Employee Engagement

remote worker engagement

5 Ways To Boost Remote Worker Engagement

Employee Engagement, Remote Work / By

Many businesses have transitioned to temporary remote work as a result of the pandemic and this has presented a challenge of keeping workers engaged and excited in a virtual workplace. The loss of face-to-face interaction has thrown employees into a new world of isolation and loneliness and they can only handle as many zoom trivia nights before they start losing passion and begin to feel unhappy and underappreciated.

To prevent this from happening, here are some creative ways to encourage worker engagement and keep them happy.

1. Make Company Culture Staff Driven

Together with your staff, co-create the new virtual culture. Give them control of creating the kind of employee engagement and experience they would like. This gives them the freedom to open up about what they want and need.

Many business leaders make the mistake of trying to copy other companies and expect that this culture would work in their organisation the same way. By letting your staff drive the new online culture, you will be able to build an organisation they are excited about and committed to.

You only need to guide them and help refine whatever they come up with.

2. Encourage Employee To Engage in Side Projects

You can create a culture of innovation and creativity by giving employees the autonomy to work on personal projects that align with your business goals.

Yes, this may seem counterproductive, but it works. Gmail is an example of a program that was produced from Google’s side project. Now employees at Google spend 20% of their time creating new products.

There will likely be times when work may be slower and a spark of innovation and creativity is required, giving your employees the freedom to create new products and services can be just what is needed to get out of the rut.

3. Create a Community Culture

As social creatures, humans are always looking for connection and a community that makes them feel included. To replace the local cafe or break room, create virtual spaces where employees don’t have to be so uptight but feel free to be themselves.

Managers should spend some time before meetings begin to interact with staff and ask about personal matters like their family and how they spent their weekend, etc.

Another way to do this virtually is by creating a networking system where employees can talk to one another or engage in group discussions with colleagues without the presence of the manager. This fosters greater connectivity as employees are supporting each other.

4. Appreciate Employees

It is important to recognise and appreciate the effort employees put into work. They have been forced to adopt a method of working that they have not signed up and they find it just as challenging as you are.

You would make employees feel appreciated by thanking them for the work they are doing. Even acknowledging how challenging remote work may be for them and how well they are adapting to the sudden changes goes a long way in showing you care and endears them to the company.

Even the simplest of gestures can greatly impact employee engagement. Employees that feel they are appreciated and cared about will go any length to make the business successful.

Related article: 6 Ways to Show Your Co-workers You Care

5. Send Care Packages

By sending your employees’ care packages, you show them that you have them in mind and are thinking about their well-being. You could send them coffee and tea to boost morale and make the remote workplace more enjoyable.

It can be incredibly powerful to be creative with care packages. Things like sending puzzle or a DIY kit provides a fun activity that they can all take part in even though they cannot be together physically.

By creating this shared experience, everyone can get a sense of togetherness and bond as a team.

Summary

Transitioning from a physical workplace to remote work has created several challenges for many organisations especially with regards to employee engagement. Many employees are losing a sense of purpose and interest in their work which contributes to burnout. By following these five tips, employers can facilitate a better remote workplace that employees are happy to be a part of.

employee-appreciation-day

Employee Appreciation Day: 6 Ways to Show Your Co-workers You Care

Employee Engagement, Human Resources / By

Do you remember when is employee appreciation day? If you do, that means you care about your co-workers. If you don’t, then it is the first Friday in March, a holiday set aside for bosses and companies to properly recognize their employees.

Aside from your family and friends, your co-workers are the people you spend a bulk part of your day with. Don’t you think you should appreciate them for being supportive in the workplace?

Now, employee appreciation day is not only for bosses to appreciate their workers. Employees can also appreciate their colleagues. So how can you show some appreciation on this day? Here are some tips to help.

1. Thank them

One easy way to appreciate your co-workers without having to go overboard is by simply saying thank you. If you feel saying it is informal, you can send a card or note.

When writing a note to an employee, try to personalise it, so it looks authentic. Think of the ways your colleague has helped you, their contribution to the team, and write an appreciation note along that line. They’ll be thrilled to know you notice their efforts.

2. Get breakfast

You know how difficult it is to grab breakfast when leaving home for work as you have to beat the traffic and arrive at work early. Now imagine the joy your co-workers will feel if they could get breakfast in the office, for free too. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, danish rolls, doughnuts, and croissants are all great breakfast choices. Let them know they are getting breakfast because of their contributions to the workplace.

3. Take them out for lunch

Too busy to get breakfast for your colleagues? You can take them out during the lunch break to get something nice to eat. Not only will it create a chance to appreciate them, but it also encourages office bonding.

Eating out works well with a small team. But it could be a problem if you have a large group. You can always divide it into smaller units and take them out throughout the week. Employee appreciation day doesn’t have to hold for only a day. You can stretch it to a week or two to please your colleagues.

4. Offer assistance to your colleagues

Another way to show appreciation is to offer your help to colleagues that may need it. Are you skilful with something that a colleague struggles with? Offer to teach the person the technique. Or help out with a project they are trying to complete. There are numerous ways to offer assistance to your colleagues as a way of appreciating their effort.

5. Shower praises in meetings

Sing praises of your co-workers who deserve it during meetings. Don’t make it sound like flattery, but let it be genuine by highlighting the specific things they have done. You never can tell if your praises will help their next appraisal and get them the promotion they have been working hard for.

6. Ask personal follow-up questions

Recall the times when you had personal discussions with them and try to ask follow-up questions. If a co-worker had told you about her son’s football game, you could ask about the game’s outcome. Discussions do not always have to centre around work and projects. Take out time to get personal and listen to your colleague’s life outside work. They’ll sure appreciate it.

Related article: Why Leaders Need to Embrace Employee Motivation

Conclusion

Aside from the employee appreciation day, it would be best if you took out time to appreciate your colleagues every day to make the work environment less tense and more enjoyable.

working-culture-remote-work

How To Maintain a Great Workplace Culture In a Remote Model

Employee Engagement, Offshoring in the Philippines, Remote Work / By

A company’s culture is the heart of any organisation. It isn’t built overnight, but instead, it involves the participation of employees, HR, and leadership. HR cultivate an environment of belonging that unites the entire team together wherever they may be around the globe and boosts productivity.

You don’t develop a productive and happy team culture by chance. If you’ve done a great job of building an amazing office-based culture you might be wondering how to keep it up even when everyone now works remotely.

In this article, you will learn how to continue growing a positive company culture with your remote team even when scattered around the globe.

Encourage Inclusivity

When people who use to work together now work separately, some will feel fine with it. They will still connect with their colleagues perfectly. But others won’t. New members on the team might not have had the chance to build a rapport as the old-timers have. Ensure you check in on everyone’s needs. Run surveys, ask questions. Introduce ideas that foster inclusiveness, implement them so everyone can feel they belong.

Welcome New Employees In Front Of The Entire Team

As a follow up to the last tip, help new employees blend in by welcoming them in front of the team just like you would when everyone was in an office setting. One way to do this is to ask the new hires questions about themselves, then circulate the answers to the team through email, along with a welcome message. 

Encourage new employees to have one on one meetings with the team members. This way, they can get to know one another and start building some rapport.

Encourage Open Communication And Feedback

Promote transparency by keeping communication channels clear and open. It encourages team connection which is vital to any organisation. Everyone should have a voice in the team, not just the loud extroverts. Reduce any formality or red tape that may keep some employees quiet. Depending on your team size, the more casual and laid-back you are with team communication channels, the more open and honest they typically are. 

Set Expectations On Communication Methods

Clearly defining what purposes each communication channel serves helps to make communication flow better. For example, you may want serious documentation by email, whereas casual team discussions by Skype or Slack.

You can provide a simple guide about where and what to post, so everyone is on the same page. And when new members come in, let them know right away the communication and collaboration tools you use, so they don’t have to email the team to find out.

Keep The ‘Water Cooler Effect’ Going

The ‘watercooler effect’ refers to a common phenomenon in the workplace when employees gather around the office water cooler to chat. It describes the gathering and connection building between people in a certain environment. Like a physical office, this should also be encouraged virtually. You can consider creating a channel for this on your company-wide text tool. You may have to lay ground rules on content, organisation language, humour, so no one gets offended.

Communicate Non-Stop

Great workplace culture is built on communication. Get it wrong, and the culture you seek won’t stick. 

Set aside specific and regular times weekly for an all-hands chat if possible. You can arrange two meetings if time zones prevent this. Go over what the team is working on. Provide details on decisions that might affect the team, and stress on feedback and free flow of communication. These kinds of meetings help disseminate news and get the team motivated.

With regards to the chat software, maintain an always-on policy, even if you may not be at the desk always, someone should be able to message you, so you can see it whenever you get back. Discourage round the clockwork, as this can lead to burnout and breed contempt.

Hold meetings through video conferencing, as this allows everyone to recognise each other, see facial expressions and reactions. Body language is very effective in communication. And finally, try to have regular (or at least) annual face to face meetings.

Related article: Why Leaders Need to Embrace Employee Motivation

Conclusion

Whether you are thinking of adding a new remote team by going the offshore staffing in Manila route or looking to transition your organisation from an on-ground team to a remote one. You need to be equipped with the knowledge on how to preserve the team culture to enable an environment of trust, transparency, and confidence that will keep moving your business forward.

dbos-year-end-party-2019

DBOS Year-End Party 2019: Retro Night

Employee Engagement / By

Before the year officially ends, the Dynamic Business Outsourcing Solutions spent a fun and epic Saturday retro party at Tiyo Craft Kitchen & Bar on December 7, 2019. Entering the venue was like a flashback from the 50s up to the 80s as it was filled with handmade vintage decorations all over the place, whilst the ambience also complimented the theme.

dbos vinyl
The centrepiece of all designs – a huge handmade DBOS vinyl hanging on the centre stage.
glitzy silhouettes
Barbie, Lucy and Simon, our glitzy silhouettes adorned the centre stage.
signage post
The staff avoided getting lost on the venue with this very helpful signage post.
table setup
Everything is customised retro including our vinyl-inspired placemats and all other table pieces.

Far from the usual office setting, the party looks exactly like an overlap of generations as our staff partied the night away wearing their own interpretation of retro OOTDs. From the classy and elegant outfits to the hippies of that generation, everything was definitely on point.

alpha
The gorgeous ladies of Alpha team.
DKG
Team DKG with Jacqui and Daphny.
glimp
The Glimpers on their very groovy outfits!

The party has not even started yet but everyone was visibly excited with all the raffle prizes that were given on the same night. The winners are highly anticipated as loads of different prizes have been taken home by our lucky winners. But the happiest of them all, the 5 grand prize winners who won the best prizes for that night.

raffle winners
Raffle draws are not just made for anyone. But here are the few lucky people on the first wave of raffle draws!
raffle 2
Here are more lucky winners of the biggest prizes of the night!

The night is still young and everyone has kept their costumes and looks on point until the best-dressed awardees have been announced. But out of all the dazzling and eye-catching costumes, two of them have definitely stood out from every single person on that night.

best dressed
Best dressed female – Cheryll Ann Sigua; Best dressed male -Nelson Manglalallal

To hype the crowd and make them jam to the melody of the 50s to 80s, a specially formed DBOS band graced the stage. From the hit ballads to the grooviest dance songs of that era, they’ve got the music covered.

DBOS band

And before the night ends, the most important awards – the core value awardees were announced and was given their respective plaques. These are the role model employees that have shown remarkable output and attitude that live up to the company’s goals.

Core Value Awardees

Special appreciations and tokens of gratitude were also handed to those who made an effort to make the company’s year-end party even more memorable for every staff. But more than all the awards and raffle prizes at tow, the employees have mostly enjoyed the memories about that night. And until the party has ended, everyone has remained with high spirits.

Watch this video to see more of what went down during the DBOS Year End Party 2019.

Extending our gratitude and heartfelt thank you for all the client’s support, most especially the staff for the whole year. It was not an easy journey to be operating in the offshore staffing industry in the Philippines, however, we made it this year and we made it very far!

employee-motivation

Why Leaders Need to Embrace Employee Motivation

Careers, Employee Engagement, Human Resources / By

While all too focused on the income-generating aspects of their company, some employers tend to forget the welfare of their best asset – the employees. At times, some companies sadly fail to understand the importance of employee motivation. Although not everyone does.

But, what is employee motivation and how does it affects a business?

By definition, employee motivation is the level of energy, commitment, and creativity that company workers bring to their jobs. If the employees are motivated, they become passionate about their job and actively works to achieve the organization’s goal. On the other hand, employees who lack motivation do all the opposite of what a passionate employee is doing. And even though the signs are there, some employers still tend to disregard these things, completely not knowing its effects on their business until its too late.

To help prevent the case of unmotivated employees, we created an infographic about a significant study as to why leaders need to promote employee motivation.

employee motivation

The Importance of Employee Motivation

Increased productivity, high-quality output, and meeting the company’s goals can be achieved through an employee’s hard work. With enough motivation and satisfaction, the employees will surely work towards the company’s best interest.

To further understand how crucial is employee motivation for a business, here are some reasons why:

Motivated people are always in action.
A company equipped with skilled employees are lucky, but a business with motivated people are luckier. Encouraged employees are without a doubt, the most willing to walk an extra mile for the company, if necessary. They are most likely to do what needs to be done regardless if they have to spend additional time at work.

Visible improvement on overall performance.
Motivated employees visibly aim to provide the best work performance for the company. In most instances, they display their ability to produce high-quality output and the willingness to go the extra mile to do the job well.

Leads to a stable workforce.
A stable workforce is a crucial key to a company’s success. When employees are motivated, they remain loyal to the company as they feel needed and valued. This will lead to a stable workforce that will also serve as a good image for the company which can also attract more qualified talents.

Enumerated above are just a few reasons why we can say that employee motivation is more than just a feeling.  It is a driving force that encourages people to do the best kind of work for the company that they provide their services to. Moreover, the effect it gives to an individual can never be compared.

Takeaway

Company leaders should realise that motivating their employees are as important as growing their businesses. Why? It’s because the employees are those who will work with them to achieve success. Now, it is not too late for company leaders to start promoting employee motivation in their businesses.

Just like how we do it here in DBOS! The secret of our successful 4 years in the offshore staffing industry in the Philippines lies in the hands of our employees. And it is the exact same reason why we make sure that their needs are always fairly met. Above that, we also promote employee engagement and self-development to the best of our ability.

Want to be a part of our growing family? Check out our job opportunities today! 

employee-engagement

Important Employee Engagement Stats

Employee Engagement, Human Resources / By

Employee engagement does not simply mean happiness nor satisfaction. An employee can be happy and satisfied at work but might not be willing to go the extra mile for the organisation and its goals.

According to a definition by Forbes, employee engagement is the level of commitment, passion, and loyalty a worker has toward their work and company. The more engaged an employee is, the more work they’ll put forth.

What do engaged employees mean for your business?

A business with engaged employees create lower risks of turnover, boost customer satisfaction, and produces high-quality output. They work hard not only for the paycheck but also to help achieve the company’s goals. They are committed, passionate, and loyal to their jobs. Those are the people who don’t mind going the extra mile to achieve the common goal.

Check out some important employee engagement stats on the infographic below.

employee-engagement

It is rare to find highly-engaged employees nowadays because most of them work on a routine basis. They do their jobs excellently, beat their deadlines, go to work on time, but do not put extra effort to achieve the company’s goal.

That’s why we at DBOS continuously organise activities that aim to involve our employees with everything that goes within the company. We provide them with a healthy and comfortable working environment, as well as a support staff that they can always go-to for assistance.

We are an Australian-owned fast-growing offshore staffing company located in Manila, Philippines. We offer a wide range of offshore staffing services from non-voice to voice accounts! See our full list of offshore staffing services and get a free consultation with our CEO/Founder!