As employees across the country continue to work remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important for companies to continue to adapt while maximizing employee engagement and connectivity. 

Employees everywhere are at risk of becoming distracted or burnt out. Especially as home offices are shared with roommates and spouses, or when children’s academic and extracurricular schedules get upended. These unexpected circumstances mean both employers and employees need to be flexible and consider new techniques to stay connected. This might mean scheduling more one-on-one meetings between team members, hosting expert speakers on a video call with employees, or scheduling a virtual happy hour. Here are some ways that the BIGteam is staying connected, both during the work day and after hours:

All Hands Meetings
Every Monday, the BIGteam comes together for a weekly touch base meeting. Each member of the team comes prepared to share updates about their current projects and recent ideas. In addition, we meet for a monthly all-hands meeting to discuss industry, company and client challenges and opportunities. These meetings are great ways to collaborate and ensure that all campaigns meet and exceed expectations and that each person feels supported and in the loop. We also make sure to give kudos to each other to recognize everyone’s hard work and accomplishments from the past month!

Trivia Night
The BIGteam is a tight-knit, supportive community both in the office and after work. And we like to learn and have fun. That’s why we engaged in some friendly competition and hosted a company-wide trivia night after work! Small teams competed in some heated competition using Google Meets and Kahoot, and the winning team even received a prize. The whole team enjoyed the event and it was a great way to virtually maintain the sense of community among the BIGteam.

Town Hall and Lunch & Learn Conversations
BIGfish recognizes the importance of establishing company values and learning as a group. Our Town Hall events, as well as Lunch & Learn conversations have been a great way for the BIGteam to share industry tips, discuss social issues, and more. 

Book Club 
Book club is another way that the BIGteam stays connected in a remote work environment. At the beginning of each month, team members share book recommendations through a Slack channel and the group decides which book they will read during that month. Currently, the team is reading White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.

In such an unpredictable environment, flexibility and engagement are paramount to ensure a company’s success. Incorporating techniques that emphasize connection can reinforce employees’ sense of belonging and commitment to their company, increasing collaboration and productivity.

How is your team staying connected while working from home? Let us know in the comments below!