EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
ROB DANG , CEO OF NETRIX
As a result of the pandemic , remote work has forced those in the workforce to balance both work and personal commitments in a new way . Parents and caregivers face stressful situations as they support their children with virtual learning , search for ways to support older relatives who may be more vulnerable , on top of their normal responsibilities . Meanwhile , everyone is seeking answers for the uncertainty we face .
With the lines of work and home blurred , the following tips can help professionals support their teams and encourage engagement with employees while they work remotely .
• Arrange regular company-wide communications to share news , provide updates and stay connected to your team . Such communications will remind employees that the organisation considers them a valuable part of the team . Send communications to remind employees that leadership cares and acknowledge the fact that many who work from home are working more , not less , especially as they are balancing personal commitments .
• Leaders and managers need to connect virtually as much as possible via Microsoft Teams or another collaboration tool . Start meetings with a fun fact to build relationships and add personal touch to otherwise workfocused meetings . Encourage your team members to turn their video on and speak up throughout meetings .
• Employee recognition is more important now than ever . At Netrix , our employee applause recognition programme is designed to reward employees who go above and beyond their normal work responsibilities . Recognition programmes help create a positive work environment for employees , increasing both performance and engagement . At Netrix , we send a personal note and gift card to each employee ’ s home when they ’ ve been recognised .
• Celebrating national holidays is another way to keep your employees engaged . We recently celebrated National Employee Appreciation Day by emailing a lunch e-gift card to the employees . This is an easy way to show appreciation to staff and it also highlights the importance of taking a break and treating oneself for a job well done .
• Get creative with all-company meetings . For the first time in our history , we conducted a virtual global kick-off . Prior to the event , a gift box with snacks and treats was sent to each employee ’ s home with a special note signed by senior leadership . This added a special touch to get employees excited for the virtual kick-off and encourages the employee to stay engaged during the session .
• Remind employees of company resources that may be available for them , like applicable work from home equipment , PPE or other COVID-19 resources . It ’ s also important to include the relevant contact personnel managing each of the resources to make next steps clear and concise for all employees .
• Launch an employee advocacy programme to allow employees to share and create content that can be posted on social media channels .
Implementing any or even just a few of these tactics can add up and can lead to better productivity .
Properly encouraging employees to support , communicate and engage with one another and the company ultimately results in happy employees , satisfied clients and overall success . x
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER . AT NETRIX , OUR EMPLOYEE APPLAUSE RECOGNITION PROGRAMME IS DESIGNED TO REWARD EMPLOYEES WHO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR NORMAL WORK RESPONSIBILITIES .
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