There are many benefits of working from home. Your employees can skip the lengthy and stressful commutes and have more time to do chores around their houses.

Still, remote sales teams and other work-from-home employees may miss the camaraderie of an office environment. After all, being in a room by yourself for eight hours a day can be lonely. To boost team morale, follow the below tips for making remote work more fun.

Incorporate Games

Team bonding experiences are particularly important when everyone is working in different buildings or even states. You should thus set aside some time each week for some staff games such as Pictionary or hangman. You could even start each game session by having one employee give a virtual tour of his or her home office. This could help new workers in particular get to know each other better.

The fun does not have to stop at 5 p.m., either. Consider having virtual trivia events or playing online board games after hours.

Use Remote Working Tools

You can use Google Messenger and Slack for more than just work-related discussions. These tools are great ways to bring typical water-cooler discussions into the digital age. Designate specific channels for trivia contests or weekend plan discussions.

Encourage Playful and Comfortable Work Spaces

It is hard to have fun at work if you are stuck in a boring home office. Encourage your employees to have a joyful yet distraction-free space. To make a home office feel more like a work one, have employees put plants or photos near their computers or desks.

Certain playful things can also make working from home a more enjoyable experience. Consider getting puzzles or building blocks that your workers can use to keep their hands busy as they think. You can even buy exercise balls for everyone to use as chairs in home offices.

Cute desk items, in particular, will make your employees smile and could even improve their productivity. Have your workers put adorable drawings or objects in their home offices.

Promote Self-Care

Whether your employees are in the office or at home, self-care remains vital. It can limit tension and foster a more positive work environment.

There are several ways to create a healthier remote work environment. Try setting up exercise challenges to encourage your employees to stay fit. You could alternatively set aside a specific time of day for stretch and exercise breaks. You may also want to have healthy snacks delivered to each of your employees' homes.

Mental health is just as important as physical health is. You should thus encourage your employees to follow mindfulness techniques and perform daily meditations.

Encourage Work-Life Balance

When your employees do not have to worry about lengthy commutes or catching a train, they may feel tempted to spend more time in front of their desks. Over time, however, this could cause your employees to experience burnout. You should thus encourage them to balance their work and home lives.

Tell your workers to take breaks regularly. You should also instruct them to not contact other employees who have logged off the computer for the day. If any of your workers are still having trouble stepping away from the home office, have them shut the door to the room at a certain time each day. If they do not have an office space in their houses, ask them to place their papers and computers in a closet or basket in the evening. This way, they will not be tempted to pick up those items again until the next morning.

Final Thoughts

Your employees will be more productive if they enjoy their remote offices. The above tips should make working from home more fun and less stressful.