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Did you know that fewer than one in 10 remote-capable workers wants to go to the office full-time? It’s a pretty unsurprising statistic given the popularity of flexible work arrangements.
You’d think that with how satisfied remote workers are with their conditions, retention and burnout prevention would be a piece of cake.
Well, it isn’t. Remote teams struggle to find belonging in the workplace, among other key issues. Today, we’re sharing some team rituals for remote teams, with specific ways to tailor them to your organization’s culture.
The remote work paradox (Or, why your remote employees need team rituals)
In our recent guide to team rituals, we discussed research on what turns employees off during team events. The answer was negative experiences, whether attending the event was a hassle or they felt underappreciated for participating.
No one wants their bond-building cultural traditions to leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. But this finding becomes even more concerning when we learn that remote employees are more likely to experience negative emotions in any scenario.
Gallup reports that remote workers express higher levels of engagement but greater levels of distress, indicating lower well-being. One (understandable) reason for this is that autonomy can add stress. We put more pressure on ourselves to perform when we carry more personal responsibility.
The cause that many companies aren’t taking seriously enough is workplace connection. That includes the stimulating, fulfilling range of experiences we have at work that aren’t all about work:
- Sharing lunch
- Exchanging stories
- Making friends
- Getting help with work issues on the spot
These are types of social support that keep negative emotions at bay. They also look pretty similar to a lot of team rituals. The message is clear. More than just feelings of belonging, remote employees can get a psychological safety net of support that sets them apart from so many statistics.
10 team rituals for remote and hybrid employees
Remote workers know they can handle business from anywhere. That’s one reason why more than half of them actively keep an eye out for other job opportunities. Yikes. Get an edge by addressing what ails them: the hit their well-being takes when they don’t feel part of a team.
The following team engagement ideas are small, low-pressure ways to help virtual employees feel less isolated.
1. Team zine
We share all types of team bonding and employee appreciation ideas like Pet of the Week, Show and Tell, paper plate awards, and more. Instead of trying to implement all of these, create a monthly or quarterly team zine.
Employees can share their playlists, vacation photos, pet pics, peer shoutouts, and maybe a humorous essay. The organization can ensure the virtual editions are put together if there are no employee volunteers. What’s nonnegotiable is team involvement. It’s a cool, efficient way to update remote employees on who has been up to what, and its contents can be a great icebreaker during coffee chats.
2. Zoom tag
Strong cultures and connected teams begin with onboarding, but can happen belatedly, too. Whether forming a new team or getting better acquainted, make a tradition where everyone hops on Zoom and puts it in gallery view.
Team members can take turns picking someone in the gallery whom everyone can familiarize themselves with. Let team members decide what they want to ask their teammate–what’s the most enjoyable part of your role, what did you do last weekend, et cetera. Then it’s the answerer’s turn to pick the next team member they want to talk to.
3. The buddy system
Support and inclusion are essential for employees to even want to participate in a team ritual. The buddy system is a basic, adjustable way to push those values to the front. Work buddies are also awesome for supplying solutions and keeping us accountable, boosting productivity.
It’s a good strategy for the independent nature of remote work. Linking up often with one person feels much less disruptive than trying to build a connection with everyone during a wider ritual. Be intentional and careful when creating pairs. Some are naturally already in place because they have to collaborate; support and encourage those connections. Others may have something to offer the other, like one buddy whose morale could help someone come out of their shell.
4. An entertainment channel
Employees ignore some watercooler-type Slack channels because random conversations don’t feel productive or relevant enough. Observe what people are catching up on and define a space with more purpose. Sports fans, film buffs, or employees who watch the same shows episode by episode have a chance to get each other’s take on recent events.
Common interests are the foundation of many of our tightest-held team rituals. Sharing movie recs based on what we saw over the weekend, commiserating the morning after the big game, or catching up on the drama during the latest episode of a reality TV competition.
5. Taco Tuesday
Another highly customizable ritual in waiting is a mainstay on teams that use HeyTaco. Taco Tuesdays are a time for remote employees to celebrate small wins, point out peers who champion company values, and gain an edge on the giving leaderboards.
HeyTaco in particular works well for your asynchronous team because it’s very lightweight and won’t disrupt workflows. Moreover, it’s lighthearted. People like picking up little rituals that feel fun, informal, and low-stakes. The more effort they have to make, the greater the chance the experience can turn negative.
6. Would-You-Rather Wednesday
One of the best things about remote work is that team chats give us time to think about what we’re going to say. This makes rituals around questions more engaging. No one will feel too put on the spot, and they can give deliberate answers that connect with teammates.
Would-You-Rather Wednesday is a placeholder title. Pick a day for any weekly check-in questions, icebreakers, or hot takes you want to try out as a ritual.
7. Thankful Thursday
At HeyTaco, we’ve seen many a recognition tradition centered on gratitude. If remote workers aren’t interacting very much, they may not have had many opportunities to share virtual tacos with the team.
Rituals like Thankful Thursday (or again, whatever you’d like to title it) let employees play catch-up with what they’re grateful for. A rapid response to their last email, coworkers completing their end of a project on time, anything. This reassures remote employees that real people are seeing and appreciating them, even if from afar.
8. Fab Fridays
Rituals that set the tone for the weekend don’t just build anticipation for time off. They’re a venue for reflecting and celebrating what teams have accomplished that week. Set virtual celebrations for the last day of the work week. Let everyone update others on their progress and share their wins.
And it must be said–do this during working hours. Frame it as an end-of-the-week check-in that employees will quickly regard as “the fun meeting.” HeyTaco users at Liven do something like this every few weeks. Their Taco Love sessions focus on music, celebrations, and feelings of accomplishment.
9. Virtual coffee chats
That last team engagement idea will show the value of informal gatherings in creating rituals. Employees of all work models find it easier to settle into casual rituals. What’s more casual and friendly than sharing a cup of coffee?
Virtual meetings devoted to light, free-flowing conversation build the natural rapport we want to see thrive on these teams. Chats like this are also a great time to learn more about the team and their interests. That’s sure to help the company uncover more ideas for resonant rituals they will grab onto.
10. Celebrate milestones
Does your team acknowledge work anniversaries and birthdays? These are built-in chances to create rituals. HeyTaco’s Milestones feature, for example, can automate the well-wishes in the channel of your choosing, signaling the beginning of the ritual.
When remote teams see the company message congratulating their coworkers, they can start sending their own messages, memes, or tacos of appreciation. Even the employee who’s been quiet as a mouse finds this a logical place to start diving into team engagement.
Co-creating a culture of belonging in the workplace
Hopefully, you’ll have no trouble choosing which team rituals to test this week. If you do, take a cue from the remote team at Deputy, a global workforce management platform.
Deputy uses HeyTaco for team connections. They started by ritualizing Taco Tuesday, eventually deciding to convert it to a Gratitude channel. After that took off, the ritual spread from Deputy’s engineering team to the entire organization.
It just goes to show that testing a ritual and adjusting based on what teams respond best to is a winning strategy. In Deputy’s case, they’ve now ritualized celebrating top taco givers and created an annual Spotify-inspired “Taco Wrapped.”
Make one ritual stick, and more will organically spring from it. Who knows? Your company may end up being one of those that change how we regard culture and connection on remote teams.
