What are some creative ways to recognize your remote workers and foster a sense of connection?

One of the simplest ways to recognize and connect decentralized/remote workers is by offering them time to share who they are outside of work. Having personally worked remotely since the onset of the pandemic, I've felt closer to my team when we've shared who we are personally. And doing so makes meeting face-to-face so much more enriching. All it takes is committing five minutes of meeting time to have someone share something about themselves, like photos of a recent vacation or a hobby or personal passion. Or it could be everyone quickly sharing one thing from their previous week. And if it takes more than five minutes, so be it. We'll tighten things up next time. Ultimately, work gets done because we're happier.

One thing I've found that resonates well is to get to know your employees and understand how they like to be recognized. Some want to be recognized publicly during a meeting, others prefer a personal email or note, some want gifts while others want a bonus, etc. Knowing personal preferences will go a long way in ensuring each employee feels recognized and appreciated.

A great way of making sure recognition is personalised is to be clear about what you’re recognising. If one of my team goes above and beyond on a project then the recognition not only reflects their contribution (perhaps an additional personal day to say thanks for their extra hours) but I make it clear that it’s in recognition of their efforts on achieving this specific outcome. It shows that I’m paying attention and that the gesture isn’t a generic corporate cringefest.

This is particularly true for calendar events. For example, be aware of who in your team is celebrating this month and be prepared to use this as an opportunity to show how valued they are. Imagine the impact of receiving a note which says “I know Ramadan in coming up and I’d like to send your family an Iftar hamper”

Practicing gratitude in the workplace is an essential strategy for fostering trust and connection among remote employees. Purposeful implementation of facilitated appreciation exercises during team meetings can serve as crucial building blocks of collaboration within a team. A prime example is the allotment of five minutes during the team meeting for each team member to express gratitude towards another team member. This simple yet powerful practice does not demand significant time, budget, or preparation but, when consistently applied, can cultivate mutual support and team spirit.

Value-aligned recognition programs can indeed be a potent tool for change management in organizations. When an organization undergoes a transformation process and requires its employees to adopt new behaviors and skills, rewarding desired behavior can be an effective approach. An excellent example of such a program was the "Doing the Right Thing" week at a large CPG company, where employees were acknowledged for their integrity and rigorous adherence to the company's principles and values. By highlighting and celebrating such behavior, organizations can motivate employees to embrace its values and principles, leading to a culture of continuous improvement, greater employee engagement, and overall organizational success.

Values are all about behaviours — whenever someone displays the right behaviours really well, they help reinforce the company's values. It's important to celebrate, showcase and reward this because it ends up encouraging more of the same.