The world changed drastically when the Covid-19 pandemic forced a majority of businesses to switch from in-office work to remote work. Now, as much as 56% of global companies are fully remote or hybrid companies and that brought a lot of benefits, but some drawbacks as well.
Your remote employees who are still getting used to working from home had to make some drastic changes to their lives and the way they perform their duties. So if you want to show those employees they’re still a valuable part of the company, here are some reasons to do that with virtual gifts.
1. Show Them Their Work Is Recognized And Appreciated
A lack of physical distance can be really damaging to employees who are used to working in an office where they get words of affirmation and recognition almost daily.
Working from home has made a lot of employees not feel recognized enough, which can be a real issue for employers. In fact, 44% of employees switch jobs because of not getting adequate recognition for their efforts.
When all the communication is done via a video conference platform such as Zoom or a text-based communication app such as Slack, it’s hard to find the time to show workers they’re appreciated. Of course, you can commend people on a job well done, but sometimes that’s not enough.
However, this can be easily solved with gifts. Virtual gifts are currently very popular with remote teams and Hoppier has some great virtual gift ideas for you to check out.
2. Boost Team Spirit
It’s hard to be away from your coworkers, especially if you formed a great bond with them. However, just because your employees aren’t all under the same roof anymore, that doesn’t mean you should always look for new ways to boost team spirit.
With the right gift, you can remind your employees that they’re still a team and that they’re working towards the same goal, no matter if they share office space or not.
3. Welcome Them Back To Work
Some companies switched to a remote regime as soon as the pandemic hit while others closed operations for a while as they were trying to come up with the best ways to switch to remote work. If your business did the latter, sending gifts can be a great way to welcome employees back to work.
After all, if you weren’t operating for a certain period of time, your employees probably felt insecure about their work status and worried if they would ever be returning to work. With a small gesture, you can welcome them back and keep their spirits high.
This will give them a memorable experience and show you acknowledge the patience they showed during these uncertain times.
4. Provide Them With An Instant Reward
If you opt for virtual gifts, they can be a great way to show appreciation to your employees and reward them for a job well done in an instant.
For example, let’s say one of your team members closed a very important deal or reached a milestone. Back in the days before the pandemic, you might have taken them out for a celebratory lunch or coffee. But since that’s impossible to do now, you can simply send them a virtual gift card.
It’s the same gesture, but it arrives instantly in their inbox, and as an added bonus, it allows you to respect social distancing laws and keep everyone safe and healthy. This way of gift-giving is also fast and convenient.
5. Give Them A Sense Of Safety
It doesn’t matter if you closed up shop for a while or switched to remote work as soon as it was necessary, your employees are probably still feeling insecure about their jobs.
When you switched to virtual meetings and your employees lost valuable face-to-face time with their team, they probably found themselves in a seemingly unstable environment. In their heads, if job conditions can change that easily, so can their employment status.
If you send them gifts, you can reassure them that they’re a valuable and appreciated part of the company. Just because the way you operate changed, it doesn’t mean you will replace the workers who stood by you.
Conclusion
Remote work has a lot of benefits and a majority of people who started working from home say that they would like to continue with it even after the pandemic ends. But that doesn’t mean that your employees don’t deserve a little recognition for all the hard work they’re putting in.
No matter if you’re trying to show you appreciate your remote employees, send them a reward, or simply remind them they’re an irreplaceable part of the company, you can do all that with a simple gift.
