In the past, and by past, we mean days before COVID happened, it was easier to show gratitude to your employers or colleagues for their work. Then, all it would take is for you to pop into their office and give them a high five or acknowledge them at the next meeting, with everyone applauding them. And when one of them has a birthday, there is usually a cake at the office to celebrate them. However, now that most workplaces operate remotely, all of these are not available in the remote work environment.

 

One of the biggest challenges faced by remote workers is the isolation and loneliness they have to deal with from being far away from their co-workers. Another challenge is the feeling of not being appreciated or not knowing how their work impacts the company’s vision. For these reasons, ways should be devised to show gratitude to employees and colleagues so that even though they work remotely, they still feel valued and a sense of connection with the rest of the team.

 

We exist to tell you all you need to know about working remotely, so we have made a short list of affordable ways to show gratitude to your remote employees or colleagues.

 

1. Send an email

 Working remotely requires sending a lot of emails between you and your boss, employees, or coworkers. As a matter of fact, it begins to get tiring because just how many “I hope this email finds you well” can a person read in a day before getting tired of the phrase?

 

You can send a fun email to show appreciation for their work in place of the usual work email. Highlight their contributions, tell them how much it means to the team. This will probably not take more than ten minutes of your time, but it will last long in their hearts, and it will undoubtedly make them feel good.

2. Set time out during meetings for praises

Zoom meetings can be a bore, and many employers are probably just tapping their feet under their desk, waiting for it to be over. But, if there is a part at the end of your weekly meetings where team members are acknowledged for their contributions, and everyone gets to say something nice about their work and how it helped the rest of the team. Now that’s something to look forward to. 

 

It makes meetings something to look forward to, and team members are acknowledged and appreciated for their contributions.

 

3. Send them thoughtful gifts.

Who doesn’t like receiving gifts? It doesn’t have to be something big or expensive. Send your remote workers or colleagues gifts to show that you value them and appreciate their contribution. It could be food, something to decorate their remote office with, a book you know they would enjoy or a gift card. 

 

4. Employee of the month

Another thing that a physical workspace has that’s absent in a remote setting is Employee of the month, especially in an organisation that works with a large team. This is such a big deal for the one that gets their picture on the wall, especially if it has certain perks that come with it. But in a remote work environment, there is no wall to hang a picture.

 

However, this can still be incorporated even in a remote setting because not only will it keep the workers on their feet, and it will also be a way of showing gratitude to employees for their efforts. Nominate someone for employee of the month, put a picture of them on the company’s social media platforms and get everyone to say great things about their work and contributions to the company that month. And to make it juicer, add some perks to it like an extra paid leave.

 

5. Celebrate birthdays, still.

Celebrating office birthdays is another thing that went out the window the moment workplaces went remote. But it is such a great tradition that brings employees together. (It is hard not to bond over cake and drinks)

Incorporate this into your remote work environment. Send the celebrant a cake, like they would get if they worked from the office, get everyone to jump on a zoom or skype call to sing for them and wish them a happy birthday. It builds a sense of camaraderie amongst employees, even though they are several miles apart.

We hope you try out some of these gratitude tips in your remote work environment!

Want to ask us any question relating to working remotely? We’re here to answer your questions!