagement activities is to prevent your employees from burnout. This is where mental health webinars fit in with perfection. You can invite mental health counselors to discuss mental health issues and best practices with your employees. 

Not only will such activities promote greater optimism among employees but also encourage greater allegiance. To elaborate, when you care for your employees' wellness, they will respond with greater loyalty.

This loyalty will further drive them to enhance their commitment and productivity. As per insights, more than 60 percent of employees feel that their motivation will be much higher when their employers support their mental health. Having said that, hosting mental health webinars is your ultimate opportunity to come across as an empathetic leader.

2. Introduce virtual coffee breaks

Virtual coffee breaks can be a great way for your employees to unplug from work for a while. To explain, they can coordinate their coffee breaks and have some candid conversations during that little window of time. While it will help them to rejuvenate their minds before they get back to work, it will also help them to overcome the feeling of social isolation.

It is vital to note that as per Apollo Technical, almost 50 percent of remote workers report a lack of social and emotional connection with their co-workers. Virtual coffee breaks can be a great way to tackle this issue that remains persistent in remote working.

Even in a traditional office setup, employees coordinate their breaks for lunch or coffee. That break is essential for them to regain their energy and start over again. They cherish having informal discussions with their colleagues and have a good time in the middle of a long workday. Why not recreate the same environment for enhanced remote team building?

In fact, on weekends, you can go one step further and host virtual movie nights or binge-watching for your remote employees. With a culture of virtual coffee breaks, you can make your employees’ work days more relaxing. In that way, you can engage them better by giving them an opportunity to get rid of their workload for a while.

When it comes to virtual movie nights or binge-watching, it can be an incredible way for your employees to get with each other outside of work. In fact, for a diverse workforce, such virtual events facilitating better interpersonal connections can be the key to high engagement. Further, it will also have a positive impact on employee retention levels. 

3. Celebrate festivals with themed days

Diversity and inclusion are among the most sought-after trends in the modern corporate world. More and more organizations are now embracing diversity given its amazing business benefits. Did you know that diverse and inclusive organizations have a 70 percent higher chance of penetrating new markets?  

However, having a diverse workforce in itself is not the ultimate key to success. Diversity renders business benefits when you promote greater inclusion in the workplace. When there is inclusion, employees feel accepted and valued in the workplace. In fact, millennials and Gen Z employees love being a part of an inclusive culture and it brings out the best in them. 

Your young employees will feel far more motivated when diversity and inclusion are celebrated in the workplace without any bias. So, you need to find ways in which you can celebrate the diverse identities of your team members. Celebrating themed days on all festivals and connecting your teams virtually can be an amazing engagement activity.

If you look at the broader picture, this small gesture can have such a significant impact. When you celebrate your employees' special days and festivals, it promotes a greater sense of belonging. Interestingly, as per Deloitte, a strong sense of belonging can enhance job performance by 56 percent.

Besides, when employees dress up according to a theme to celebrate their colleagues' religious or traditional festivals, it will facilitate better bonding between team members. Hence, workplace collaboration will be better and that will lead to higher engagement.  

4. Conduct virtual office tours for new hires

When we talk about engagement in the virtual workplace, it is also important to talk about virtual onboarding. After all, it is a great idea to engage your new employees from the word go, right? Having said that, virtual office tours and team introduction can be an effective and amazing engagement activity for new hires.

To explain, new employees find it hard to find a great sense of belonging initially. They feel uncomfortable and out of place in the initial phase. Especially when they join a virtual organization, the disconnect between them and the team is even greater. Needless to say, these factors do play with their minds. This is where their enthusiasm and engagement take a setback.

However, with an effective onboarding program and innovative virtual onboarding activities, you can change things for the better. With virtual office tours, you can give your remote employees a complete tour of the office and give them a real insight into how things work at the office. Also, you can introduce them to their project managers and team members through a casual virtual meeting on the first day.  

By doing so, you can promote a greater sense of belonging among your remote employees from an early stage. By introducing them to their team leads and team members in a candid manner, you can also facilitate better working relationships. Further, to make things more interesting, as a business leader, you can also send a personalized email welcoming your new employee.

5. Organize virtual open mic events

If your employees have exceptional talents, why not give them a platform to express themselves? Every weekend, you can organize virtual open mics for your employees to showcase their talents. From stand-up comedy, poetry, and storytelling to singing, give your employees the liberty to perform whatever they aspire to.

Such light events can be a great way for teams to gel together and also to give more confidence to your employees. In fact, you can also associate some interesting rewards with each open mic event. 

For instance, every performer at these open mic events can stand a chance to win a Netflix subscription or gym membership. Who does not like the idea of rewards after all? Interesting awards can make these events far more engaging for your employees and inspire them to participate. 

Such creative liberty given to employees to express themselves freely will bring out the best in them and get them thinking. In the professional sense, this creative liberty will assist them in being more innovative and expressive. In fact, it will make a significant impact on workplace motivation. 

To encapsulate, the dynamics of employee engagement are a lot different in the context of virtual workplaces. It takes an entirely different spectrum of strategies and activities to engage remote workers. Now that we do realize the fact that the future of the corporate world is remote, it is time we embrace the change and prepare for it. With the above activities and ideas, you can cultivate a natural culture of high engagement in your virtual workplace.