Five essentials for keeping your team engaged when working remotely

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to working remotely, which we’ve encountered, is keeping connected to your team as well as engagement. Without face-to-face contact on a daily basis, employees can often feel disengaged as they are cut off from the day-to-day rhythm of business and one step removed from your company culture and goals.

We’re all human, which means we thrive on human interaction, which is one of the key things we miss when working from home. This can in turn impact company culture. With that in mind then, how can we ensure your teams are getting what they need in order to remain engaged and continue to produce their best work during this period.

To help keep your team motivated and engaged while working remotely, we’ve put together our top 5 tips:

5 essentials for working remotely Blog Header-1

1. Stay connected

When working remotely, technology is key. Keeping open and effective communication channels are so important when managing a team remotely, and using communications platforms such as Teams, Zoom, Asana etc. are effective ways to maintain that connection, while effectively managing remotely the delivery of tasks, even if you’re not in the same room.

Be sure to also utilise your video conferencing options in order to keep that face-to-face interaction and collaboration that would potentially be affected when working from home if not managed correctly. Emails and phone calls are all well and good but having the ability to see your team while you’re discussing business topics can help your team feel more present in the office environment and allows you to get a better sense of engagement through body language.

And in terms of timing for these calls, we’re not saying you have to be checking in every hour but arranging team meetings perhaps daily is a good way to ensure everyone is aligned before the start of the working day.

VC Blog Image

2. Give employees the tools needed to do their job

A key factor in ensuring your team feels engaged is empowering them to do their best work no matter where they are. By utilising the right tools and technology you can keep your team productive, connected and centred while also aligning their work life balance.

Utilising technology and specialist tools, such as laptops, mobile phone, online servers to access documents, also allow more flexibility for, your team, which in turn can make a positive impact on their productivity and engagement.

Where you need to be careful is in setting boundaries for your communication tools, ensuring that your teams work-life balance remains intact despite being at home. It’s important to ensure just because your team are working from home that their work doesn’t unintentionally impact and bleed into every aspect of their life.

_Q3A6647-3

3. Keep focus on the company culture and promote when/where you can

Maintaining your company culture when your team isn’t in the office can be challenging. As it’s not possible to carry about the same team building and collaborative activities sometimes connections with team members can be lost.

One way to maintain your company culture while your team is working remotely is by being as open and honest with your team as possible, keep your team updated on what’s going on and ensure they don’t feel like things are being hidden from them. It’s vital to keep everyone informed both on the good news and the bad news.

It’s also important to show that you trust your team to get on with things. A number of studies have shown that employees who feel trusted are much more likely to have high levels of motivation and positivity too. According to a study by Queens School of Business and by the Gallup Organization, disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, and 60% more errors and defects.

And where you can, maintain a sense of togetherness, even if that is virtual. Activities such as online team socials, virtual quizzes are a great way to achieve this.

4. Ensure team cohesiveness by blending hybrid options

Giving your team choice in where they work is key to keeping them engaged. Going forward, adopting a hybrid model gives your team the flexibility to choose where, when and how they work. For many businesses offering “hybridity” can provide a great way of maximising productivity and flexibility while empowering your team with and meeting the needs of your business.

Though a hybrid option can only work if all of the above are in place. For now, businesses who can are working from home, which in turn removes the element of choice, but once you’ve nailed the remote team engagement, employing a hybrid working strategy is the best way to empower your team and managers and ensure they remain productive and engaged, working in a way that they choose.

5. Be flexible

Try not to be too prescriptive with your day. While you may need some structure and set times for team meetings and collaborative sessions, ensure you’re giving your team the flexibility in how they carry out the rest of their work this includes the solutions you offer them.

At WorkWell our aim to create outstanding workspace solutions that allow our clients to attract, retain and promote the best teams for their business by providing a solution that can be configured to meet exactly what your business needs and your core objectives. Offices that not only offer an outstanding environment, but also hassle-free management, allowing you to focus on growing and developing your business.

For more tips and advice, sign up to our blog below.

Co-working Vs Working from home

WorkWell on February 3, 2015

COWORKING_VS_HOME_COVER

The phone’s ringing, the dog wants to go for a walk – he’s just jumped up onto the kitchen counter and knocked your paperwork on the floor. You’ve got a meeting in the lounge in half an hour and the neighbour’s just popped in for a chat having seen your car in the drive.  To top it all, the washing machine’s just started leaking. Sound familiar?


Surely there’s a better way to run a business!

Read More about Co-working Vs Working from home

What’s the difference between Co-working and Virtual office space?

WorkWell on October 11, 2014

Co-working, virtual office space, shared offices, they all give workers who work independently from a ‘traditional’ office the chance to reap the benefits of working alongside other people in a flexible and modern way.

So they’re all the same, right?

Wrong!

Well, semi-wrong anyway. Whilst modern working environments such as co-working spaces, shared offices, and virtual office space collectively provide independent workers with the chance to network and bypass tiresome office commutes, there are some fundamental differences between them.

As we wrote in an earlier blog, 90% of UK professionals now believe flexible working is the way forward and choosing when and where you work is rapidly snowballing in the UK.

If you are keen to jump into the shared office working environment but are unsure which option of office to go for, take a look at the differences between co-working spaces and virtual offices.

Co-working spaces

Co-working spaces are essentially shared office environments in which the individuals who use them are not usually part of the same organisation and work independently.

What do co-working spaces include?

A well-equipped co-working space will include all the essential office equipment, including:

  • Wireless internet access
  • Scanners
  • Printers
  • Fax machines
  • A co-working space will have the vital office furniture such as chairs and tables, meaning you simply bring your own device and you’re ready to start working.

The better the co-working space is, the higher quality and more comfortable the furniture is likely to be. WorkWell’s co-working facilities, for example, include British designer leather furniture for a real luxury working environment.

Other features which are often at workers’ disposal in a co-working space are:

  • Tea, coffee, water and even kitchen facilities so you can brew up and prepare food at your leisure.
  • Temperature control means the working space doesn’t get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
  • Many co-working centres, which are located on the outskirts of a city, such as Carrwood Park, will have free on-site parking.

Meeting spaces

Many larger co-working centres will have presentation and conference facilities available. Having access to a meeting room and presentation facilities can be crucial for giving independent workers and organisations a truly professional edge by enabling them to meet existing or potential clients and interview employees in a professional space.

Who uses co-working spaces?

As the opportunities for networking, collaborating and mentoring with other professionals in co-working centres are prolific, they are popular amongst freelancers and start-ups who want to secure more business and help their business grow.

Being equipped with meeting room access, co-working spaces are also suitable for SMEs who want to work in a professional environment but without the hefty overheads of a traditional office lease.

They are especially popular amongst independent tech and digital workers, who require reliable and fast Wi-Fi and benefit from a ‘buzzing’ working environment.

Virtual office space

A virtual office in leeds is the perfect way for a company to invest in their image or brand and consequently increase their visibility and credibility without having to make a heavy investment on office leases.

What do virtual offices include?

Virtual offices provide most of the same benefits of having a traditional office, including:

  • A receptionist
  • A call handling service with mail forwarding
  • A lucrative business address
  • Parcel handling service

Virtual offices typically come in different packages. For example, Carrwood Park offers four different types of virtual office packages.

The first is the DDi Number package which provides a business with a landline which can either be forwarded to a mobile phone or to a personalised voicemail.

The second option is the Registered Address package which offers a professional business address with mail collection, which receives company mail and forwards it on. Having a professional business address in a lucrative location can have a significant impact on how others perceive an individual professional or a company, which can make the difference between securing contracts and not.

Then there is the Reception Answering option in which a company’s calls are received by a front of house receptionist who then forwards the messages to appropriate individual.

Many virtual offices offer all the mentioned services in one package. For example, Carrwood’s fourth virtual office package gives individuals and organisations the change to work from home or independent of a traditional office but still reap the benefits of having a full virtual office package.

Who uses virtual offices?

Virtual offices are most suitable for small businesses and start-ups which seek a virtual space and the benefits of a conventional office but are not yet ready to move out of a home office or take on the financial burden of a traditional office lease.

Virtual office users often use virtual office in the initial stage of their development until they are sufficiently big enough or have the financial means to take on ‘actual’ office space.

In short, having a glamorous business address on a business card can go a long way increasing a start-up’s or SME’s credibility.

Whether you opt to work from a co-working space or a decide a virtual office would be more beneficial to your own personal circumstances, these flexible working platforms provide professionals and businesses with a cost-effective, professional and modern way to develop business and nurture company growth.

For more information on hiring quality and well-equipped co-working and virtual office space in Leeds or Harrogate, get in touch with WorkWell.

Getting smart with better co-working etiquette

WorkWell on August 9, 2014

co-working office

If you work from home, you are no longer in a minority. In fact, according to official figures by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), you’re one of more than four million people who now regularly work from home in the UK.

Working from the confines of your own home has its obvious advantages – no lengthy commutes, no time or money wasted on travel, no concern about suits and other fancy work outfits. The list goes on and on. Despite the obvious benefits, homeworking is not all fun and glory. In fact, it can be decidedly un-fun!

Richard Branson started his entrepreneurial career running his first business from a friend’s basement. Branson spent many hours in a lonely, damp and dark basement working on a student magazine called Student.

As Virgin.com states:

“While not all budding entrepreneurs start out in such unglamorous conditions, most are familiar with the strains of working from home or in less than desirable circumstances….”

“…The number one complaint from many who work from home is loneliness, with many people unprepared for the isolated working environment.”

The good news is, that unlike when Richard Branson was starting out back in the 60s, there is now a glamorous, well-facilitated and ‘buzzing’ option for independent homeworkers to work in – co-working centres.

If you lack the banter, companionship and professional surroundings as you battle each day on your own working from home, you may want to consider communal working.

The rise of the co-working offices

Shared workspace is becoming an increasingly popular way for creatives and freelancers to work. Co-working centres provide office space and facilities for freelancers, start-ups and small businesses to work in a unique environment in which they can collaborate and grow.

Co-working centres provide members with all the benefits of a ‘proper’ office but without the hefty price-tag. They encourage collaboration between members of diverse backgrounds and industries, which can prove instrumental to business growth.

OK so we’ve sold co-working to you. Like the world’s most famous and successful entrepreneur himself, you’re determined to give up the dark and isolated confines of your home office – if you can call it an office – in favour for a desk at a glam co-working office.

But before you do so, you may want to read the following tips on co-working etiquette and ultimately ask yourself the question: Are you polite enough to co-work?!

Essential co-working etiquette

Collaborate and network by all means, but don’t hard sell to others.

The very essence of co-working is to help independent workers and small business owners network and develop their business ventures. With this in mind, introducing yourself to a fellow co-worker at the coffee machine and talking about what you do is great and almost expected.

Disturbing fellow co-workers by over-zealously shaking everyone’s hand the minute you walk in the office, won’t do you any favours. In fact it might even cause other co-workers to make a mental note, not to visit the centre when you are there!

“Co-working is built on trust”, says Michael Clingan, author of ‘Close That Sale!’ “Using the co-working space to sell violated that trust.”

Refrain from constantly talking loudly on your phone

So running a small business and working for yourself does require some verbal communication via the telephone. Consequently, many co-working centres are equipped with phone lines so workers can have their own landline number.

Whilst the very nature of working under the same roof as other freelancers and creatives demands a lively, buzzing and atmospheric environment – the type many homeworkers both lack and crave – nobody wants to be drowned out or unable to think due to an exceptionally loud fellow co-worker who seems unable to prize their phone from the side of their face.

Respect the fact that people are members of co-working centres to work. If they wanted to work alongside the constant whir of exceptionally loud salespeople on the phone, they would have chosen to work in a call centre!

Be friendly

One of the best parts of giving up your six years of working in a 9 – 5 job in a corporation that got you nowhere is that you no longer have to smile at people you don’t like. However, having the freedom to not be forced to communicate with colleagues you couldn’t give the time of day, shouldn’t mean you have a ticket out sourly scour at everyone you meet.

Your year or two working from home in isolation may have turned you into a tad of a socialising sceptic, but now’s your chance to meet new, like-minded people and even potential friends, providing of course, you’re friendly. What’s more, your friendliness can soon transpire into networking and ultimate business growth.

As Forbes writes:

“The best part about this is that being friendly is actually a covert networking manoeuvre. Co-working communities are excellent sources of information, knowledge, leads and skills, and as you get to know your neighbours, you’ll find ways to help each other out. ”

A rather dishy freelance web designer holds the door open for you as you walk into the office, you smile politely, say thank you spend the rest of the day trying to muse up the courage to ask him to go for a drink. OK so that’s one perk of co-working we’ll refrain from elaborating and jokes aside, every member of a co-working office should be well-mannered and respectful of other members.

As well as being well-mannered and polite throughout the whole of your co-working duration, you should also mind your meal manners.

“If there would be only one rule for all co-working spaces, it would be this: The kitchen is sacred – don’t mess it up,” advises The Muse.

Make good use of the free tea, coffee, water and even beer and wine in some centres, but don’t take the mickey, always tidy up after you and keep your mitts off other people’s goodies!

If you’re freelancing or starting your own business in Yorkshire and miss the banter and facilities of office life, you may want to think of joining WorkWell and our flexible, professional, state-of-the-art and friendly co-working in Leeds and Harrogate.