The new year brings new opportunities; upgrading your remote team is the best way to take full advantage of them. Finding innovative digital tools and a cool virtual office background for Teams is the perfect way to invigorate employees while making their jobs easier. To help your workers do more in 2024, incorporate the following changes into your virtual meetings.
New Custom Backgrounds for Everyone
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other virtual meeting programs allow users to change their background images. Though simple, this update can have a big impact. Custom backgrounds enable employees to express their individuality, an essential act when many corporate workers feel like a cog in a machine. Additionally, there are so many virtual office background images that employees can change theirs every day if they like:
- Wall of books
- Coffeehouse
- Nature photos
- Humorous memes
- Holiday-themed settings
Building Connections Between Team Members
With so many workers going remote at least part of the time, teams may lack cohesion. Without the small talk and company culture that encourages colleagues to get to know one another, employees may not connect with their peers. Since effective teamwork requires knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, this change can pose a problem.
Fortunately, there are ways to build connections in the digital space. One easy and fun idea is to host a virtual “coffee hour” or lunch. During this time, remote workers sip coffee or eat lunch on a virtual call, allowing everyone a chance to bond organically.
Displaying Your Logo
Incorporating your logo into your virtual meeting display is crucial if you meet with clients, vendors or other third parties. Even though the people you’re speaking to already know who you are and which company you represent, branding still has an important role to play.
Research indicates that the more individuals see a company name, the more they trust it. This stems from familiarity breeding trust. Additionally, well-done branding embodies a company’s values, which further cements that trust.
There are many simple ways to showcase your logo:
- Create a custom background featuring the logo.
- Use a branded overlay.
- Make a frame with the brand logo and color scheme.
Using the Right Tools
Motivational speeches can only do so much for productivity; to help employees achieve goals, you need to provide them with the right tools. For a remote team, that means digital software.
One of the best things you can do for a team that handles expansive projects is to have a central hub where everyone can check in. Project management programs offer this, as well as a built-in chat function, progress trackers and document-sharing features. With everything in one place, workers can save time finding the needed files and remain up-to-date on the project’s status.
Something as simple as a new Zoom virtual office background can make all the difference in the coming year. With so many opportunities on the horizon, don’t be afraid to shake things up in the office, including with your remote team. By updating your approach, you demonstrate a forward-thinking mindset and willingness to innovate, traits that may inspire your colleagues.
Weekly Magazine