How one question a day boosts employee engagement

Employee engagement describes the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward their job. It is an indicator of the vibrancy within your company's culture.

However, according to Gallup’s data, 87% of employees worldwide feel disengaged!

As Gallup researcher Jim Harter puts it, “The whole person comes to work, not just the worker.” How can we acknowledge and celebrate that? The ‘How to Work with Me’ manual is one way of doing that. Here's another solution 👀

#SlackEngagementIdea: The Remote Company x MyZenTeam

The Remote Company has been working remotely and hiring globally since 2012. Today, our teams work from 35 countries and 14 time zones. We constantly seek ways to stay engaged with one another. 

How #questionaday came about  

A few years ago, one of our colleagues began a long-distance relationship and stumbled across a popular card game called 'We Are Not Really Strangers'. It's a purpose-driven card game that empowers meaningful connections.

Take a look at how people use it:

‘We Are Not Really Strangers’ helped her quickly get into meaningful and deep conversations with her partner. They learned unexpected details about each other. 

What if we use the same tactic in a workplace? This is how our Slack channel called 'Question a Day' was born.

Fast Forward to 2023

Since 2019, we've asked over 300 questions. We collect all these questions in a bank and use the MyZenTeam Slack engagement bot for these team conversation starters. 

Although we have automated our remote employee engagement, the relationships built are still very organic. Technology has certainly helped to facilitate and empower our connections, but it is human effort and intention that truly drive meaningful engagement.

Here are some of our questions or prompts:

• What was the last TV series you binged?

• Given the opportunity, would you go to space?

• Name a thing that costs less than $5 but gives you instant happiness.

• What’s your favorite and least favorite house chore?

• What's the most interesting thing you've learned in the past month?

• What are you overthinking right now?

• Who is the first person you want to share good news with?

• Which is your least favorite fruit?

By the end of the Slack #questionaday thread, everyone learns something new about one another. The MyZenTeam Slack engagement bot has helped us facilitate remote employee engagement like no other tool.

Why does it work?

The simple questions let us connect easily. The personal information help facilitate work relationship. In the next meeting, I can joke about pineapples on pizza or ask about their pet.

Consistency matters. The Slack channels are automated and create a habit to say thank you, share your favourite moment once a week or/and answer a daily question.

It’s asynchronous communication. It means everyone can join the conversation on their own time.

Keep your team engaged with MyZenTeam

What do you do to increase your organisation's engagement? How do you make sure teams stay connected and provide a safe space for an employee to come to work as a whole person?   

The MyZenTeam Slack engagement bot is a must-try for every team—remote or not. It can be easily integrated into any Slack workspace when you join MyZenTeam.

Sign up today and connect to your Slack workspace. 

Watch your employee engagement skyrocket!