"Employee engagement" is not a new term in the slightest, but it has become increasingly important to organizations over the past year. In most cases, managers, leaders or peers could go up to another employee and have a chat without hesitation. Since the shift to remote working or socially distant office working, everyday face-to-face conversations between coworkers have become non-existent. Now you're forced to go through a "middle-man," such as an email, instant message software or form six feet apart!
Increasing engagement has always been crucial but along with the employee experience, both have become more apparent topics of discussion for the future. Incorporating fun and interactive ideas while taking advantage of email and instant message software is a great way to increase your team or peers' engagement. If you are looking for ways to introduce team building ideas into your "middle-men" and help drive engagement, check out the suggestions we have below:
Show-and-Tell: Exactly like the game you played when you were a child. Show-and-tell is an excellent way for someone to "show off" something they have. Allowing your team to share something they're proud of will help other people get involved to get to know them more. To better improve this idea, you can incorporate themes for Show-and-Tell days. Some themes could include blue items or items gathered while traveling. By doing this, your team will be excited to show off what they have and share their stories behind it.
Trivia: A great way to introduce fun competition between people is to host trivia games, like two truths and a lie, simple question and guess an answer, match the statement to the employee, and so on. Trivia doesn't have to include information about people in the group; it could be a fun way to ask questions about anything. If you have a larger group participating, you could offer a prize for the most correct answers in a game. The reward could be something small, but it may be an incentive for more people to participate.
Photo Sharing: Ask your team to share a photo during the next meeting. Pictures are a great way to get to know what is important to them or a glimpse into who they are. People take photos for a reason. Having them explain the reason behind the photo, the location, or a story that relates will get them excited to share.
Caption This: This is the classic "Caption This" game, where someone shares a photo, and everyone else needs to come up with a funny caption. Select an image or gif from a search query to help bring out the comedian in everyone.
Discussions: Schedule some time to have open conversations with teams, see how they're doing. Allowing for open discussions with no specific topic could let the team feel more comfortable with one another, more so than a game. Discuss some of your favorite things (or least favorite if you're daring), such as TV or streaming shows, movies, or even food! You can also incorporate mental health discussions, world discussions and anything in between. The possibilities are endless.
Employee engagement is a term that everyone in an organization should be familiar with. Sharing thoughts, ideas and laughs is a great way to help break the ice between team members. Laughter is the best medicine, and after all, you work together for 40 hours a week, you might as well get to know what their likes and dislikes are. Getting to know your coworkers enhances your experience with them, and in return, improves their experience within the organization.
