Mani Casadona

How to Keep your Remote Team Engaged this Quarantine?

By: Mani Casadona | May 15, 2020

Covid-19 has unsettled and rearranged the work place at a breathtaking speed. The past two months have been quite challenging, both for the management and employees. Suddenly the structure of a typical workday has been turned upside down, and virtual meets become the norm. Uncertainty has worsened the scenario even more. In the face of lockdown, a manager’s role is extremely complicated, and you have no alternative but to “reset your expectations”, says the owner of an IT firm, having a modern office space at Mani Casadona, a premium commercial property in Rajarhat, Kolkata.

In these trying times, when the world is battling the anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic alongside the pressurised state of the “work from home” scenario, it’s crucial to maintain productivity, without losing its original pace. But it is not easy to keep employees engaged during this stressful phase. So let’s find some easy ways to get familiar with this new normal.

Host Remote Coffee Meetings

The morning moments at office are missing in a remote set up. Quite obviously, your employees are missing the typical work setting. But that does not mean the days of coffee-time chats are a thing of the past. You can always host remote coffee meets to get your online team connected online. Every few days, you can schedule a coffee meeting with your teammates to connect on a more human level. Leave out work talk, and instead indulge in some casual conversation with your colleagues.

Be Flexible

As already mentioned, the lockdown has heightened the fear of uncertainty even more. It’s taking a toll on everyone’s psychological well-being. It’s quite a drill, which is affecting the productivity of the employees. But, being flexible with work timings can be really helpful in these trying times. By implementing flexible measures, you can curb the additional burden on your employees. With kids at home, errands to run, and other life factors, it’s often difficult to adhere to an uninterrupted daily schedule, especially in a work from home set-up. Thus, flexibility can add value to this new found set-up.

Organize Engaging Training Schedules

This is a phase which is physically sedentary than usual. But, you can utilize this time to engage your teammates in research and learning. Some companies are leveraging this open time to boost learning and education about their business. This is the time, when you can tell your employees more about your product and services. Get videos and other training material that were most likely overlooked earlier during busy workdays.

Indulge in Virtual Happy Hours

Unlike the usual Fridays, “Quarantined Fridays are bleak & sombre”, says an IT professional, having his workplace at Mani Casadona, an ultra-modern office space in New Town, Kolkata. Obviously, he is missing those Friday fun evenings at Verve. So, to get over this lockdown monotony, he and his teammates organize quick happy hour every Friday evening post work hours. Virtual happy hours can reduce your boredom and let you unwind with co-workers in a more relaxed ambiance.

The Takeaway Point

With Covid-19 gradually becoming mankind’s newest concern, working from home can be the next game-changer for the corporate world. This would call for exciting ways to stay engaged and productive even from a remote location. As we navigate through this tough time, it’s important to stay happy, cheerful, positive, and to support each other.