4 Effective Employee Engagement Initiatives for Virtual Teams

In the continuing shift to remote work, maintaining employee engagement is a challenge that HR professionals and executives are tackling head-on. From implementing a virtual open-door policy to revolutionizing the digital onboarding experience, discover the top four innovative strategies shared by VPs and CEOs for fostering connection and motivation in a virtual environment.

• Implement a Virtual Open-Door Policy
• Invest in Virtual Training Programs
• Host Weekly Virtual Social Hours
• Revolutionize the Digital Onboarding Experience

Implement a Virtual Open-Door Policy

We have standing meetings where anyone on the team can drop in, shoot small questions, or big ones if they're crucial. It's like an open-door policy, but virtual—everyone's welcome, but there's no pressure to show up.

Kimberley Tyler-Smith, VP of Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded

Invest in Virtual Training Programs

Effective employee engagement begins during the hiring process, but it's difficult to evaluate a worker's willingness to open up and join in during the interview process. Luckily, screening for engaged team members is easier than ever, thanks to virtual training programs. 

Nervous candidates often find it easier to open up in virtual settings, and this can help alleviate interview jitters that would otherwise prevent them from showing their true selves. As a recruiter, I've been encouraging companies to invest in virtual training programs for this very reason. It's a great way to evaluate how a candidate will thrive in-office day-to-day.

Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology

Host Weekly Virtual Social Hours

Virtual employee engagement is crucial for remote teams. A simple yet effective initiative is implementing virtual social hours. Once a week, for 30-60 minutes, block off time for remote employees to interact informally. Encourage employees to grab a snack or beverage and log into a video call. 

With no formal agenda, the purpose is simply for team members to chat, catch up, and connect on a personal level. This small block of time fosters relationships and a sense of belonging that combats isolation and disengagement among remote workers. Virtual social hours provide an easy, no-cost engagement boost for distributed teams. 

A great example would be creating opportunities for employees to provide feedback and share ideas through virtual suggestion boxes or idea-sharing forums.

Vinika Garg, Chief Operating Officer, Webomaze

Revolutionize the Digital Onboarding Experience

Our big bet is on next-gen digital onboarding to distill Echo's passion and values for new hires working remotely. Onboarding sets the culture tone from day one, so no dull HR lectures! Instead, fast-paced storytelling is combined with quick comprehension checks to validate learning in the first weeks. And monthly pulse surveys check satisfaction, then iterate the approach based on feedback. 

We can't assume a one-size-fits-all in the virtual paradigm. With hiring still red-hot, ensuring stellar onboarding at scale is our moonshot for 2024.

Lou Reverchuk, Co-Founder and CEO, EchoGlobal

4 Crucial Steps in the IT Staff Onboarding Process

In the quest to perfect the onboarding of IT professionals, we've gathered four insightful answers from top HR Managers and CEOs in the recruiting space. From hands-on tech access and training to structured onboarding with regular check-ins, discover the crucial steps these experts emphasize for integrating IT staff seamlessly into your organization.

• Offer Hands-On Tech Access and Training
• Avoid Assumptions in IT Onboarding
• Provide In-Office Training 
• Structure the Onboarding with Regular Check-Ins

Offer Hands-On Tech Access and Training

As a recruitment firm focused on tech talent, we ensure our people have full access to the systems needed to succeed from the start. In the new hire's first week, someone from our IT team sits down with them to walk through the critical software we use—the applicant tracking platform, video chat tools, customer databases, and some custom programs our tech team has built. 

We verify that logins and permissions work, provide training if required, and ensure everyone feels fully equipped to use our technology immediately. This hands-on tech check lays the foundation for our new specialists to dive into serving both clients with what they need.

Lou Reverchuk, Co-Founder and CEO, EchoGlobal

Avoid Assumptions in IT Onboarding

Not assuming knowledge of your own systems or simply not providing new IT hires with adequate training can be a mistake. Many in-house teams often see “IT” or “tech” and assume that the systems used in one place are the same as the next, which simply isn't true. 

Ensure that you onboard your new IT hires in exactly the same way as everyone else, with the same depth of information.

Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll

Provide In-Office Training 

As a recruiter working in the tech sphere, I'm often alongside HR as they onboard new hires, and I'm consistently disappointed in the amount of hands-on training offered.

While two companies might use the same software, there are often subtle differences in best practices. Even something as ubiquitous as Excel spreadsheets can be utilized with a good deal of variability from business to business.

That's why in-office training is so key. Letting workers sit down with existing IT processes will highlight specifics HR could never think to mention. Ideally, we're pairing these new hires with a long-time employee; this kind of shadowing, even for a day or two, is invaluable. Taking this extra step during onboarding allows fresh workers to move into their role seamlessly.

Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology

Structure the Onboarding with Regular Check-Ins

Whether you're onboarding your IT staff or engaging IT staff in the onboarding process, the approach remains consistent. Regardless of whether your process involves automated tasks within a system or relies on a checklist created or printed off for reference once individuals are hired, it is crucial to have a mechanism in place to ensure accountability for having everything ready before day one.

Consistently evaluate the onboarding experience to ensure alignment with your organization's culture and values, making necessary adjustments as needed. Before hiring or recruiting someone, establish a minimum four-week training strategy that progressively addresses foundational informational needs week by week.

Finally, implement regular check-ins over the initial 90 days to align on performance, expectations, and identify any potential roadblocks. This proactive approach enhances the onboarding experience and contributes to the seamless integration of new people into your organization.

Scott Johnson, HR Manager

5 Effective Methods for Motivating Employees During Challenging Times

In search of effective methods for employee motivation during challenging times, we turned to five seasoned professionals, including Operations Managers and CEOs. From boosting morale with public recognition to asking employees what they need, these leaders share their top strategies to keep teams motivated when the going gets tough.

• Boost Morale with Public Recognition
• Invest in Professional Development
• Foster Open Communication and Transparency
• Establish Purpose and Connection
• Ask Employees What They Need

Boost Morale with Public Recognition

One effective method I've discovered for employee motivation during challenging times is utilizing public recognition. By acknowledging individual contributions and celebrating team successes, it encourages employees to strive for excellence amidst difficult conditions. 

As one example, I recently instituted a virtual rotation schedule where different staff members are highlighted on our company's social media accounts every week. This has created a sense of healthy competition among peers that continues to fuel their morale through hard times.

Carly Hill, Operations Manager, Virtual Holiday Party

Invest in Professional Development

I have found that professional development is a key driver of employee motivation, especially in challenging times.

During this post-pandemic period of stagnated economic growth, it is crucial to invest in training. Turn a period of adversity into an opportunity, not only to engage your workforce but also to ensure adaptability and relevance in the digital revolution.

Encourage employees to enhance their skills through relevant training and mentorship programs. Leadership development should also be prioritized for those with potential.

The key to motivation is to link progress to performance goals, internal opportunities for advancement, and remuneration to create a culture of growth.

By investing in this way, organizations not only enhance their employees' skills but also demonstrate the value they place on their employees, boosting motivation even during challenging times.

Katharine Gallagher, Professional Growth Specialist- Education, Career, Recruitment, Productivity, Business, katharinegallagher.com

Foster Open Communication and Transparency

One effective method I've discovered for motivating employees during challenging times is to foster a culture of open communication and transparency. This involves regularly checking in with employees, actively listening to their concerns, and providing them with a clear understanding of the company's situation. 

By being transparent about the challenges the organization is facing and discussing how their efforts contribute to overcoming these obstacles, employees feel more engaged and connected to the company's mission. Additionally, acknowledging their hard work and resilience, and providing opportunities for skill development and growth, can go a long way in boosting morale and maintaining a sense of purpose within the team.

Shannon Garcia-Lewis, Owner/Principal, Strategic Business Partners, LLC.

Establish Purpose and Connection

During challenging times, I found that fostering a sense of purpose and connection is a potent method for employee motivation. I initiated regular town-hall meetings where leadership transparently shared the company's mission, challenges, and the vital role each employee played in overcoming obstacles.

These sessions weren't just about disseminating information; they were a platform for celebrating collective achievements and recognizing individual contributions. I encouraged team members to share success stories, big or small, creating a positive narrative amid uncertainty.

To deepen the sense of connection, I introduced virtual coffee breaks. We scheduled casual, non-work-related meetings where team members could unwind, share personal anecdotes, and strengthen their bonds. It was about maintaining a human connection in a remote-work setting.

Sai Blackbyrn, CEO, Coach Foundation

Ask Employees What They Need

During challenging times, many leaders assume what their employees need to stay motivated. However, this can quickly backfire since everyone responds to stress and overwhelm differently, and no two employees are the same. 

While it takes more time and effort, try to develop a habit of asking your employees what they want—and need—from you. Importantly, you want your inquiry to be open-ended, as you don’t want to lead with the answer. Ultimately, your goal is to empower your employees and provide them with the support they require to be successful.

Dr. Kyle Elliott, Founder and Tech Career Coach, CaffeinatedKyle.com

How to Build a Positive Workplace Culture

In search of the most effective strategies for building a positive workplace culture, we turned to ten industry leaders, including Chief Culture Officers and CEOs, for their best tips. From leading with an inclusive approach to integrating playfulness in professionalism, these experts share their top strategies for fostering a positive and productive work environment.

• Lead with an Inclusive Approach
• Foster Community Connections
• Create a Culture of Safety
• Build Trust, Transparency, and Communication
• Be Genuine with Your Actions
• Recognize and Reward Great Work
• Implement Peer Recognition Fridays
• Instill Ownership in Teams
• Focus on Positive Behaviors
• Integrate Playfulness in Professionalism

Lead with an Inclusive Approach

As the Chief Culture Officer at Arizona State University, I lead with an appreciative and inclusive approach. 

We develop communities of practice where everyone is invited to learn about and share the best cultural practices. We illuminate and build on our strengths. We gather data about what is working and what we need to change or let go of. We co-create our vision of a thriving culture and the steps we need to take to realize our dreams. 

We also generate feedback loops and conduct "Culture Check-ins" biannually to learn how we are doing together. Year over year, our numbers have increasingly reflected greater employee engagement and wellbeing. For example, we measure the degree to which employees are engaged with our shared BRAVE values: Belonging, Relational, Authentic, Visionary, and Empowered. Over the past year, over 80% reported being actively engaged in behaviors that demonstrate our values.

Christine Whitney Sanchez, Chief Culture Officer, Arizona State University

Foster Community Connections

Community, community, community. Helping build culture for us really means building community connections. When someone shows up to work, gets their pay, and quickly leaves, it doesn't take long for them to view the workplace as disposable. No one wants to feel alone all day. Just like in elementary school through high school, you had friends, conversations, and people to help pass the time. Building that community is critical. We need human connection. 

At Inty, we have a team dedicated to providing opportunities for personal connections. This can be through birthdays, lunches, after-work activities, or anything that helps the work team mesh and also provides a sense of camaraderie. We are all working towards the same goal: the success of the company and job security. So let's stop the culture of "not my problem" and instead adopt the mindset of “when one wins, we all win when we work together.”

Kay Clavijo, Chief Culture Officer, Inty Power

Create a Culture of Safety

We have created a culture of safety. We have three specific questions when making a decision that boils down to "know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and be able to defend it" using the three decision/question-making criteria. 

We want our team to make quick, smart decisions, and sometimes, even when using the decision tree, things don't work out as expected. That is no reason for someone to get walked out the door.

Robert Hessel, CEO

Build Trust, Transparency, and Communication

A strong culture has a foundation comprising the three main pillars of trust, transparency, and communication.

Trust between employees and management breeds alignment and a sense of purpose among the employees. It is one of the most valuable things you can give to your employees.

Transparency breeds ideas and productivity among your employees. When management is transparent about each employee's contribution toward the big goal, employees tend to be more creative in their work.

The most important asset of an organization, good and sound communication, avoids unnecessary politics and bureaucracy within the organization. This is extremely important as you grow and have more people on board.

Akshay Dipali, CEO, Nasch

Be Genuine with Your Actions

It's important to be very genuine in your actions. In 2010, I wanted to move to NYC. My boss recognized this was a real interest and not something he was going to talk me out of. He gave it some thought and considered me too junior to go there this early in my career (ironically, given how remote work has evolved, he may have made a different decision today).

Instead of telling me "tough luck" he called a competitor to see if they would hire me (this was in 2010, tough job market). Two months later the competitor had hired me and my boss had lost a promising junior employee. I say all this to underscore how incredibly genuine he was with the offer to help me achieve my goals. From there on, I never had a reason to doubt him, and few others did as well. Still one of the best things anyone has ever done for me.

Trevor Ewen, COO, QBench

Recognize and Reward Great Work

We found that the best way to foster a positive workplace culture is to openly acknowledge, recognize, and reward great work. We have a public promotion path that anyone can evaluate themselves on, and each step that our team members make toward their goals is openly praised and rewarded. 

Understanding that jobs can often be stressful, we strive to make our team's days a bit easier with consistent bonuses, as well as organized team activities in which they can take part.

Gordana Sretenovic, Co-Founder, Workello 

Implement Peer Recognition Fridays

At our company, we've ignited a positive workplace culture by introducing "Peer Recognition Fridays." Each week, team members nominate colleagues who have demonstrated exceptional work or kindness, shining a spotlight on unsung heroes. 

This simple practice fosters a strong sense of appreciation and camaraderie among staff, creating an environment where everyone feels seen and valued. Try it; acknowledging each other's efforts weekly can significantly buoy spirits and cultivate a more supportive and engaged workplace!

Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators

Instill Ownership in Teams

Simply put, the more you actively show your team that you trust them, the more of a positive environment they're going to cultivate because they don't feel like senior management is breathing down their neck. A positive workplace culture is centered around transparency and trust, so ensure that you're reflecting these values with the level of 'ownership' and trust you instill in your teams.

Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll

Focus on Positive Behaviors

We have been talking about, and helping clients build, positive workplace cultures since 2009. The answer to promoting a positive culture is to proactively focus on it. That sounds simple, but in my experience, employers just aren't doing that at all. 

Employers aren't teaching people-leaders to proactively engage in activities that build a positive culture, or coach employees engaging in low-level toxic behavior like gossip or snarky sarcasm, or build a team action plan to stay on track with a positive culture. If you're not doing these things, how could you possibly attain and sustain a positive culture? 

Stop focusing on what bad behaviors to look out for and report to HR; start focusing on what good behaviors to look out for and how to capitalize on them.

Catherine Mattice, Founder/CEO, Civility Partners

Integrate Playfulness in Professionalism

An effective strategy I've found for building a positive workplace culture is the integration of "playfulness" within the boundaries of professionalism. 

At our agency, we recognize that creativity and productivity thrive in an environment that's not just about business all the time. We cultivate physical and virtual spaces where employees can engage in industry-related conversations that are insightful yet relaxed. 

For example, we have a group chat where we discuss the really strange packaging designs on the market, using a lighter tone than we would when speaking to clients. This opens the door for genuine interactions among team members, who begin to see each other as colleagues and fellow enthusiasts in our industry. This approach has been instrumental in building rapport, fostering collaboration, and enhancing our overall work culture.

Jason Vaught, Director of Content, SmashBrand

4 Advantages of Embracing a Remote Working Model

In this article, we explore the advantages of embracing a remote working model from an HR perspective, as shared by four experts in the field. With insights from Human Resources Managers and a CEO, we delve into aspects ranging from promoting wellness and diversity to boosting employee morale and performance. Read on to discover the top four benefits of remote work according to these industry leaders.

• Promoting Wellness and Diversity
• Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion
• Reducing Office-Related Issues
• Boosting Employee Morale and Performance

Promoting Wellness and Diversity

Remote work is the number one thing that we can do to promote wellness and diversity. As a non-profit, it is essential for us to find individuals who are aligned with our work and passionate about advancing our mission forward. 

By opening up recruitment to remote workers, we can source candidates that are not only more aligned with our work, which provides higher rates of job satisfaction, but also from more diverse backgrounds, experiences, representations, and abilities. Additionally, when employees feel a greater sense of connection and control over their workspace, it creates a sense of safety that supports them in showing up as their authentic selves and to engage in a higher level of work-life integration. 

Though building cohesion in a remote workforce does require more intentionality, the fact that on any given day, a team can be experiencing wildly different weather events can subconsciously build empathy, which is the foundation of any strong culture.

Brittany Brazell, Human Resources Manager, Our Children's Trust

Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion

One of the biggest advantages of remote working, from an HR perspective, is its impact on diversity and inclusion (D&I). Remote working is, quite simply, more accessible to people, uniquely benefiting candidates from certain backgrounds. 

Working parents, particularly mothers, are especially advantaged by remote working, granting much-needed flexibility when juggling responsibilities. Remote working also expands applicant pools, helping organizations to access candidates from different religious, ethnic, and national backgrounds. Additionally, remote working may also be preferable to many neurodiverse candidates, helping to support neurodiversity in the workplace. 

Ultimately, remote working is a powerful tool to support D&I activity and should be strongly considered by organizations pursuing D&I-focused targets.

Chloe Yarwood, HR Manager, Test Partnership

Reducing Office-Related Issues

Less in-office troubles. If anyone is relieved that water-cooler sessions may be a thing of the past, it's Human Resources. Having people work remotely reduces office gossip and the advent of inappropriate office relationships. Essentially, organizations are less at risk when operating with remote teams.

Jarir Mallah, Human Resources Manager, Ling App

Boosting Employee Morale and Performance

One such advantage is increased employee morale because of enhanced work-life balance. 

For instance, employees who are provided remote work options may be more inclined to enjoy greater autonomy and flexibility. Remote working models allow for employees to more easily manage their own time, reducing the burden many feel when trying to perfect an efficient separation between professional and personal needs. 

By offering employees the opportunity to work remotely, HR departments can positively support individual productive resolutions that lead towards greater job satisfaction and performance levels.

Michael Alexis, CEO, Virtual Team Building