How to Recognize Your Remote, Virtual Employees in a Hybrid Workplace
Surveys suggest that a lot of organizations are falling down when it comes to recognizing their remote employees – after all, the old adage, “out of sight, out of mind” can to easily become a reality. Here are some ways to make sure you keep recognizing and appreciation your remote/virtual employees in a hybrid workplace.
Recognizing Your Remote Employees in a Hybrid Workplace – video transcription
Here are seven thoughts about how to recognize and how to reward employees when working in a remote workplace or a hybrid work situation. You see, we have to be careful of that old adage, “out of sight is out of mind.”
In fact, I’ve had some employees tell me that for the first time ever, their teammates forgot their birthday and they put it down to just the fact that they’re working remotely. It’s easy to forget about each other when you don’t see your teammates every day, and it’s easy to let recognition and rewards slide when you don’t see everybody every day.
#1. Create some new recognition rewards that are fitting for a hybrid workplace. For example, the “Virtual Rock Star of the Month” for someone who’s just rocking it when it comes to working remotely or engaging with their teammates in the remote reality. Or a “Houdini Award” for whoever magically made a big remote workplace problem just disappear. Or the “Bridge Builder Award” for whoever best unites teams or employees that are working in remote locations.
#2. Use a separate online calendar or app to make sure you keep track of all those important dates, such as workplace anniversaries, birthdays, and any important milestones that you want to remember to celebrate. I’m a huge fan of the Kudos app (Go to kudos.com) – they have an incredible app for people working in a hybrid workplace situation or working remotely that allows you to recognize and praise people and send, well, kudos to one another when you are working apart.
#3. Be extra intentional about scheduling some of your events where you are going to praise people or recognize your employees publicly. Yes, it can be fun sometimes to just surprise people with some recognition, but when people are working remotely you want to make sure everyone is aware of it and that they show up, so schedule it! Let people know that they want to show up this Friday morning at your virtual meeting, because Joe is going to get a special honor or Susan is going to get a special recognition.
#4. Embrace the old saying, “With high tech, we need to be high touch.” So in addition to recognizing people remotely using virtual technology, make sure you send them something physical in the mail. It doesn’t have to be big, even just a handwritten thank you card, or a handwritten note of appreciation. A small gift sent in the mail, when everything is online these days, has that much more power.
#5. Include the family! One of the benefits of people working remotely in a hybrid workplace is it’s way easier sometimes to involve the family members. So why not invite the family members of a person being honored to take part in that part of a meeting where the person is being recognized.
#6. Think outside the organization box. Again, with people working remotely, with virtual meetings, you can think way beyond who you might traditionally invite to any sort of recognition. You can invite retired employees, key customers, or even people working overseas.
#7. Make use of the technology. Use something like the “Wheel of Names” (WheelofNames.com) to put in different prizes that the recipient can spin for to see what they won or have your team put together a fun prerecorded Zoom message for the recipient. Go to Cameo.com and hire a B or C or D list celebrity to prerecord a customized message for the recipient. Or just have people write in the chat box one word that comes to mind when they think of the person being honored. Use the technology to your advantage.
But remember above all else, it’s just about being extra intentional when people are working remotely so they don’t feel forgotten. It’s so important to build a culture of praise and recognition.
So what about you? What are you doing in a hybrid workplace to make sure your employees are still being recognized, are still being rewarded in fun ways? Please leave a message in the comment box. And if you haven’t yet subscribed to my Inspiring Workplaces You Tube channel, I would invite you to do so. Please join our growing community as we talk about workplaces that rock.
Michael Kerr, July 2021. Michael is a Canadian Hall of Fame business speaker and the author of 8 books including, Hire, Inspire and Fuel Their Fire; The Humor Advantage, and The Jerk-Free Workplace.
