Engaging and Connecting with Your Hybrid Workforce

After the Covid pandemic presented what is perhaps the largest remote working experiment ever seen, hybrid working has been one of the biggest societal shifts we’ve seen in recent years. 

Research carried out by Kings College London explores the work-from-home revolution, finding that six in ten London workers are now hybrid workers (as defined by working from home at least one day a week and from their workplace fewer than five days a week).

Such a big change in how we work has led to even bigger debates – is this a permanent change? Do we get as much from our employees when they aren’t always in the office? And importantly how can we engage with our teams when we aren’t seeing them face to face like we used to? 

For an employer, this is a big transition, and you may be wondering how you can ensure your entire team feels connected when they are in multiple different workplaces across London and beyond. 

How can you keep your workforce feeling connected and engaged?

Remote working during the pandemic proved so popular that hybrid working is likely to be here to stay and as a result, our interactions and communication with co-workers and employees have changed. Some people have reported feeling a little demotivated or isolated from their coworkers as a result, but there are lots of ways to combat this feeling. 

Streamline has personal experience with how you can leverage branded merchandise to improve employee engagement and effectively improve team morale and productivity. 

A small gesture, like gifting your team a carefully curated Corporate Gift Box to thank them for their hard work, or sending new recruits an onboarding pack with a difference can go a long way to engaging your workforce.

Whether you choose branded drinkware to encourage them to stay hydrated, company-branded clothing to show off on Zoom calls, or handy branded desk products that ensure they’re feeling a part of your brand with every use, there are so many options to make those working remotely feel more connected to their company and part of the bigger picture.  Truly feeling like part of a team can have a meaningful and positive impact on remote and hybrid workers.    

Branded Merchandise that boosts team spirit & company pride

Maintaining communication with your team at any time is key but with many now further afield than just across the corridor or department is essential to maintain morale and make your teammates feel valued. 

There’s never been a better time to demonstrate to your workforce that you appreciate everything they’re doing. To have a team of colleagues who you can rely on to deliver results to the best of their abilities is something to be proud of. But how can you show it from a distance?

According to a recent piece by Harvard Business Review, it’s the little things that truly make a difference when it comes to making your team members feel appreciated. The good news is, many of them can be done no matter how far apart you might be.

Show employees how much you appreciate and value them

• By building trust and loyalty. Employee loyalty is increased when they sense your interest in them. Your greatest asset is a workforce that feels loyal to you or the business. Several studies have found an increase in workplace mistrust. Appreciating employees can reverse this trend, which gives your business an advantage over competitors who are not doing this.
• Develop a positive workplace culture. Thanks and appreciation foster a sense of community. It makes a significant contribution to developing a supportive workplace culture, which lowers employee turnover. Research shows that employee recognition initiatives reduce turnover by 31%.  Recruiting and training the right people for your team takes a lot of resources and budget, so making them feel valued in their role ensures that investment in them is worth every penny.
• Improving mental health.  Helping employees feel valued and appreciated can considerably reduce workplace stress, according to the World Health Organisation.
• Organisations that want to create a culture of engagement, loyalty, and high performance are making sure that their employees know that they matter.

Remembering work anniversaries, celebrating achievements, and birthdays all can help with this, and producing personalised and thoughtful gifts with subtle company branding helps achieve positive results for company culture, brand promotion, and staff morale.

Maintain company culture & promote engagement

Employee engagement is a rebranding of one of the cornerstones of any workplace: contented employees. Nevertheless, engagement goes beyond contentment to investigate core concepts of how employees might be content with the work they undertake.  Making your staff feel valued is important since happy workers are more productive and committed to the success of your business.

A thoughtfully designed promotional item can convey not just information about your business but also a potent statement about how much you respect the person receiving it. It seems obvious how employing promotional products can increase employee engagement, and a study from the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) supports this:

In their recognition and incentive programmes, 75% of HR professionals said they had success using promotional products with noticeably positive results. They were also used for employee service awards, anniversary recognition programmes and to encourage particular well-being behaviors. 

The incentive presents and prizes could be anything, such as a bag of amusing branded goods, high-end luxury items, or high-tech equipment.  Something as simple as star pins on name badges to recognise employees’ efforts made a huge impact on productivity for Mcdonald’s globally.

Research shows that employees are 17 times more likely to feel passionate about their participation in a project when they can see the impact and feel that their contribution is appreciated. Therefore, rewarding participants in a successful project with a branded gift and a personal note is a simple, visible, and cost-effective way of showing your workforce how much they’re appreciated.

The ongoing benefits of appreciating your workforce

The ongoing benefit of appreciating your workforce, which goes way beyond their productivity during working hours, each person going out into the world and telling others about their experience as your employee – this is priceless marketing for your brand.

There has never been a better time to recognise, reward, and motivate. With millions of products to choose from there is no reason why your company’s branded merchandise can’t be something that inspires and connects. Speak to our experts today to start your own branded merchandise journey.

Read more about how branded merchandise can help you engage with your people over on our blog.