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It has been a little over a year since many companies went from working in an office to working remotely. This change in operations has meant a change in company culture for many businesses, and many companies have had to get creative in maintaining open lines of communication, employee morale, and a feeling of comradery among teams at work. One way to keep up morale and help employees feel like they are part of a team, even from their respective home offices, is by utilizing employee appreciation initiatives. If your company is one of the many who have decided to continue remote operations, either temporarily or permanently, here are a few ideas for celebrating your employees who work from home:
• Virtual team lunches or happy hours: Most food and beverage delivery companies allow you to send virtual gift cards. Send your employees each a gift card that they can use to purchase a meal or alcohol delivery, and then get together over your conference call platform to update everyone on company news, play games like bingo or trivia, or just chat and catch up.
• Send your employees branded company swag that they can use at home: From logoed mugs and mousepads to polo shirts, drink tumblers, and more, branded business promotional items that your employees can use at home and while on video calls helps them to still feel like part of a team while remaining separate. Some items can even be useful for employees who have video calls with clients, because the clients can see your employees using or wearing the items that have your logo on them while on the call, which helps to reinforce brand identity!
• Create an employee recognition program: It goes without saying that employees who feel appreciated at work are happier at their jobs and even perform better. Set up a program for recognizing your employees’ achievements, whether it is a submission form that can be used to send in compliments that are compiled and distributed on a regular basis, an email chain that is used to call out everyone’s accomplishments periodically, or even a lottery that is held on a periodic basis to choose one employee who is spotlighted and wins a special prize.
There are many ways to celebrate your employees while working remotely, from virtual get-togethers and logoed business promotional items, to recognition programs that celebrate achievements and more. While working as a team may look a little different from our home offices, we can still find ways to feel connected and make sure our co-workers and employees are appreciated!
