Inspiring the Troops While Safer At Home

We’ve all read about (and have quite possibly experienced) how working from home on a prolonged basis can lead to a lack of productivity or even depression. A complete absence of social interaction, even informal water-cooler talk, can have a negative impact on your team; likewise finding positive, fun ways to stay connected can have…

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We’ve all read about (and have quite possibly experienced) how working from home on a prolonged basis can lead to a lack of productivity or even depression. A complete absence of social interaction, even informal water-cooler talk, can have a negative impact on your team; likewise finding positive, fun ways to stay connected can have a palpable boost on team morale. Here are simple, cost effective ways you can keep your troops engaged while still focusing on the tasks at hand:

1. VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR >

End-of-day-drinks don’t need to end just because you can’t go to your local hotspot. Happy Hour traditions can, and should, continue while staying Safer at Home! There are lots of creative ways to manage this

1) Schedule your Happy Hour for the same day of the week and time of day each week, that way everyone can plan their required tasks accordingly and actually look forward to their weekly tradition. Add Happy Hour events to the company calendar, and don’t cancel it unless you absolutely need to – treat it like a company meeting in terms of importance but keep it casual in terms of content.

2) Designate a theme or location for your happy hour. Then you can encourage everyone to change their virtual backgrounds and pour thematic drinks, creating some unity and fun while getting back a little piece of normalcy. If you need ideas, Canva offers 30 days of free templates.

3) Make it optional, off the clock. That way folks can truly enjoy their event without the pressure of a required work function. You can make the intent of this type of gathering abundantly clear – it’s just to gather, see one another, and enjoy each other’s company.

2. CELEBRATE ONE ANOTHER WITH SPIRIT CELEBRATIONS >

It’s it Michelle from Shipping’s birthday? Did Lorenzo in HR just celebrate 30 years with the company? Don’t let these milestones pass without attention and merry making! By pre-scheduling on a unified company calendar, planning ahead with a strategic streamer or recorded birthday song, or perhaps mailing a gift or two to folks in anticipation of a company gathering, you can keep your team connected while also providing folks with absolute joy.

These spirit celebrations should be 15-20 minutes, at that length they will be appreciated by your colleagues without taking over the whole day, and of course a welcome break from isolation.

3. UNITE YOUR TEAM WITH TEAM BUILDING TOOLS

Drinks and celebrations are wonderful, but it may also be prudent to facilitate deeper conversations with your team in an on-going basis in a more one-on-one capacity. Programs such as 15Five allow you to have regular check ins with all staff members while also providing coaching, relaxation tips, focus-barometers, and the ability to flag critical responses for future follow-up. This tool can also be used as a replacement of an annual performance review in favor of a more holistic, customizable assessment.

We send our best wishes to all of the many teams working remotely during these unprecedented times!
If we can be of service in support of your managed IT services or other technical support, we’re just a phone call away. Reach out to us during regular business hours and you’ll be connected with us within 5 minutes, guaranteed.

MICROSOFT TEAMS
– 
Ideal for Office365 Users, More Secure

Our grade: A-

The best thing about this service is how seamlessly it integrates with Office 365 -with Teams video conferencing you can leverage email, chat, Microsoft Office apps, and a host of other MS products to make file sharing, collaborating, and overall communication much better. The platform also meets “more than 90 regulatory and industry standards“, a claim that Zoom cannot make, giving it an edge when it comes to overall security. The system can be setup to require multi-factor authentication, and processes more than 8 trillion security signals every day in order to keep users secure.

This service also has broader usage and application:

  • One-on-one meetings as well as the ability to host 10,000 user public events
  • Included features allow for scheduling assistance and meeting note taking
  • Meeting follow-up and “life-cycle” tracking

PRO TIP: We use Microsoft teams for all of our internal work as well as client consultations and remote work. If you are not already using Office 365, then it’s a more expensive solution than Zoom for just video conferencing, but the additional features and integrations make it well worth it. We’d be more than happy to tell you about our experience with the platform as a managed service company, drop us a line any time.

CISCO WEBEX
– Most Secure, Most Expensive, A Great Tool

Our grade: A+

Cisco has been the name in cyber security since the Internet was founded – their services are tremendous, they’re also more expensive – though you are able to try the system for free. If you’re handling delicate business matters, this is probably the service you want to use.

PRO TIP: We have been working with Cisco and Webex for a long time. If you want to set your business up with their security services, we can help with installation, configuration, and support.

More questions? Need help getting set up on the system that’s right for you? Our helpful technicians are here 24/7 to be of assistance.

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