5 Way to Drive Employee Engagement Online

By Pamela Jocson

Are you tired of staring at your computer and other gadgets all day for meetings, presentations, and basically everything we do now for work? I know I am! I’m sure your employees are, too! Virtual employee engagement events like holiday parties, town halls, and the like have all been squeezed into the virtual space because of the ongoing pandemic. The side-by-side chitchats with your teammates during events have now been reduced to a mere chat function of the online platform. All this while you enjoy the cool sounds of Sponge Cola and the magic tricks of Tom Weil at home, in your pajamas. 

The key to organizational engagement is employee involvement. Going virtual has many benefits, one of them is that it enables employees to participate in a wide range of ways wherever they may be, which also improves the feeling that they are truly valued. 

While there are all these cool new 3D platforms that they can explore, engaging employees can still be challenging, especially if they are already experiencing “Zoom fatigue.” Allow us to take you through a list of the top five things you can do to ensure engagement from your employees in the virtual space.

1. Pre-event hype and communication is essential

Remember to communicate your virtual employee engagement and its corresponding details very, very well — drum up FOMO (fear of missing out) to guarantee employee participation. How can you get them to open and read your announcement? A catchy call to action on the email subject and a visually appealing eDM would do the trick. Be reminded as well that you are talking to busy people with short attention spans, so better keep your content short, simple, and easily digestible. 

Make sure that you give them the 411 on how to register for the virtual event, where they can find their platform credentials, what are the platform functionalities, technical requirements (bandwidth, device), and the log-in process.  This is one of the most frequently overlooked elements of an almost successful virtual event. 

If you are hosting virtual events on a regular basis, you might want to create an online community where employees can access frequently asked questions and initiate conversations. That way, everyone will have an opportunity to learn and take cues from one another in real-time. Ensure that the pre-event briefing guidelines are accessible here as well.

Data privacy must also be considered. Avoid asking for sensitive information and only get personal information necessary for attendance purposes. Your virtual event should only be accessible to the attendees and always be mindful of the platform’s features that they can or cannot access to prevent any disruptions.

2. Do not underestimate the power of a 5.5-inch screen

Next to laptops or desktop computers, employees are likely to engage in virtual events on their smartphones for convenience. Make sure your virtual event platform, design, and content are mobile-friendly so that attendees can fully immerse themselves in the experience even through a smaller screen. 

3. Add a little virtual spice

Employees respond better when they interact with the community in real-time. Don’t be afraid to fire up that chat function!

Kahoot! and AHASlides are great, simple, and cost-efficient platforms that you can use to gamify your virtual event and engage with your audience. Of course, if you have more budget, the options are limitless! It’s always nice to have a customized game made especially for your event.

If you can, you may also want to throw in an online raffle or bingo with great prizes as they are always a hit!

4. Sustain attendee interest post-event

Your virtual events do not end when the last speaker wraps up the program. Engaging your audience after the virtual event is critical, sustain the momentum by keeping your employees hooked. You can create an email thread or a virtual board where employees can share their thoughts about the event. It’s a great way for employees to share their takeaways and catch up on the experience for those who missed it.

You can also organize a debrief or follow-up session where attendees have the opportunity to ask further questions and expand on the topics covered.

5. Get feedback through a survey

A great way to check on how the virtual event resonated with your employees is through a short experience survey right before the virtual event ends. Your employees should be able to complete the survey in real-time, and you can compare their responses with previous years’ findings. If you want to go more in-depth, set up a quick call for a discussion with the attendees and then follow up with a post-event online survey where employees can offer comments and suggestions.

Of course, there are many other things that you can do to make your virtual events rock. Consider these five tips as your essentials for a sure-fire engagement. If you put all of these things in place, employees will not only feel valued and involved, but they’ll also have a great experience.

Get Started with Virtual Employee Engagement Today

If you’d like to make your virtual employee engagement awesome, Get started with TeamAsia’s Events Management in the Philippines! TeamAsia has brought its on-ground events expertise to the virtual space and will be happy to help you on mounting your next virtual event. Also, feel free to reach out and schedule a time to talk to us. You may contact us through our marketing lead, Erika de Leon at erdelon@teamasia.com; +639178813724.