Play mad-libs or write a story together by crowdsourcing input from your team and piecing together a hilarious end-product that can be used on social media, or simply circulated internally for some laughs. Encourage your team to be as creative (even outlandish) as possible and just see where the journey takes them. The easier option is to have a designated host play a film on their desktop and share their screen through a video conferencing app.<\/p>\n
Sadly, this does not include emojis which are certainly a big player in today\u2019s laugh arsenal. We also didn\u2019t include true keyboard smashing, a favorite with the kids. Punctuation was ignored so we didn\u2019t\t\t\t\t\texamine exclamation points as a laugh enhancer. A study from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania found that people who were comfortable cracking jokes in the office were perceived as more confident and competent. Another study, from VU University Amsterdam and the University of Nebraska, found that meetings filled with laughter lead to more productivity and more innovative solutions. Once you\u2019ve figured out the reason you\u2019re using humor, you can determine if it\u2019s helping or hindering you.<\/p>\n
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A lot of your resources are just as helpful coming from remote employees. If you don\u2019t already have them, consider investing in employee resource groups (or ERGs). In short, ERGs are typically led by individuals who are interested in providing specific support or resources to your team. Examples of common ERGs include ones for people with disabilities, parents and women. Take a poll to see if any of your remote employees have an interest in creating or joining an ERG, and provide them with the support they need to be a successful resource. If your team stems across a number of cities or even neighborhoods, ask if individuals are willing to act as a virtual tour guide to show off the cool local spots near them.<\/p>\n