Epoch’s most recent Employee Experience Roundtable brought together industry leaders to talk about fostering deep connections and enhancing engagement within hybrid and remote work environments. The discussions focused on engagement strategies and leveraging technology for team building.

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👉 Deepening connections in hybrid workplaces ‍

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TLDR: "Virtual show and tell" and "three knows" icebreaker sessions promote deeper personal connections and understanding across hybrid teams.

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Key highlights

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• Introduction of “virtual show and tell,” helping team members share personal items and stories to build a unique sense of community.
  

• Implementation of the “three knows” icebreaker, where employees share personal information at different levels, starting with general knowledge, moving to more personal insights, and ending with lots of detail. This enhances team cohesion by revealing multiple facets of individual identities.

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👉 Leveraging technology to boost engagement

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TLDR: Platforms like Gatheround and icebreaker.io enhance virtual interactions, making remote meetings more engaging.

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Technology’s role

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• Discussion on the effectiveness of tools like spinning wheels for random questions, helping break the repetitiveness of standard virtual meetings. Typically, standard virtual meetings can become very monotone with structured agendas and limited participant interaction. By incorporating a spinning wheel tool, meeting facilitators can randomly select discussion topics or questions, making it more fun and engaging for everybody.

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• Examples of how these platforms create spontaneous connections similar to in-office dynamics, improving the virtual meeting experience.  For instance, Gatherround uses templates that facilitate breakout sessions into smaller groups, which can replicate the more intimate, focused discussions that occur naturally in physical office environments.

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👉 Driving leadership involvement

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TLDR: Aligning activities with leaders’ personal interests, like vintage cars, can boost engagement and participation significantly.

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Engagement strategies

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• Tailoring activities to leaders’ interests to enhance participation, illustrated by a car show event inspired by a VP’s passion for vintage cars.

• Importance of personalized engagement strategies discussed to increase participation and enthusiasm across leadership levels.

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👉 Continuous learning and adaptation ‍

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TLDR: The roundtable emphasizes continuous innovation and adaptation in engagement strategies to keep pace with evolving workplace dynamics.

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Future planning

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• Focus on the necessity of ongoing innovation to evolve with workplace dynamics.

• Surveys could include questions like, "How engaging do you find our current virtual events?" or "What elements would make these events more interactive for you?” Epoch will help you create, organize, and send these surveys to company employees with ease.

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👉 Global and cultural considerations ‍

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TLDR: Successful global engagement involves integrating local cultural elements into company events to enhance participation and inclusivity.

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Cultural integration

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• The importance of understanding local cultures and incorporating them into company events to increase global engagement.

• Strategies for successful engagement in international offices were highlighted. For example, one participant described how organizing culturally relevant events, such as a tea party in an office where tea culture is significant, effectively boosted employee participation and engagement.

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Want to be part of the conversation? 

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Join the Epoch Employee Experts community, an exclusive invite-only community for like-minded individuals in the Employee Experience space. Get access to a private Slack community and receive event invites first. This safe environment fosters meaningful conversations and connections. Apply here to be a part of future conversations!