Let’s start this article off with a statistic found by the research conducted by Buffer which discovered that more than one-fifth of remote employees cited loneliness as the biggest challenge to remote work. We at VOIZ understand that loneliness isn’t an unavoidable outcome of working remotely or from home. This is why we believe that one of the best ways of bringing remote workers together is through group celebrations! Sure, remote work is known to boost employee productivity but what keeps their loyalty, interest and morale intact is some good, old fashioned socialising and camaraderie that many tend to miss while working from home.
The Significance of Workplace Camaraderie
At VOIZ we make an effort to increase virtual employee engagement by celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries, festivals etc as this can work wonders on keeping agents and employees happy and valued. The last week of December is one of the least productive times of the year. Many employees struggle to balance work and family, especially during the holiday season. According to Robert Half, a human resources consulting group conducted a holiday survey which found that out of 1000 workers, only 18% of employees plan on working through the week while a majority of the candidate research pool plan to be ‘somewhat productive’. So why not check in with our guys from the office once in a while to check on their health and wellbeing and engage in joyful interaction with them, in honour of the season!
In an attempt to maintain a successful and positive work culture, we’re turning what might have been a working party of one to a virtual fun celebratory meet-up! At VOIZ, we made sure to implement virtual celebrations that build on the camaraderie established in the remote working environment while forging new bonds between recent hires and the rest of the team members!
Here are a few two-minute take-aways for Aetna that cement our decision to take the festivities seriously and prioritise agent happiness:
- With changing weather patterns, reduced daylight hours, and the festive season driving behaviours like overeating, overspending, etc, employees are physically, mentally and emotionally tired from how demanding the festive season is.
- The stress of not being able to spend time with family and friends during the Festive season despite working remotely.
- The stress of achieving year-end personal and professional targets and goals.
Reasons why we are taking the festive season seriously this year:
Reason #1 It helps combat loneliness
Celebrating special events virtually can help create and sustain a remote working environment filled with meaningful relationships powered by loyalty that offer support, joy and a certain sense of consonance.
Reason #2 It builds a strong sense of camaraderie
We have plenty of telesales and customer support agents with us that regular meetups help in forging meaningful connections that make it easy to work together. Another goal we are trying to achieve is to grease into the festive meet up regularly so as to create a sense of community and oneness.
Reason #3 It provides networking opportunities
When team members have the opportunity to socialize beyond just work talk, they broaden their networks within the organization which can lead to creative and innovative ideas within the virtual workplace.
Reason #4 It strengthens the company-agent relationship
By connecting with the company and its coworkers, we are able to celebrate agents and employees as individuals and not as just workers. This can establish a certain rapport between the company and the agent while also building feelings of trust and interest with the working force.
Reason #5 It increases employee engagement
By making the effort to combat remote working loneliness and by promoting friendships among teammates, virtual celebrations tend to enhance workplace engagement while also leading to greater organizational success.
At VOIZ, our primary goal is to provide employee assistance and support during this Holiday season to help manage work and/or family pressures and other concerns during the holiday season and beyond to tackle the winter and festive blues.