Online Events. Are These Indeed a Better Option for Employee Rewards & Recognition?

We all are talking “Digital” these days. And much like everything (education, shopping, health, finance etc) is going digital, accelerated of course by the need to maintain social distancing owing to the pandemic, events too went digital for a large part of 2020. Rewards and Recognition programs for teams started happening online. Conferences and corporate events were conducted on Zoom calls.

Some things can easily adapt to an online format. Say education to an extent, finances to a large extent, shopping too that doesn’t necessarily need trying or experiencing the product. However, there are some facets of life, that do not have the same impact if made digital.Especially in a corporate / office setting, when work needs to be collaborative, digitally working from home has an impact on the quality of work output.

So is the case with events and R&R. How can you replicate the feel of getting acknowledged and rewarded for your performance with your team rooting for you, and the organisation giving you a standing ovation? Zoom calls, with 50 other thumbnails on your computer screen, doesn’t quite recreate that magic. Right?

While online events, seminars, workshops etc can reduce cost to a large extent, the other implicit purpose of these “get togethers” remains unmet. Team bonding exercises, connecting with colleagues and bosses outside the office environment, a team outbound are all very important for establishing and building that bond with the team, one that is necessary beyond the ‘scope of work’. Its rather impossible to build such a rapport with and within the team, on a digital platform.

Also, in most companies, outbounds and offsites are a way to incentivise performers and the team. There is a distinct sense of achievement, for the employees, if the organisation takes them out for a team outbound or offsite. Those few days of relaxation and fun outside the office environment is a potent tool for team motivation. No doubt then, that such team offsites have been a critical part of “employee engagement” initiatives in organisations with medium to large, multi-geography teams.

Clearly, digital has its own benefits, but not one when it comes to building the team morale and keeping the employees motivated. The choice is yours to make. If you want to understand how outbounds and team bonding activities work, and why you should conduct these for your team, click here to reach out to us now. We will be more than glad to chat up with you.