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- remote, not removed 🏝️
remote, not removed 🏝️
real strategies for connecting your distributed team
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Happy Monday HR friends!👋
Today we’re pondering how to keep remote members of your team engaged?🧠 .
Also, do you have a job, course, tool or something else cool to share with 24,000 HR pros? Have a look through our engagement stats and packages and let’s get your business the recognition it deserves!
And remember to check out today’s sponsor Select Software Reviews if you need some impartial advice in picking your HR software. It’s completely free and that’s what they specialise in!
Have a great rest of the week, and we’ll have more HR inspiration for your inbox at the start of next week!
In Today’s Edition
🍸 Boosting Monthly Remote Engagement: Beyond the Virtual Happy Hour
🛋️ The Break Room: Virtual Team Building Activities That Won't Make Your Eyes Roll
📚 Human Readsources: Japanese workers resist traditional overwork culture, Job growth exceeds expectations despite economic challenges, Basic office needs crucial for employee return.
Don’t forget to include your remote team members…
While the benefits of remote work are clear - from increased productivity on employee's own terms, to widening talent pools - many organizations are grappling with a critical challenge: maintaining genuine human connection across digital spaces. The risk of disconnected teams isn't just about morale; it directly impacts innovation, retention, and bottom-line results.
For HR leaders and people managers (that's you), we must evolve beyond traditional engagement strategies to create meaningful virtual experiences that don't feel forced or artificial, while ensuring every team member feels truly seen and valued regardless of their physical location.
The time has come to transform our approach to remote team building - not with quick fixes or temporary solutions, but with intentional, sustainable practices that turn distributed workforces into unified teams.
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🍸 Boosting Remote Engagement: Beyond the Virtual Happy Hour
Throwing another virtual happy hour on the calendar isn't going to magically fix remote engagement. With 87% of companies embracing remote work long-term, we need to get creative about keeping our scattered teams connected.
The real challenge? Building meaningful connections that don't feel forced or add to everyone's Zoom/Slack/Teams fatigue.
Research shows that companies with highly engaged remote employees see 21% higher profitability. But traditional engagement tactics often fall flat in virtual settings.
Think about it: those awkward silence-filled virtual team buildings or the well-meaning (but poorly attended) online social hours. We've all been there, and our teams are feeling the digital burnout and need direction from us.
We'll dive into some practical solutions in the next section but start with micro-connections: implement weekly virtual coffee roulette pairs, create dedicated Slack channels for non-work interests, or try monthly skill-sharing sessions where team members teach their hobbies.
The key is arranging structured activities with organic interaction opportunities.
And remember - measure what matters. Track participation rates, collect feedback, and don't be afraid to ditch what isn't working. What works for one company won't auto-magically work for yours!
🔗 Relevant links
👀 TLDR
Monthly remote engagement isn't about checking boxes - it's about creating genuine connections that keep your dispersed teams feeling like... well, actual teams. Mix structured activities with casual interactions to allow for organic interaction opportunities.
⚡ Takeaway and Try
- 🎯 Launch "Skill Spotlight Sessions" where employees host 30-minute virtual workshops on their unique expertise. This builds cross-functional knowledge sharing, enhances employee recognition, and creates organic mentorship opportunities. Schedule monthly sessions, create a simple nomination process, and track attendance rates, participant feedback, and number of new collaborations formed.
- 🌱 Create "Growth Pods" - small cross-functional groups meeting bi-weekly for skill sharing and problem-solving. Enhances cross-department collaboration and informal learning while reducing silos. Define pod structure, provide facilitation guidelines, and measure skill acquisition rates and cross-team project increases.
- 🎮 Test "Choice-Driven Team Building" program where teams earn points for participating in various virtual activities they select. Increases engagement through autonomy and customization. Develop a point system, create activity menu, and track participation rates, team satisfaction scores, and retention metrics.
☕ The Break Room: What's Your Take?
📊 How are monthly remote engagement activities currently fitting into your HR strategy? |
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📚 Human Readsources
🏢 Japanese Workers Embrace 'Quiet Quitting' Against Work Culture (HR Brew) - Japanese workers increasingly reject overwork culture through quiet quitting.
⚖️ US Adds 177,000 Jobs Despite Economic Headwinds (HR Brew) - US employers add jobs amid economic uncertainty.
📊 Office Return Success Requires Basic Workplace Essentials (HR Dive) - Office return requires proper planning and clear policies for success.
Thanks for reading to the end and we hope today’s edition sparked some new ideas for your workplace! 🧠
We know you’re super busy and really appreciate you letting us into your inbox a few times a week. 😀
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