How to Manage Remote Employees’ Participation in Local Events like Company Picnics?
Are you struggling with including remote employees in your company’s local events like picnics and sporting events? As more companies transition to remote work, this can be a common challenge. Here’s how to handle it:
Creating Inclusive Events
– Consider hosting virtual components for remote employees to participate in event activities.
– Allow remote employees to join in on the fun by live-streaming the event or sharing photos and videos afterward.
Setting Clear Expectations
– Clearly communicate to all employees that local events are primarily for those physically present.
– Make it clear that attending these events is optional and not a guaranteed day off for remote employees.
Addressing Out-of-State Employees
– Be transparent about the limitations for out-of-state employees, such as not providing travel accommodations or a day off for not attending.
– Encourage out-of-state employees to participate in virtual aspects of the event and show their support from afar.
By implementing these strategies, you can strike a balance between including your remote employees and celebrating with your local team. Have any more questions or need further advice? Feel free to reach out!
#RemoteWork #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement #EventPlanning
My job does this – they just make it known like hey if anyone is in the area & wants to come on their own expense / you’re more than welcome .. for those who can’t make it, enjoy the day off without using PTO & order $25/lunch that day and expense it back to the company.
Most of us who are local don’t even go & choose to just take the day off and have free lunch without mingling with coworkers lol
Why would you not give those who aren’t local the day off? That’s not exactly fair. Just give everyone the day off
The perk IS wfh. Those who are asking seem entitled to me. However, your email memo should look like this:
Hey there team. Just wanted to let you know we are having a picnic at the park today. The event is open to all employees. You are welcome to attend at your own expense. Unfortunately, this is not a day off. See you there!
That’s an engagement problem. You either find a nicer way to tell them to fuck off because you don’t care if they quit, or you offer something in lieu of the day that local people get to take advantage of. If you go the fuck off route you should expect no one to do much that day any way. You can either lean in and embrace being a remote company or embrace being a hybrid company where local folks get more perks. Those are your two options, either embrace remote or not because right now you have a foot in both doors.
If the company genuinely cares to have face time with everyone, they should consider the savings they’re having with everyone working from home (no rent/utilities/essentials like toilet paper, etc in an office) and put it toward a retreat. If the company only cares to get local people together….they really don’t care to get everyone together.
Maybe consider a virtual get-together for something like trivia or an in-home family scavenger hunt or something similar? Hold it for an hour or so, give them the rest of the day off and send everyone a gift card?
Holding events that you only pay local people to attend is definitely exclusionary. Management should consider the optics of excluding employees who live far away and can’t afford to attend, either time-wise or monetarily.
With anything we do that’s similar to Learn & Learn where the local team will be able to get lunch, we usually sent the remote folks a $25 gift card.
Or something like the solar eclipse party, we sent everyone a t-shirt and some snacks. About 50% of our company is remote and nomadic. Sometimes they will get a free day off if we have a “fun day.”’
We encourage our teams to plan team meetings for the half-day we’re not at the event or we do an in-person full staff meeting – that way our remote staff is justified to spend COMPANY money to attend. If they can’t, or don’t, it’s still a work day.
The perk is that they don’t have to sit through god awful team events and picnics.
I would say if ur giving the local employees time off work, just give it to everyone regardless if they come or not, but if it’s not time off for anybody, then that’s fair too. no reason to compensate ppl for optional events.
As an out of state EE myself, why not have something just for them? When my company does local events, the remote team gets a $25 reimbursement for food for the day.
You give them an equivalent.
We used to rent movie theaters before covid, those not present got movie tickets.
Thanks all. I’m thinking I convince leadership to give those out of state at least a half day to bank for PTO and not necessarily have that day be “off”
This isnt going to be what you want to hear but what you’re describing is inherently exclusionary to 50% of your workforce. If your org truly wants to brand themselves as 100% WFH then SLT needs to revise their approach to team in person events. Perhaps they could have other picnics in “hubs” where there are more remote folks located, or a travel budget to bring teams together for annual retreats. Or, no more picnics… go with fully remote events/team building. You simply can’t be 100% WFH and continue with this practice. IMO, the days of corporate picnics are in the past. Prioritize team building with individual teams.
Or you could hold the picnic on a Saturday or after hours. Then you aren’t worried about people taking time off. Send a gift card to remote workers out of state.
I worked for a social outreach program in my online school. This happened a lot. We did allow our teachers to take the time off they would’ve used to attend the event, mailed small gifts to them, and even let them comp a meal (within reasonable limits). It can be done. It only gets rough when they get entitled. WFH is a major perk, but they’re still working like their other coworkers and want to be appreciated.