How to Show Gratitude to Your Remote Team

Although working from home may seem like a dream situation for some employees, it’s far from a walk in the park. While working remotely offers benefits such as flexibility, there are significant disadvantages, such as loneliness and communication troubles.

According to the 2020 State of Remote Work report from Buffer, 20% of remote employees state loneliness as their biggest struggle with working from home.

To ensure employees are feeling and working their best, there are several ways companies can show their remote workforce they appreciate their hard work.

1. Employee Appreciation Gifts

Who doesn’t love getting a gift out of the blue?

To show gratitude and appreciation to your remote team, use some of your operational or HR budget to send them a little gift. The gift should be thoughtful and aligned with the interests of your employees and company values.

Common employee appreciation gifts include:

• Gift cards (think a food delivery service for lunch on the company)
• Company swag
• Technology accessories (headphones, phone cases, etc.)

Think about what your employees could use to brighten up their workday or daily lives while working from home. Send it to them as a symbol of your gratitude.

2. Regular Employee Shout Outs

We all want to be acknowledged for our hard work. Yet, when we work from the solitude of our home, there’s no one there to give us a metaphorical pat on the back.

Show your staff how much you appreciate them by finding ways to recognize employee accomplishments or say thanks! You can accomplish this during an all-team call, a regular public Slack message, in a company-wide newsletter or a LinkedIn Kudos.

Take it a step further and have your employees nominate teammates each week for recognition.

3. Invest in Professional Development Opportunities

Employees want to feel valued and that they have a future at the company. This is often accomplished through professional development and training opportunities.

A Stanford University study found that 67% of remote workers say they want more work-related training. Show your remote team that you care about their professional growth by providing access and financial funds for relevant training opportunities such as webinars, conferences, and classes.

4. Mail a Thank You Card

Sometimes the smallest gesture means the most.

In the isolated, technology-driven world of remote work, a thank you card can mean the world to an employee. Take time out of your day to write and mail individualized thank you cards to your remote staff members.

Be sure to write a unique message for each employee. You want to show your gratitude for their work, and a great way to do so would be to acknowledge each employee’s particular contribution.

How will you show your appreciation for your remote team?