With many companies shifting from in-office to remote and hybrid work models, leaders must find ways to adapt, keep employees engaged and maintain a strong culture. One of the most significant challenges with remote work is making remote employees feel included and supported, which can be difficult in a completely virtual workplace environment.
Fortunately, there are plenty of effective ways to make remote employees feel as if they fully belong and are integral parts of the team. Below, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council share some of the most impactful ways that great leaders support their remote employees.
Forbes Coaches Council members share impactful ways great leaders support remote employees.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Provide Clarity And Empathy
Great leaders best support their remote teams by providing clarity and empathy. By being clear on expectations, priorities and how communication will work, they ensure the message they are sending is understood. Empathetic, clear and transparent communication allows employees to work effectively and autonomously, as they know what they need to do, why and by when, as well as what outcomes are expected. - Anita O’Connor-Roberts, AOC Consulting
2. Build A Caring Family Environment
Build a family environment, demonstrating genuine care and empathy. Employees want to be acknowledged, challenged respectfully and appreciated. The family environment should ensure there is constant support for one another, and this can only happen when there is sufficient time to build and nourish these relationships. Inspire your employees by demonstrating game-changing behavior. - Stuart Andrews, SMA Consulting
3. Offer Opportunities For Self-Care
Great leaders support their remote employees by offering opportunities for self-care and advancing their mental and physical well-being. We offer monthly calls with a registered nutritionist and allow our staff to bring any and all health and wellness questions, concerns and feedback. We offer our full-time staff one paid self-care day each month outside of their allotted paid time off. - Kimberly Olson, The Goal Digger Girl
4. Promote Various Ways To Connect And Contribute
Foster belonging by promoting a range of ways for employees to connect and contribute in addition to Zoom conferencing. Offer a range of channels through which employees can share their voice while working remotely, such as instant messaging, chat and email. Similarly, encourage colleagues to connect among themselves to build friendships and trust and to foster a sense of community while working apart. - Palena Neale, unabridged
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5. Share Wins At Weekly Meetings
All of my employees are remote, and one of the best things we have done is to implement a weekly meeting on Fridays where people share wins from the week and I share things about the mission we are on as a company. This keeps everyone engaged and helps grow the team’s effectiveness. - Mike Claudio, WinRate Consulting LLC
6. Foster Connection By Enhancing Communication Skills
Remote teams need collaborative cultures that leverage each employee’s strengths and eliminate isolation and aimlessness. But fostering connection and interaction requires highly effective communication, which is challenging in a remote environment. To best serve their employees, managers can work on enhancing their communication skills. - Jonathan Passmore, CoachHub
7. Let Individuals Choose Their Level Of Engagement
Remote work is a choice for some and a necessity for others. Be clear about not only the needs of the company, but also the needs of your remote employees. Some will prefer a low-touch approach, and others may want deeper opportunities for connection. By outlining the required touch points versus creating optionality for others who may need more, you create a space for people to choose their desired level of engagement. - Saba Hasanie, OSC Leadership Performance
8. Empower The Team With Trust
At a time when many leaders are looking for freedom, and even passive opportunities for income, trust is a key factor. Rather than trying to control or micromanage, try to empower your team. Give them freedom and trust them to make decisions, positioning yourself as a guide or resource. This will help your team to be more productive and give you the freedom to work on tasks that drive the business forward. - Jim Judy, TryFranchising.com
9. Get Creative Input
Virtual meetings can be as powerful as in-person ones and have many benefits. With each team, create an “engagement” code on how these meetings will be held, with the expectations that they are powerful and meet open-space goals, and that there is agreement on adding a few aspects that will create out-of-the-box sessions. - Denise Trudeau-Poskas, Blue Egg Leadership
10. Leverage The 'Emotional Contagion' Mechanism
Leaders can promote the development and enhancement of positive emotions in remote employees through the "emotional contagion" mechanism by using appropriate verbal and nonverbal cues. This positively affects their motivation, creativity, engagement, task performance, subjective well-being, team cohesiveness, morale, rapport, psychological safety and long-term leader-follower relationships. - Zoran M. Pavlovic, Heruka Health Innovations
11. Establish Clear, Standard Performance Metrics
One means of supporting remote employees is to establish clear and standard metrics for performance evaluation—for both internal and remote workers. Add periodic in-person gatherings with both groups of employees and schedule something from time to time where people who are fully remote can connect with each other. This way, those who are remote feel part of the team and help to create and maintain the culture. - Rick Itzkowich, Vistage Worldwide, Inc.
12. Allow The Autonomy To Work Nontraditional Hours
Great leaders understand that workers who intentionally choose a remote role are, at the core, seeking flexibility and balance. Honor that desire by allowing them the autonomy to work nontraditional hours whenever possible. Focus on responsibility completion, not “hours in the seat.” Understand that allowing this balance will pay rewards in engagement and productivity. - Cheryl Czach, Cheryl Czach Coaching and Consulting, LLC
13. Engage In Positive Ways And Show Appreciation
Feeling valued and appreciated are basic human needs. This does not change in the workforce, and it definitely does not change with remote employees. People tend to become less engaged if they do not feel valued, and they tend to make up negative stories to fill the space when there is no communication. Great leaders fill that space with positive engagement, value and appreciation. - Lori Wilson-Hudson, Energy Wellness Coaching
14. Consistently Build Trust
One great way you can show that you support your remote employees is to show that you trust them. Meeting with them regularly to check the progress of their work, asking and listening to how they're really doing during a mental wellness check and collaborating on visibility projects that will keep them “seen” while out of the office are all ways to show support. - Joyel Crawford, Crawford Leadership Strategies, LLC.
