For Employers

The Benefits of Temporary Employment

WAI Staff
three people working on laptops in an office

There are always changes on the horizon for the working world, and being able to adapt is crucial. Offices are adapting: first to hybrid working arrangements, then returning to the office, and burnout continues to be an ongoing concern for employees and employers alike. For employees seeking a better work-life balance and management in need of an engaged team of talent, temp work may be an effective solution. Whether you’re an employer who’s struggling to find good help or an employee who wants to explore unique work opportunities, there are many benefits to temporary employment that could be the key to finding what you need.

Are you considering temporary employment as a business or as an individual? Learn more about the benefits of temporary work when you read this overview from the experts at Whitman Associates, Inc.

Temporary Employment Benefits for Job Seekers

Temping offers employees unique benefits that long-term positions often don’t. Temporary employment through a reputable staffing agency can help job seekers secure flexible, paying positions that provide steady work opportunities without a long-term commitment. Depending on the candidate’s situation and circumstances, finding temporary employment can provide a variety of perks, including the following.

Explore Different Careers

Whether you’re new to the workforce or considering a career change, one of the benefits of temporary employment is the chance to learn about a variety of careers and industries before you make a commitment to a long-term placement. For example, you can spend a few months in corporate accounting before exploring what it’s like to be a legal assistant in civil rights law. You might be surprised to discover which careers and positions you enjoy the most!

Gain Experience

Another benefit of finding temporary work is that it allows you to gain experience in a variety of industries — or even one industry — without being stuck in any particular position. As you move from role to role, you’ll learn many diverse skills that will make you more attractive to employers in the future. Each assignment can be a valuable experience and a formative learning opportunity.

Find New Opportunities

Even if you prefer temporary work, you never know when an opportunity will turn out to be the perfect fit. Whether it’s a permanent role or getting your foot in the door of an industry that you weren’t initially qualified for, temp work can broaden your horizons. Finding temporary work can turn into finding your dream job.

Build a Network

Many people live by the mantra, “It’s not what you know, but rather who you know.” Temporary work can provide you access to a continuous flow of professionals which you can use to build up your personal and professional network. By working multiple assignments, you’ll be able to learn more about each industry through your new connections at different companies and walk away with a thoroughly informed outlook.

Learn More About the Company Culture

No two companies are the same, and there’s no better way to learn more about the inner workings, personalities, and core values of a company than to be a part of it. Whether the office is formal or casual, as a temp, you’ll be able to have a unique perspective that can help you decide what you’re ultimately looking for in your ideal job. This is especially true for temp-to-hire positions, in which employers often hire temporary employees at the end of their contract once they’ve ensured a good fit.

Earn Money on the Side

The last benefit of temporary employment for job seekers is that it allows you to continue earning money as you search for the perfect placement. There are no strings attached with temporary work, so you can job hunt guilt-free. Even better, temporary employment can act as a stepping stone, helping you build your resume, gain experience, and meet new people.

Employees chat and smile with a new temporary employee at their desks

Benefits of Temporary Employment for Employers

There are just as many benefits of temporary work for employers as there are for employees. Sometimes, you just need someone to fill in the gap while a current employee is on family leave. Other times, you’re testing the waters to see how a newly created position will impact your current workflow. There are plenty of reasons to choose temporary employment for your business! And, choosing an acclaimed staffing agency makes hiring temporary employees easy.

Preview Employee Potential

Perhaps you’re not sure what type of person would be the best fit for a particular role, so you want to have a few trial runs before extending an offer. One benefit of temporary employment for business owners is that it offers them a more complete preview of the employee’s potential. Qualities that temp work reveals in an employee include:

  • Work quality and attitude 
  • Ability to learn on the job 
  • Productivity and drive 
  • Teamwork skills
  • Personality

When hiring temporary employees, you don’t have to worry about hiring someone full-time, and then having to let them go when you realize they’re not suitable for your company. This can result in huge savings of time and money, as well as avoiding inconveniencing the rest of your staff.

Fill in the Gaps

Many people cite work-life balance as their reason to stay with or leave a particular company. To ensure your employees feel like they can live their lives fully, you need to be able to cover for them when they take time off for family leave, vacations or other extended sabbaticals. For situations where the work simply cannot wait, a temporary replacement allows your company to keep up its operations with minimal interruptions. Most prominent staffing agencies will have a wide pool of talent available, ensuring that you can quickly hire a temporary employee with the right skill set for a smooth transition.

Wait for the Right Fit

Some positions require a very specific type of personality or skill set. If you’re struggling to find the perfect person for a particular position, a temp provides your HR team with the breathing room they need to ensure they’re hiring the right person. Instead of rushing and compromising to fill a position with a substandard candidate, this benefit of temporary employment allows your company the opportunity to take a little extra time to explore your options for a permanent hire. And who knows, maybe your temporary employee will turn out to be the perfect fit!

Find Seasonal Workers

Whether you need to hire additional people during peak season each year or you need an extra set of hands for special projects, temporary hires ensure you have a contract in place for just as long as it’s needed. Specific contract lengths for the short or long term are a major benefit of hiring temporary employees.

Finding What You Need With Whitman

These are just a few of the benefits of temporary employment for both employers and job seekers. As the professional work landscape continues to evolve, we’re here to ensure you find what you need to fit your life, career, and business growth. From non-profit staffing to career advice for professionals, we offer prominent businesses in the Washington DC area thoroughly-vetted and carefully selected talent.

Reach out to our expert team today to discuss open positions, contracts, and more!

Five innovative employee retention strategies

WAI Staff
A boss shaking hands with her employee

So, this superstar team of employees is soaring above expectations. It’s neat to have people like that backing your mission, right? But here’s the thing — you want to make sure they stick around and don’t start eyeing other opportunities. If you’re looking for ways to ensure your employees view you as an attractive employer, Whitman Associates, Inc. recommends focusing on these employee retention ideas. Explore our top methodologies to improve retention and employee satisfaction.

1. Invest in their work-life balance

This is more than just some trend thrown around to sound good — it’s an innovative employee retention strategy for keeping your employees content. Part of providing the balance your employees desire is supporting them in all areas of their lives. Respect their home life, mental health and responsibilities outside of work.

Because many employers have experience with a remote office environment, the boundaries between work and home are muddier than ever. Ensure your employees feel like you understand their needs outside of the job, including childcare, mental health days, boundaries outside of work hours and perhaps financial support to improve Wi-Fi connections or other home office requirements. With the definition of “workspace” changing faster than ever, it’s vital to update innovative employee retention strategies to match the new struggles employees face today.

Employees who feel that employers respect their work-life balance are more loyal, perform better and stay longer than employees who feel unsupported. Therefore, employee retention ideas that work to improve work-life balance are more successful.

2. Provide attractive career paths

You want to improve retention, and employees want to grow their careers. Instead of letting them stagnate in a particular role, make sure to provide measurable and varied career paths that help all your employees reach their full potential. This is one of a few innovative employee retention strategies that may require a shift in the structure of your promotion process. 

Develop a realistic framework that helps employees thrive in every situation. Whether they’re working from home, transitioning to part-time work or looking to fast-track their career, you must create opportunities for everyone to grow at their own pace. Ensure employees can easily access this structured framework for career advancement, allowing them to visualize their opportunities and understand the expectations for every milestone.

3. Adopt flexibility

Lady working on computer

Workplace flexibility that was quickly adopted into the mainstream during COVID-19 is now one of the most essential innovative employee retention strategies. As a return to in-person work is increasing, you might still want to consider schedule flexibility as one of your employee retention ideas. Variable shifts and optional weekend work to cover days off during the week can help employees be more focused on the job because they’re not worried about conflicting schedules and responsibilities in their personal lives. Plus, remote work opens the door to having remote employees in different states and countries than your home office, needing the flexibility to work outside of regular hours due to time zone differences.

Split shifts and flexible scheduling are innovative employee retention strategies that could be the difference between being able to work part-time, full-time or not at all! Some parents may appreciate being able to work around their kids’ schedules, and employees in a different time zone will probably be happier not having to work through the night just so their schedules align with local employees. Giving your employees more options is what improves retention and ensures employee happiness.

4. Offer meaningful growth opportunities

If you take a poll asking people why they’ve left a job, you’ll hear many of them cite murkiness surrounding the path for career progression. That should tell you that innovative employee retention strategies should address career advancement. From on-the-job training for higher positions and mentorships to leadership development seminars, your employees should be able to find everything they need to succeed within the company.

Employee retention ideas such as upskilling or reskilling workshops, training, and other opportunities demonstrate the company is eager to invest in its future. And, once an employee has grown beyond their position, reward them with a promotion and a raise. Going outside the company to fill leadership positions reduces morale and makes employees feel like they’ll never get anywhere within your company. Instead, promote from within whenever possible and watch as this innovative employee retention strategy increases morale and confidence in your current employees.

5. Respect your employees’ viewpoints

Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts positively and respectfully. When monitoring your company’s social media presence, stay neutral around targeted or controversial issues and keep your personal opinions separate from the workplace dialogue so you don’t inadvertently ostracize or offend any of your employees. Creating an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel heard is an essential and innovative employee retention strategy.

When it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion, there are various employee retention ideas you can implement. Consider initiatives like employee resource groups or mentorship programs. Simple gestures like recognizing a broader range of holidays in your company calendar can create a more inclusive atmosphere. Your goal is to develop a sense of belonging. Your employees should feel connected to the company they work for. A culture of inclusion not only improves morale but also reduces turnover rates. Prioritizing respect for your employees’ viewpoints should be at the top of your innovative employee retention strategies list.

What’s your game plan?

When boosting your employee retention game, it’s critical to investigate where your company stands first. It can be a bit of a maze navigating new programs and processes, so taking things one step at a time is imaginative play. Let’s say you’ve got some employee retention ideas like flexible hours and support networks already, but there’s a gap in laying out a clear path for career growth. That’s where you should focus first.

Do you need guidance on which innovative employee retention strategies would click with your team? Why not shoot them a survey and hear straight from the horse’s mouth? By tuning into what your employees want, you’ll be better equipped to keep them pumped, focused and on their A-game. It’s all about chatting with them, understanding their needs and delivering solutions. 

Strategies for Hiring Remote Employees

WAI Staff

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the work environment has changed. Many employers are finding that allowing employees to work from home has many benefits. Whether it increases employee productivity or saves them money on overhead and other in-office resources, employers may want to continue hiring remote employees. 

If you’re an employer that’s just starting to explore the remote hiring process, you may need to change the way you normally look for candidates. At Whitman Associates, Inc., we can help you explore new hiring strategies that work best for remote job seekers. Check out what our staffing agency has to say about hiring remote employees.

1. Budget & Resources

From job boards and advertising to candidate assessment and external recruiting agencies, there are a number of costs associated with the remote hiring process. Make sure you’re setting an appropriate budget that takes your online needs into account. You may no longer have an office space where you can host interviews, so you should consider shared rental workspaces, offsetting phone interview-related costs and better internet connections for staff hosting video interviews.

2. Who Is Your Ideal Candidate?

While identifying your ideal candidate is an important strategy for all employers, operating in a digital space means you need to be even more specific about your candidate qualification requirements. Hiring remote employees means you may never meet a job seeker in person. How do you make up for the lack of in-person interaction to assess a candidate’s energy, personality and personability?

Make sure your job listing and application include formal qualifications, hard and soft skills, job-specific training requirements and information requests for prior work experience.

3. Niche Job Promotion

You want to attract quality candidates to apply for your job. While you can post on your social media platforms and on your website, you should also be using niche job promotion platforms to find job seekers who actually qualify for the position. Whether you use LinkedIn, Indeed or a staffing agency, make sure you’re filtering your job postings with as many specifics as possible.

4. Make Technology Work for You

Hiring remote employees means you’re already recruiting, assessing and interviewing online. Make every part of the hiring process more effective and efficient when you utilize all the available technology. Conduct virtual interviews, use learning management platforms for candidate screenings and streamline your entire process so that you can focus on better-quality candidates.

We Can Help

If hiring remote employees seems like a tough job, that’s because it is! At Whitman Associates, Inc., we can help you with any part of the recruiting process to ease the burden on your HR department and help you transition to a fully remote hiring operation.

Reach out to us today to learn more about what we can do for your company!

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Temp Agency Tips: How To Impress a Staffing Agency

WAI Staff
A businessman hiring a female applicant

With so many job seekers flooding the job market today, employers are seeking assistance from staffing agencies to help them sort through the market and fill open positions. When you apply for a job online, you are likely responding to a posting from a staffing agency or a recruiter. It’s more important now than ever to understand your options and knowing how to apply to a temp agency. 

When using a staffing agency during your job hunt, you should make an effort to impress staffing agencies. To do so, you need to know what to say when calling a temp agency and how to treat the person on the other end of the line. Considering questions to ask a staffing agency beforehand can be the difference between an impressive interview and a misfire.

Because the market is saturated with job seekers, employers are choosing to use staffing agencies to hire more temporary or temp-to-hire employees than to hire permanent employees directly. While staffing agencies can operate similarly to a typical human resources department, they specialize in finding the right person for the right job — and weeding through all the wrong resumes. Make sure you have what it takes to impress a staffing agency with these expert temp agency tips!

1. Speak With Respect

If you’re wondering what to say when calling a temp agency, you should let respect be your guide. Job seekers tend to believe that since they are not speaking directly with a hiring manager from the company they want to work for, they don’t need to turn their A-game on for their contact. Yet staffing agency interview questions can make up the bulk of interviewing experiences. To impress staffing agencies, you should treat every interaction like an interview.

A recruiter at a staffing agency serves as the initial screener for an open position. If you want to be considered for a job with their client, strive to make a good impression on the recruiter. When coming up with questions to ask a staffing agency, feel free to ask for clarity on any parts of the process you may be unsure about. Make sure you speak professionally, honestly and politely with any representative you encounter from a staffing agency. Treat them as you would any other hiring manager in a job interview. If you can’t impress the staffing recruiter, you’ll never get to turn your charm on for the hiring manager.

2. Follow Instructions

This is one of the most underrated temp agency tips and the most important. Hundreds of people can apply to the same job posting daily, so staffing agencies typically try to screen candidates before even viewing their resumes. For example, a job posting might say that all interested candidates must include a cover letter or a salary requirement with their resume. If you don’t include the requested paperwork or information, you could be immediately disqualified without your resume even being viewed. Following instructions is the bare minimum requirement to impress staffing agencies. If you have any questions about how to apply to a temp agency, it’s better to ask than risk making mistakes.

Whether you receive a response to your resume requesting more information or a recruiter asks you to call them at a particular time, the best temp agency tips dictate that you do your best to follow all the instructions you receive. Temp agencies and recruiters are busy — the best way to impress staffing agencies is to show respect for their time by following their instructions. Staffing agencies usually won’t waste time talking to someone about a position if they have proved they cannot follow basic directions. If you are choosing questions to ask a staffing agency, do not ask for information they have already provided in their application request.

3. Be Enthusiastic

For job seekers planning on how to apply to a temp agency, our next temp agency tip is to be enthusiastic. If you receive a call from a staffing agency and you are interested in the position they have, show them! Passion and excitement for a particular role are easy ways to impress staffing agencies. Staffing agencies won’t want to send a candidate on a job interview with their client if they don’t sound enthused about the position.

Some staffing agency interview questions are tailored to gauge the enthusiasm of potential applicants for positions. While you don’t want to be overly eager, what you say when calling a temp agency lets them know whether you want a position — passion will usually impress staffing agencies. Enthusiasm shows you are willing to commit to the interview process and would accept an offer if you received one.

It’s also a vital temp agency tip, to be honest with a recruiter if you aren’t interested in a position. They won’t want you to feign enthusiasm only to turn down an offer at the last minute. This may result in difficulty getting interviews if you plan on applying to a temp agency in the future. All staffing agencies prioritize trustworthy candidates who follow through. If you hope to impress staffing agencies, consider what questions to ask them to help you know if an offer or organization would fit your circumstances. Be straightforward with the staffing agency about precisely what you want and need in a position. The more honest you are with them, the more they can help you.

A candidate expressing enthusiasm

4. Be on Your Best Behavior

If you do end up temping with a staffing agency while you wait for a full-time position, treat each temp assignment as you would a permanent position. A positive attitude and taking initiative are two temp agency tips that go a long way towards impressing the staffing agency and employer you’re working for. You could potentially be considered for a full-time position should one become available.

Even if this temp assignment doesn’t help you gain a full-time position, you might do well enough on the job to impress the agency that placed you. As a result, they’ll want to continue working with you and put you on more assignments, saving you from having to keep planning on how to apply to a temp agency. The staffing agency will be more inclined to consider you for any permanent opportunities they have, emphasizing the importance of impressing staffing agencies.

On the other hand, if you treat a temp assignment as just a way to make money, and have no respect for the client or the agency you’re working for, they will be less inclined to work with you in the future. Take that opportunity to formulate questions to ask as you deepen your relationship with the staffing agency you are currently employed.

5. Making the Most of Staffing Agencies

Staffing agencies aren’t just an excellent tool for employers; they also help job seekers with successful employment. You can explore temp agency tips, guides to impress staffing agencies and employers, and tons of advice to help you find and keep a job. Ensure you take full advantage of an agency’s services because they could be the key to helping you find your dream job.

How to take initiative at work

WAI Staff
Two women strategizing at work

Taking initiative at work is a crucial skill for any employee who wants to succeed in the workplace. As a temporary employee, learning to take the initiative could land you a permanent job offer. In contrast, as a permanent employee, it could lead to a raise or a promotion. Moreover, many people find their careers more personally rewarding and fulfilling when fully embracing their roles. Taking measures to be more proactive in your job could open doors that allow you to do more of the work you prefer. Learning how to take initiative at work is mutually beneficial to you and your employer. If you want to gain insight into what being proactive looks like in practice, check out this overview to learn how to find opportunities to do so.

1. Offer assistance

A large part of showing your independence and motivation at work is ensuring you always have something to do. The easiest way to stay busy is to help out other people and departments with their workload. When you have downtime between projects, you should seek extra opportunities to help around the office as an intelligent method of taking initiative. When taking initiative at work, offer to assist your supervisor or coworkers if they are working to meet a deadline or finish a project.

When it comes time to hand out bonuses or promotions, your boss will remember when you stepped up to offer assistance. Plus, helping out between departments or teams allows you to strengthen connections throughout the company. This enables you to be a better employee while networking, opening the door to potential new opportunities for growth.

2. Seek improvement

A proactive employee constantly seeks ways to improve processes around the office. This tactic of taking initiative at work should focus on how you can help or add value to the company. Taking initiative on the job means always keeping your eyes peeled to make office procedures more efficient and effective and then sharing your suggestions with your supervisor. 

For example, if you think you have a great way to boost your company’s online presence, come up with a pitch for your boss and present it to them. Ensure you’ve put some time and consideration into your idea for improvement. Pitching a plan without thinking through any potential obstacles or questions will not go over well. A well-outlined solution backed by research, on the other hand, is a fantastic way to demonstrate taking initiative!

3. Solve problems

Take the opportunity to solve problems as they arise whenever possible. A quick problem solver is an excellent asset for any manager because you’re taking stress off your boss and freeing up their time for better office management and employee support.

However, if there is a problem that you believe you are unauthorized to take care of, you should seek assistance before trying to solve things yourself and stepping on any toes. When learning to take initiative at work, it’s vital to note that this does not mean you should overstep boundaries or offer advice when it’s unnecessary. Instead, taking initiative on the job means understanding the appropriate time and place to step up to the plate.

4. Ask for more responsibilities

Let your boss know if you have mastered your current responsibilities and have extra time to take on more work each day. Rather than waiting for your boss to give you more work, you should go to them and let them know you can handle more. By taking initiative in this way, you’ll communicate to your boss your eagerness and that you are someone to be relied on.

Ask your boss if there are any tasks that you could take off their hands and manage yourself. You can also request new types of assignments to learn and hone new skills. Seeking additional responsibilities will show you are ready for growth and might even warrant a promotion or raise. 

5. Work hard

Taking initiative at work doesn’t always require seeking extra work outside your responsibilities. It also applies to exceeding expectations for those responsibilities within your role. This is essential, because if you aren’t meeting the base-level expectations for your position, trying to take initiative by asking for additional responsibilities will not work. 

Plan to turn in your work before a deadline or prepare in advance for projects that haven’t started yet to ensure proactive engagement with your role. You should also focus on performing to the best of your ability. Turning in your work early means nothing if your supervisor needs to make changes and edits because you were rushing through a task!

Working on another level

Employers seek many qualities when looking for employees, but knowing how to take initiative at work and being willing to do so is one of the most important. You should exceed your supervisor’s expectations for your work and go above and beyond the call of duty whenever possible. Frequently taking initiative on the job is the surest way to succeed and grow professionally.

Qualities That Make A Good Employee: 10 Things to Look For

WAI Staff

Every employer is looking for hardworking employees that they can count on to be long-term members of their team. If you’re trying to prove yourself as a valued employee, remember that there are some basic characteristics you can display to impress your supervisor and increase your job security. Consider these 10 qualities of a good employee and develop them for yourself to ensure employers see you as a valuable asset to their team!

Best Qualities for Any Job

There are many qualities that make a good employee, but these ten are the ones that employers always call out as the best qualities for any job. Take a look below. Do you have what it takes to be a model employee?

1. Attendance

Have good attendance. Be punctual and show up for every scheduled shift. If you have to call out, make sure you do it far enough in advance so that your employer can find someone to cover for you.

2. Dress Code

Dress appropriately for your work environment. Whether it’s dressing up for an important presentation or ensuring you look professional, your attire matters. Showing up in the right outfit every time shows that you are a professional who is ready for success.

3. Attitude

Having a positive attitude about your job is one of the best qualities of a good employee. Always be polite to coworkers and supervisors.

4. Preparation

Being prepared for work every day is one of the most important qualities to look for in an employee. Pay attention, take notes and follow instructions carefully. Your preparation makes the difference between being proactive and being reactive!

5. Ask

Ask questions if you don’t understand an assignment. It takes less time to confirm the details of a task than to fix something that you messed up. Covering up your lack of understanding will likely lead to more negative consequences, ultimately, than if you had been brave enough to ask for help at the outset. This type of courage is an admirable quality of a good employee.

6. Expand Your Knowledge

Being willing to continually expand your knowledge is a good quality to have. When an employee values learning, employers will take note. Be open to learning new things, such as computer programs or the daily duties of a coworker. Take responsibility when you make mistakes throughout the learning process.

7. Teamwork

A critical quality to look for in an employee is the ability to work with others in a constructive way. Be a team player. Collaborate with coworkers on projects, offer suggestions and be open to the advice of others.

8. Initiate Action

Take initiative. Go above and beyond your supervisor’s expectations and find work to do before you are asked. If you want to embody the qualities of a good employee, you have to act for yourself without having to always be told what to do.

9. Honesty

Employers are looking to build trust and loyalty. Whether you’re talking about availability, putting in a request for time off or confirming your expertise on a specific subject, your employer deserves your honesty. Having integrity is a standout quality of a good employee.

10. Show That You Care

Learn about the history and mission of your company. Being knowledgeable shows that you care about your company and that you pay attention to what the owner is trying to accomplish.

Become an Asset to Your Company

Displaying these qualities of a good employee can change a temporary assignment into a permanent job, qualify you for a promotion or simply earn you the respect you deserve! It may also increase your own feeling of job satisfaction.

Are you ready to make these changes and improve your work environment? Take on these qualities of a good employee to transform your attitude!

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How To Manage Remote Employees

WAI Staff
Scrabble letters saying, “Work From Home.”

Tips for Managing a Remote Team

Remote teams are here to stay, but it can sometimes be difficult for an employer to keep remote employees engaged. Some offices are back fully in person, some hybrid and some are staying fully remote, which means bosses need to adapt their management style to accommodate the various work situations. Everything from your code of conduct to your office dress code depends on your work situation.

As a team leader, how you lead remote employees requires a little more creativity and flexibility on your part. Learn everything you need to know about managing a remote team with advice from the experts at Whitman Associates, Inc.

1. Setting Expectations

Setting expectations early and often is critical for managing remote employees. You need to set clear boundaries and performance goals to ensure that you have measurable milestones of success. Outlining availability, updating your team on policy updates and setting guidelines for responding to after-hours communications can help your remote employees maintain their work/life balance wherever they are. Regular check-ins, feedback opportunities, and clearly defined roles help foster accountability, trust and a sense of connection across distributed teams.

2. Organization & Flexibility

Another tip for managing a remote team is to evaluate your organizational structure and flexibility. Hiring remote means your team members could be in different states or time zones. How do you go about keeping remote employees engaged who might not work the same hours? Some ideas to ensure workflow and consistency include:

  • Managers on shifts to ensure availability at all times.
  • A core of employees who work in the same zone with a few out-of-hours team members.
  • Asking employees to work in a single time zone — even if they’re a few hours ahead.

3. Adapting Meeting Lengths

If you’re new to managing a remote team, things that work in the office don’t always work when you’re managing remote employees. Meetings are especially tricky when working remotely because employees are more easily distracted when they’re not there in person. Your team could be multitasking or not paying attention, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Avoid situations where employees can zone out by minimizing meetings, shortening necessary calls and using email communication more often. Keeping remote employees engaged during a virtual meeting can be challenging. However, with the right strategies, such as interactive tools and turning on cameras, you can create a productive environment while managing a remote team.

4. Tracking Worker Progress

Many managers worry that just because they can’t see their employees, that work is stagnating. When you create schedules, deadlines, and measurable goals, you’re giving employees structure and guidelines for their everyday tasks and providing managers with more subtle oversight tools that won’t make employees feel smothered. Regular check-ins, progress tracking tools and shared progress management platforms further enhance transparency without micromanaging. Managing remote employees requires a delicate balance of autonomy, trust and communication to maintain productivity while also fostering employee satisfaction and motivation.

5. Better Communication

Man on Zoom managing a remote team.

Emphasizing communication is one of our top tips for managing a remote team. Because you can’t just walk over to an employee’s desk to talk, virtual communication is more important than ever for keeping remote employees engaged and aligned with team goals. Experiment with communication channels to find out what works best for your team. You have tons of options, including:

  • Email
  • Texts
  • Phone Calls
  • Intranet Channels
  • Video Chats
  • Internal Chat Tools

How you manage remote employee communication is up to you, but it’s best to choose a method your team will actually utilize, ensuring clarity, responsiveness and consistent collaboration across all levels. Additionally, when managing a remote team, establishing communication norms for response times and tone can prevent misunderstandings.

6. Build Connections

Because working remotely essentially isolates your employees, networking within your work environment is more important than ever. Whether you open a fun chat for employees to share pet photos or reach out frequently to communicate positive feedback, building those interpersonal relationships will help employees bond and trust each other and you.

When managing remote employees, you can also schedule several team-building days throughout the year to provide employees with more opportunities to work together on fun, creative tasks.

7. Listen to Your Team

The most successful managers know when to listen to their team. One of our top tips for managing a remote team and keeping remote employees engaged is learning to take feedback when it’s coming up the ladder. This is a new situation for them as well as you, and they could provide new perspectives and ideas that could help you do your own job better.

When you are a good listener, you’re also building more respect, trust and communication with your team. Ask for feedback during meetings or create surveys to see where your leadership, organizational structure and workflow could use a boost.

8. Create Collaboration Opportunities

Because isolation is such a serious problem with managing a remote team, you should go out of your way to create collaborative opportunities on projects. Managing collaboration with remote employees could include shared documents, collaboration in virtual environments, team-building exercises and in-person bonding.

9. Resist Micromanagement

You should be confident in your employees and trust their work ethic even if they’re not in a physical office. While regular check-ins are a great tool in keeping remote employees engaged, don’t breathe down their necks during every single task. Guidelines and work tracking can help you avoid micromanagement if you need updates on small tasks, but you should trust your employees to deliver. When managing a remote team, at the end of the day, the work will speak for itself, and you’ll be able to spot a slacker pretty quickly.

10. Reward Success

Because it’s harder to recognize great work for remote teams, you’ll need to make an effort to find more opportunities to reward and celebrate success. Consider staff highlights on the company website, shout-outs in the office chat and other public forms of recognition to ensure your employees feel seen and appreciated.

Need more tips to keep employees motivated? Check out our blog to find advice for employers and employees today, whether you’re managing a remote team or not!

5 Creative Ideas For Team Building in the Workplace

WAI Staff
teamwork scrabble tiles

If the words “team building” make many of your employees roll their eyes and head for the exit, you may need to add some new exercises to your repertoire. Team building practices are essential in creating bonds that boost morale and foster a more collaborative environment. Traditional exercises work, but sometimes unique team building games can bring fresh energy to the workplace, compelling employees to break routines and connect with teammates in new ways.

At Whitman Associates, Inc., our experts know all the best strategies to help your employees bond, work together, and trust each other. With new in-office and remote creative ideas for team building, your employees may be a little more enthusiastic next time you suggest these workplace team bonding activities! Explore our top exercises to find the best ones for your team.

1. Code of Conduct Exercise

We recommend this exercise for the beginning of any retreat, event, or workshop. It sets the tone for your day and allows employees to feel like they have a say in what’s going on while team building in the workplace. In addition, this simple unique team building game ensures your employees are building bonds through shared values – the goal behind many creative ideas for team building.

Exercise Details

  • Duration: 30+ Minutes
  • Objective: Build Trust & Establish Group Values

How You Play

  1. Write the words “Meaningful” and “Pleasant” on a whiteboard.
  2. Ask employees to give ideas on making this workshop meaningful and pleasant.
  3. Add everyone’s suggestions to the board in the form of a mind map.
  4. Ask employees to elaborate on their suggestions in relation to the workshop.
  5. Create a code of conduct for the day based on the mutually agreed-upon ideas.

When the group has guidelines they created to dictate their behavior, your entire team building event in the workplace will go a lot more smoothly. The Code of Conduct exercise is ideal for both in-office and remote creative ideas for team building.

2. Memory Wall

The Memory Wall is a physical workplace team bonding activity that allows your team to share memories, build camaraderie and enhance working relationships. Conduct this unique team building game in the workplace early during your event and keep it up for the rest of your time together.

Exercise Details

How You Play

  1. Provide your team members with paper, markers, and tape.
  2. Ask them to write positive memories of each person they’ve worked with.
  3. Once they’ve written something down, have them draw these memories.
  4. Tape the completed images to a wall that’s visible throughout the space.
  5. Have a few volunteers share their creations and what they mean.

In this creative idea for team building, illustrations can be simplistic, abstract, or detailed. As long as the employee can draw a meaningful connection and explain it, that’s all that matters. Even funny depictions can enhance the exercise and add much-needed levity to the workplace. The visual memory wall encourages people to talk about their relationships and reinforces good teamwork from their past.

3. Magazine Story

This in-office and remote team building idea offers employees a fun, creative way to bond. Use this kind of workplace team bonding activity to explore the hopes, goals, and dreams of your team members. Unique team building games like this creative idea also help establish workplace culture.

Exercise Details

  • Duration: 60-90 Minutes
  • Objective: Visualize Future Success & Encourage Employees to Think Bigger

How You Play

  1. Break your employees into small groups.
  2. Ask them to create a magazine cover about themselves, complete with quotes, images, and side stories.
  3. You can provide a template, have them work in an image editing program or provide art supplies for them to create a physical poster.

These magazine covers should be goal-oriented, focusing on what employees want to achieve in their careers in the years to come. You can offer a prize for the magazine cover that’s voted the best in this creative idea for team building!

4. Shark Tank

woman in an office pointing to sticky notes on a wall

Pitching an idea Shark Tank-style encourages employees to work together, get creative and find their inner entrepreneur. You can also use workplace team bonding activities like this to hone a competitive edge.

Exercise Details

  • Duration: 90 Minutes
  • Objective: Promote New Ideas & Collaborations

How You Play

  1. Have teams pitch mock products to secure investments from the group.
  2. Play some clips from the show to inspire your teams.
  3. Pitches must include brand name, slogan, business and marketing plan, and financial data.
  4. Choose upper management to play the “Sharks.”
  5. Encourage the Sharks to ask questions and offer investments.
  6. The team with the most investments wins!

The best creative ideas for team building serve more than one purpose. Unique team building games like creating your own version of Shark Tank are about stimulating big thinking in your employees. Furthermore, the collaborative element of this team building idea in the workplace will promote better teamwork and bonding.

6. Trivia Time

Not all workplace team bonding activities need to be a big event. Sometimes, a quick break for some fun trivia can help re-engage employees who are getting lost in their normal routines.

Exercise Details

  • Duration: 30-60 Minutes
  • Objective: Engage & Excite Employees

How You Play

  1. Create trivia questions based on your work environment.
  2. Break your employees up into teams.
  3. Ask questions aloud and keep track of the team with the most right answers.
  4. Give out a prize to the best players.

This creative idea for team building is fun, easy, and perfect for remote team building. It highlights what everyone has in common and helps connect your employees.

With these unique team building games for the workplace, you can rejuvenate and refresh your employees with activities that help the entire office thrive. Whether it’s through creative challenges like Shark Tank or through highlighting positive team interactions via Memory Wall, these workplace team bonding activities are designed to break down barriers, reduce stress, and foster a more positive, cohesive work environment. If you loved our creative ideas for team building, find more workplace advice for employers when you explore the Whitman Associates, Inc. blog today!

Working Remote

WAI Staff

For many of us, remote work is something new and exciting, but it also requires diligence to stay productive and engaged. We are grateful to our clients for enabling our employees to work as much as they can in these very unusual circumstances. We also recognize that this may be a new way of life for many. We must all be aware that it is our responsibility to provide our very best each day whether we are working remotely or physically in the office. We are accountable for our productivity while out of the office just as we are when in the office. A couple of key points:

  • You are getting paid to WORK remotely
  • Prepare for you workday just as you would if going in-person
  • Be grateful your commute is so peaceful
  • Be on-time just as if you were commuting to work
  • Be prepared to intentionally engage with your manager:
    • Ask the manager for a schedule of the day’s work
    • Demonstrate progress on the work assignment
    • Notify the manager of task completions
    • Schedule your lunch break (the manager knows you’re off-line)
    • Be accessible (chat, text, call, video) during the entire work day

There are many tools and methods that enable you to be productive and remain engaged during your work-at-home opportunity. While this is a new initiative for most employees and employers, some industries have been leveraging mobile employees at home, off-site, or on the road for many years.

Don’t be alarmed if the company you are employed by asks to load virtual private networking (VPN) access applications on your desktop, tablet, or phone. Recognize that companies engaging in tele-work are exposing themselves from a security perspective. They have a right to protect their company, their mission, and their intellectual property. As an employee, you have an obligation to comply with their security requirements and you must follow their policies when connected to their network.