Remote Events: Re-Motivate Your Teams

Tom Farndon is the Director of Client Experience at Impact 4 Good, where he helps companies bring their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies to life through innovative employee engagement and give back programs. Passionate about the intersection of for-profit and nonprofit work, Tom specializes in motivating companies to embrace corporate citizenship and deepen their impact in local communities. With more than half his life spent facilitating events and inspiring others through public speaking, he continues to challenge and improve the ways people give back and support nonprofits nationwide.

Remote engagement has been, and will continue to be a challenge for companies no matter the sector. While hybrid work allows for flexibility and a new way for people to engage, these pros come with their own cons, mainly lack of engagement and connection.

There is an age-old trope of the “water cooler” in corporate offices. A place where colleagues congregate to break up the monotony and interact with one another. In chatting with one another, they build social bonds over shared interests, passions, and sometimes grievances.

The question is how can corporations provide this “water cooler” experience for remote workers – allowing them to connect in low-pressure settings in an organic way and build those relationships? A good starting point to solve for this is by giving employees a forum to relate to one another while simultaneously doing something meaningful for others!

Corporations can start by creating an environment where people work alongside each other outside of the day-to-day work setting to focus on giving back to those in need. In doing so, something powerful tends to emerge—insight into what truly motivates people to serve. Something that I’ve noticed in over a decade of corporate social responsibility (CSR) team building is that people are keen on doing good all over the world, and while the objectives or the results of those philanthropic endeavors may differ, the fundamental “heart” behind why they do it is similar. Whether it stems from a personal experience or responding to the needs of a community, people bond in this shared feeling and are eager to share stories that brought them to giving back in the first place. The desire to do good is contagious.

When building events for your remote community, focus on a tangible result outside simply building camaraderie. Creating a virtual happy hour with the intention of creating fun is all well and good, but it’s more effective to focus on a meaningful activity, such as volunteering, that provides something fulfilling and allows your audience to derive their own fun from it. This reduces the pressure of feeling “I’m part of this social function, I have to find a way to enjoy myself”, and turns it into “ I didn’t know I shared this passion with a colleague, I wonder what else we share?” 

Projects that allow attendees to have skin in the game are especially effective, giving employees a creative and purpose-driven outlet. Whether it’s a paint and sip to provide artwork to a local after school art club, or a DIY kit of a stuffed animal to be sent to a Ronald McDonald House Charity, people rally around seeing a physical result of their hard work. To enhance it further, invite a representative from your nonprofit partner to come and speak to your group. Establishing emotional connection keeps employees engaged, and most of all, invested. 

Lastly, practice good stewardship by following up not only with employees, but your beneficiary too! Provide status updates to the impact of their donation, and keep the conversation going outside of the event. Maintaining connection will keep employees invested and looking forward to future give-back events when their good work is acknowledged and they understand the event was not one and done.

There’s no singular solution for the challenges experienced in engaging remote workers and hybrid teams. However, with trust and intentional nurturing, you can create an environment where employees build community around giving. If you provide them the platform, they will unite along their common passions and interests and help make the lives of others better by working toward a common goal.