A new trend in the workplace has emerged over the past few years. The number of remote employees, or employees who work from home, is steadily on the rise with no signs of slowing down. As both employees and the organizations look for ways to adapt to this new workforce, they are discovering just how many advantages a virtual workforce can offer their company.
Businesses who offer remote and flexible work options are more appealing to the best talent, providing organizations with a competitive workforce advantage. As a matter of fact, remote workers report feeling more productive, engaged, and satisfied with their job. From consultants to sales staff, the growing number of remote employees crosses multiple time zones, with many working from home or on-site at client locations. Access to global talent and the convenience and flexibility of working from anywhere, offers a great many benefits to businesses and employees alike.
There’s no need to point out that remote work is here to stay – its popularity alone speaks for itself. However, HR professionals must now focus on developing creative employee engagement activities and team building strategies for remote workers, in addition to managing operational challenges that were brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Working from home does indeed have a great many benefits for the workforce as a whole, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t also have its challenges. Working outside of a physical location may leave some employees feeling disconnected, leading to disengagement and reduced productivity. As a manager, it is essential that you create effective employee engagement strategies that boost remote employee engagement.
Let’s take a look at the impact remote work has on employee engagement and cover some research-backed strategies that will help keep your remote team engaged and motivated, regardless of their location.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is just what it sounds like – the process of creating a happy, satisfied, and committed workforce. It has become increasingly important in recent years due to changing work trends. Today’s employees want more than just a paycheck. They want to feel appreciated and valued, with opportunities for growth and development. When employees feel like the company isn’t invested in their success, they are likely to leave.
Numerous studies have shown that organizations who focus on achieving high levels of remote employee engagement see improved job productivity, performance, and satisfaction with their remote employees. Establishing the right employee engagement practices for your remote employees is crucial to the success of your business.
Remote employee engagement is only different in that it refers to the levels at which off-site employees feel connected and engaged with their job, team, and the company as a whole. With at-home-workers becoming more commonplace, remote employees may feel less engaged and connected to their job, leading to reduced productivity and business performance.
Although measuring employee engagement is not an exact science, communicating with employees about their work, passion, career goals, and workplace concerns can provide insight into engagement levels.
Practical Tips for remote employee engagement strategies
- doneUtilize technology to keep remote employees connected and streamline communication and project management. Encourage video conferencing for face-to-face communication and schedule regular staff meetings and video calls with screen sharing.
- doneCombat loneliness by fostering team connections through social hours, video chats, and virtual team-building activities. Assign mentors to new hires and plan in-person team or company retreats and outings to strengthen connections.
- doneBuild meaningful relationships with remote employees and show you care by respecting their time, discussing personal hobbies and stress, and helping them avoid burnout.
- doneAsk for and listen to feedback, communicate actions taken on feedback, and provide constructive feedback to help employees take advantage of development opportunities.
- donePrioritize employee recognition by leveraging an online recognition platform to give everyone real-time access to recognition from peers and managers.
- doneKeep remote workers updated on projects, goals, team progress, and company news through an employee-friendly goal setting and tracking system. Regular check-ins with remote employees will keep them engaged and empowered in their work.
- doneProvide additional training, communication, and resources to support new remote employees throughout their onboarding.
- doneEnsure remote employees have the tools, training, and resources to do their best work, including hardware, equipment, and amenities like co-working spaces and development opportunities.
- doneOffer flexibility by trusting employees to get the job done and allowing autonomy around when and how they work.
- doneOffer a mix of remote and in-house work options, with the optimal engagement boost found in employees working from home 3-4 days out of a five-day workweek.
Conclusion
These strategies are a great way to ensure your entire team has the same engagement opportunities, regardless of where they are located. Whether they are remote or office-based workers, the most effective way to engage your employees is by giving them a voice. This is supported by a Harvard Business review study that found 46% of remote employees believe that the best managers are the ones who check in with them frequently.
The ability to listen to and address employees’ thoughts and concerns, whether informally or through structured feedback, is the major difference between a good organization and a great one. Keeping this basic principle in mind, implementing remote employee engagement strategies will be simple and easy.
To improve remote employee engagement levels, it is crucial to provide them with opportunities to voice their needs without worrying about interrupting you at an inopportune time. Additionally, utilizing the right employee engagement software like AssessTEAM, a reliable and easy-to-use cloud-based employee performance management software trusted by businesses worldwide, can make a significant difference. Get your free demo of AssessTEAM today!