Since March, WCG has been adjusting to a new cadence of working remotely. During this time, we’ve tried to be mindful about adopting routines and communications practices to sustain employee collaboration and buttress morale during an era marked by high anxiety and uncertainty. Thanks to online video platforms like Zoom, this shift has been technologically relatively seamless.

However, from the outset of the pandemic, we understood that no amount of online chats or video calls can replace the social engagement we seek in our daily encounters with co-workers and clients. Below are best practices we’ve discovered to keep employees connected to our company, each other, and our clients.

1. Foster Daily Team Engagement

Every weekday at WCG, our morning begins with a 20-minute Zoom call with all staff. A team member leads the call by mentioning what happened on this day in history, and then poses an icebreaker-style question to the group. After each colleague answers, every team member then shares what they are grateful for. It is only then that we address whatever business is at hand, and the group disbands to move forward with the day.

The daily questions run the gamut from, “If you could choose one movie to be a rite of passage for future generations, what would it be?” to, “What’s the most impulsive thing you ever did, and what were the consequences?”

This ritual may seem simple, but it has cemented solid relationships between employees through sharing common experiences, memories, interests, and even quirks. It is also an effective tool to measure engagement and mental health of team members, and to ensure that we remain connected to our immediate teams and the broader group at least once each day. On one recent team call, one employee observed, met by enthusiastic nods of agreement, “The irony of this pandemic is that I feel like I’ve gotten to know each of you far better working remotely than when we were all together in the office!”

2. Give Employees the Tools to Succeed

In a work-from-home world, it is critical to arm team members with the best tools possible. There is no greater frustration than to miss an important team or client call due to a technical glitch.

Company-issued computers, monitors, cell phones or other equipment must work smoothly, supported by external IT resources. Collaboration tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Monday.com are a smart way to foster teamwork, meet deadlines and allow supervisors to monitor progress on key projects and flag potential choke points.

3. Remain Honest and Transparent About the Business

A pandemic accompanied by an economic meltdown has created an environment rife with stress about job safety and security. We have made it a matter of practice to share information early and often about the state of the business, new client wins or losses, adjustments to budgets, or other factors that might affect the workforce.

We communicated very clearly from the outset of the pandemic about the immediate belt-tightening steps taken to reduce agency costs and spending, including salary reductions for agency principals. Ultimately, after exhausting all alternatives, when we were forced to implement a small workforce reduction, employees were not caught off guard by the announcement because of our ongoing transparency.

4. Offer an Occasional Surprise and Delight

Now, more than ever, it is essential to reward employees for a job well done, acknowledge personal and professional successes, and simply show appreciation to our team that continues to generate incredible results for clients despite overwhelming odds.

One such moment recently came when one of our staff decided to leave the agency to pursue a career in law. As a surprise, we arranged a shipment of gourmet cookies to each employee’s home for enjoyment during a virtual happy hour bidding our team member farewell. It was a sweet moment – in many ways – as the group toasted their colleague with their best wishes.

We have also sent surprise gift cards to team members to recognize efforts that went above and beyond, and regularly acknowledge achievements in team meetings or our company newsletter.

5. Encourage Work-Life Balance

One of the paradoxes of working from home is feeling exhausted at the end of the workday, or the work week. We have seen employees so fixated on delivering their very best work that they sometimes forget to unplug and recharge their batteries.

We partner with our HR team for regular outreach to employees who have accrued excess PTO to encourage them to take time off. In addition, after particularly stressful periods, we have announced an unplanned “Rejuvenation Day,” where the office formally closes and employees can disengage to spend a long weekend with loved ones to collectively get some much-needed rest and relaxation.

We encourage you to follow these tips to help motivate, engage and celebrate your employees. A little extra effort builds a winning team motivated to do its very best client work.

To learn more about ways Wilks Communications Group can help support your employee engagement, click here or email us at hello@wilksgrp.com.