The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the entire world and caused people to adopt new ways of living, also known as the new normal. Despite the mass vaccination campaigns worldwide, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to attack humanity with new variants. 

Omicron is the most recent SARS-CoV-2 variant, a deadly virus with increased infection rates. Although booster vaccine doses have reduced this variant's intensity, governments worldwide are still far from achieving satisfactory vaccination targets.  

That's why many businesses encourage their employees to work from home. While remote work offers numerous advantages, such as improved flexibility and fewer commutes, it brings various challenges to business owners/leaders/managers. 

For example, remote work can demoralize your employees and make them feel isolated because it is challenging to adapt to the new work environment. In simple words, your employees stay motivated and increase their productivity when they remain connected with their colleagues in person. 

Most businesses/companies do not know how to implement suitable structures and employ practical strategies/activities to ensure their employees do not feel physically and emotionally distant from their teams. 

Although some employees enjoy working in a relaxed environment, the isolation factor can negatively impact your business. In contrast, most employees do not want to disconnect from their teams because this can lower their performance. 

As a result, most employees quit and look for other opportunities. Therefore, business owners have an obligation to bridge the physical/emotional gaps and improve connectivity between employees. 

Team Connectivity Tips 

Teamwork is an integral component of a successful business strategy. It promotes social connectivity and instills the spirit of improved communication, collaboration, and interaction in your employees. However, maintaining adequate team connectivity is challenging for businesses of all types and sizes. 

Working from home is an entirely new experience for employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. Employers want their employees to follow social distancing protocols during the strict and unpredictable lockdowns. 

The purpose is to follow the government's guidelines and protect your employees from getting infected with Covid-19 and its variants. Here are a few practical ways to improve connectivity with your team while working from home. Read on! 

Daily Morning Team Meetings

Remote work requires business leaders or managers to engage their employees/staff daily. Video conferencing tools used for working from home is an excellent way to conduct daily morning team meetings and encourage your employees to stay connected with their colleagues. However, the morning team meeting must not always be about work-related or business projects.

 Start the day with a team meeting and take the time to talk about casual things, such as asking your employees whether they are doing well at home during the lockdown. That way, you can re-establish a strong connection between your team members. Similarly, this showcases your affection and care for your employees. 

Virtual Coffee Breaks

Virtual coffee breaks are another way to strengthen connectivity with your team. It helps keep your team engaged and an opportunity to reprieve from the isolation. The purpose is to reduce burnout associated with remote work. 

Besides, hosting a virtual coffee break is not daunting or time-consuming. However, this requires careful planning, such as creating a team schedule and informing everyone to join via the videoconferencing tool for the coffee break. 

Experts recommend scheduling a coffee break at least 1-2 times a week to engage your employees. However, if your team demands more, make sure you consider their request and act accordingly. 

Celebrate Special Occasions

In addition to celebrating birthdays, home parties, and personal news that bring happiness and amusement, it is crucial to celebrate wins/victories/achievements. Every time your team achieves a specific business objective, all members should celebrate it. 

For example, you can order cakes from a reputable bakery (takeaways services) and send them to your employees. Join a virtual meeting via a video conferencing tool, such as zoom or skype, to cut the cake, chit chat, and enjoy. 

That way, you can consistently communicate with your employees and keep their spirits high. Remote work is not only about discussing work-related things; it must also focus on keeping your employees engaged by giving them peace of mind and happiness. 

Employee Appreciation Kits

Promotional products are an excellent way to boost your business, increase sales, and generate higher returns on investments (ROIs). Companies that focus on promotional product branding for their customers can improve their bottom line. 

However, the giveaways are not only for your existing and prospective customers. You can also create a unique giveaways strategy for your employees to keep them engaged and maintain retention rates. 

A Work-from-home kit is an excellent and powerful way to make your employees feel connected to the company. That way, your employees will appreciate the company's efforts and care for them. 

Building company and brand loyalty are one of the most significant challenges for business leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is essential to focus on your employees as well as customers. 

You can drop-ship branded care packages to your employees' homes to show your company cares for them. In addition to the employee appreciation kit, you can live stream on social media and say appreciative and encouraging words for the best performing employee in front of the whole world. 

Practice Empathy and Flexibility 

Not only does the Covid-19 pandemic affect people's physical health, but it also takes a massive toll on their emotional wellbeing. Employees' thoughts, emotions, and feelings are all over the place during Covid-19. Most employees struggle to find their motivation, relieve stress, and maintain their mental health these days. 

As a business leader or manager, you must listen to your employees' concerns and problems and practice your empathy and flexibility to ensure they stay connected to the company. Each employee has unique needs and concerns. 

Therefore, practice active listening and follow a proactive approach to mitigate their problems, especially those associated with remote work. Listening to employees' concerns allows you to develop effective retention strategies that enhance their morale. 

Final Words 

Companies that focus on creating a positive, collaborative, and interactive environment achieve higher productivity levels and boost their bottom line. Employees, managers, and leaders are crucial stakeholders of a company. Optimistic interaction between teams is critical to success. 

However, this requires building a robust remote work culture and employee oriented-strategies. Follow the tips given above to improve connectivity with your team while working from home. Good Luck!