Teams, Yammer and more offer tools to build remote culture

Which tools are helping communicators preserve workplace connection during this era of disruption?

Comms leaders from companies such as Intel, Honeywell, PPD and Windstream gathered for a virtual roundtable sponsored by LumApps and Ragan Communications to discuss what resources are proving the most useful for engaging workers and other top concerns facing internal communicators.

At the top of many communicators’ lists is Microsoft Teams, which offers collaboration and messaging features, as well as video meeting tools and more.

“We implemented Microsoft Teams just at the beginning of the lockdown,” says Mary Morgan, director of corporate communications for PPD. “In employee surveys, Microsoft Teams was named again and again as a game-changer for employees. It’s been a huge success for bringing faces into meetings again.”

Communicators have tried a variety of video solutions to keep employees engaged during the pandemic. Lisa Paradas, communications director with Honeywell, shared that her team has tried to get creative with offering unique video backgrounds that employees can use—even offering a contest where employees can win a special background that they can display in their video meetings.