With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, companies all over the world have switched to functioning virtually. Not only is this good for the health of the people within the company, but it also cuts down on the costs of running an in-person company. Maybe you are in a different category altogether, and your company has employees working in the office as well as employees working remotely. Remote work is becoming increasingly popular, but companies must tackle the obstacle of hosting virtual company meetings with employees working away from the office.
Virtual meetings are extremely useful because they allow company employees from potentially all over the world to be gathered in one online call. However, it is very easy to become disengaged during virtual meetings. During a virtual meeting, employees could be anywhere from laying in bed in pajamas to ordering food at a fast-food chain, and with the mute and camera on/off features, there is no way for you to tell how engaged your employees actually are during your meetings.
A recent study shows that 92% of executives in the U.S. say that employees who keep their cameras and microphones off during virtual meetings usually don’t stay with the company for long. Clearly, employee engagement is an important area of concern.
This article aims to provide some useful tips for increasing employee engagement during virtual meetings. Employee engagement is critical to the company’s success, but the responsibility to spark that engagement lies on the shoulders of the company’s managers. In the words of authors Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfield, “It’s sad, really, how a negative workplace can impact our lives and the way we feel about ourselves. The situation is reaching pandemic heights – most people go to work at jobs they dislike, supervised by people who don’t care about them, and directed by senior leaders who are often clueless about where to take the company.”
Keep reading to see how to be a leader in your company that promotes high engagement during virtual meetings.