Now that the initial novelty of the sudden shift to working from home has worn off, some internal communications and employee engagement initiatives may have slid down the priority list.

From Zoom team quizzes to virtual coffee mornings, many organisations made great efforts at the beginning to ensure there were opportunities for their workforce to collaborate and socialise.

We are now at a tipping point as many teams settle into blended and remote working for the foreseeable future. And while enthusiasm may have waned, now is the time to reignite initiatives that will motivate and connect your employees ahead of the winter months.

Read our top tips to motivate your blended teams through effective internal communications:

Focus on the right platforms

From Slack to Microsoft Teams, by now you should have an idea which work best for your organisation. Look at where you are getting the most engagement and traction, and focus your efforts there.

It’s also a good time to double-check everyone’s comfort levels with their online tools, especially if there were introduced in a hurry back in March. Send out a quick survey to see if there are any issues or where the gaps are in people’s knowledge. You can then organise a training /refresh session for that particular platform so no one is missing out.

Share reliable, engaging content

There is still a lot of uncertainty out here, but your internal communications should be clear, consistent and reliable. Keep funnelling useful content through that adds value and clarity to your employees before any mixed messages start circulating.

As always, recognise and shout out individual and team successes and creative, problem-solving ideas. Businesses of all shapes and sizes have had to overcome significant challenges so don’t forget to reflect on the last six months and celebrate how far you’ve come.

We have also seen video used to great effect among our clients. Filming a quick video message or recording a Zoom conversation and sending it out on your internal platforms can be far more impactful than an email.

Keep talking to your team

With some teams in and out of the workplace and others continuing to work from home, it’s easy for your teams to become somewhat disjointed.

Make sure you are keeping the lines of communications open at all levels, as well as continuing to facilitate the virtual spaces to chat, share ideas, and check in on each other.

Ask everyone what they would find value in and what would help them maintain both their productivity and their overall mental and physical wellness over the next few months.

Do they need more clarity on current business objectives or regular updates from senior management? Are they tired of quizzes but would love to start a virtual book or running club?

Now is the time to get creative and make sure your team is engaged as we settle in for a winter of blended work.

For more information on how Springboard can help you motivate your blended teams through effective internal communications, visit our dedicated service The Internal Wire.

Post by Ciara Flaherty

As Senior Account Manager, Ciara drives communication campaigns for clients in a variety of sectors including technology, law, financial services and healthcare. A law graduate, she also has an excellent sense of the media landscape, both traditional and new, having worked for the Irish Examiner and breakingnews.ie.