How to Boost Morale as Employees Continue to Work From Home

Before the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week, businesses were slowly starting to reintegrate their employees back into the office with delight and with many considerations and procedures in place. 

Unfortunately, we now know that this has been put on the backburner for the foreseeable future however, at Neon we’re all about positivity and looking ahead to the future so, as a little pick me up, we have asked some of our team and clients what they’re most looking forward to about getting back into the office - whether it is in a few weeks or a few months time.

Here’s what we found out as well as some useful tips from our team on how to combat these feelings until we can get back into the office!

“When you have a big task or a complex issue it’s so much easier to be able to quickly exchange ideas with your team members throughout the day. There’s no pressure to make sure you covered *absolutely* everything in that email, or worry that maybe calling somebody for the third time in three hours is excessive. It’s also easier to communicate the minutia of an idea and immediately get feedback on small bits and pieces that would otherwise be relegated to IMs or email.

Also… I miss the PlayStation.”

Ciaran Evans, Product Executive

Neon’s response: As we have mentioned over and over again in previous blog posts, communication in this current climate is key and keeping this up as much as we did at the beginning of lockdown is vital to business momentum. 

Now that a lot of businesses’ employees will be continuing to work from home, it’s important to set a fresh communication plan for your internal staff to keep them connected. Plan virtual coffee mornings a few times a week to discuss the day’s tasks and to go through any questions or issues each individual may have, so they feel well supported by their team. 

Oh, and virtual Fifa matches are a thing, right?...

“Whilst there are definitely benefits to working from home and we’ve managed to keep communicating and working together, I’m really looking forward to some social interaction with my team and colleagues over a real, not virtual coffee”!

Sharon, Commercial Sales - Automotive Client

Neon’s response: We know virtual catch ups can be a little tedious for some, so why not encourage your team to organise a socially distanced meet up at a cafe with one of their colleagues?

This can be done once a week or so within the government guidelines and will help boost morale for those who are feeling a bit fed up of being stuck working at home. Cafe meetups are likely to increase the wellness of employees, refresh their outlook on the current situation and give them some much needed interaction, which in turn, will increase their productivity at work in the long run. 

It’s also a great way to support local businesses at a time when they need it most.

“As useful as Zoom meetings have been during lockdown, nothing beats face to face (2 meters away) interaction in your teams. When coming up with creative solutions for our clients it’s great to get the team together and brainstorm around a table.”

Rhys Thomas, Account Manager

Neon’s response: Conversing and sparking bright ideas together is something that employees are bound to miss. To combat this, set up virtual brainstorming and update sessions every week where each employee can talk about what they’re currently working on and any assistance they may need. This will allow everyone to bounce ideas off of one another and help where needed.

“As a new starter in lockdown I am really looking forward to meeting my colleagues, getting to know them all and beginning to get a feel for the culture at Neon. I’m also excited to get stuck into my new role as Biz Dev Manager!”

Neil Barratt, Business Development Manager

Neon’s response: Being a new starter at a time where there is little to no face-to-face contact is difficult however, there are many ways you can integrate a new team member without being in the office. 

Throwing a welcome party with the whole team on Zoom is a fantastic way to make a new employee feel welcome and give them a chance to put faces to names. Little interactions like these will make employees like Neil feel comfortable enough to approach team members they haven’t yet met and give them the confidence to get more involved with team conversations, updates... and FiFa matches.

Throughout the pandemic, one of our clients has been sending new starters a welcome/thank you box a couple of months into their employment filled with goodies and a letter of appreciation. Small meaningful gestures like this have a huge impact on how valued each individual within the business feels and don’t cost an arm and a leg to rectify!

Want to find out more? We can help you build an effective communications plan and create the most appropriate tools to re-engage with your staff and business channels. Contact us today.