Given the benefits of remote working, it’s little wonder that more companies have started offering remote jobs so as to attract top talents that prefer this type of work arrangement.
Being able to work from home has become a particularly appealing work arrangement for professionals across industries and generations. Employees who are able to work remotely can continue to build their careers without having to relinquish control of their time or neglect their personal endeavours.
Freeing employees of the need to commute to work can also reduce instances of burnout, improving employee retention and satisfaction rates.
Employee Engagement and Its Impacts on a Business
Adopting a remote work setup comes with its own set of challenges, though, one of which is keeping employee engagement high. Employee engagement, simply put, refers to the level of commitment that workers feel toward their team and what they do.
Highly engaged employees are more likely to innovate, do their best at work, maintain high productivity levels, and hit goals. On the other hand, a lack of employee engagement can lead to higher absenteeism, burnout, and turnover rates.
Making sure everyone in the team feels that their work is valued and that their contributions are appreciated can be a difficult task when some, most, or all of your employees work remotely. However, it’s certainly possible to work around this issue. Here are three essential and effective tips for ensuring strong work engagement among your remote employees:
Maintain Regular and Open Communication within the Entire Team
Just like office-based employees, remote workers need to feel that they are part of a cohesive team and that their contributions matter. You can do this by keeping everyone in the know of the team’s activities, challenges, and achievements not only through text-based channels, but also through regular online huddles and video calls. You can use a free video conferencing platform to put a face to each name, discuss your goals for the week, and monitor your team’s progress and deliverables.
With these efforts, even if your team members are far from each other, they are well aware that they are all working with other professionals to reach a common objective. Because they know that someone is counting on them to finish their part of any given task, they’re more likely to work hard to meet those expectations.
In addition to getting everyone on the same page, make time to schedule calls or send messages to acknowledge and celebrate individual and team accomplishments. Communicating like this can be used as an opportunity to appreciate what each member has brought to the table and build up everyone’s image of the people that they are working with remotely.
Use the Right Tools to Get Work Done and Stay in Touch with Each Other
Digital technology is essential to maintaining a remote team. It’s the company’s role to pick communication tools and digital working platforms that will help remote employees work together despite the distance.
If your remote employees have access to effective and easy-to-use tools, then they are more likely to do their work effectively and won’t have trouble communicating with their team members. Inversely, if your employees are stuck using inappropriate tools for the job, they are more likely to focus on their frustrations with the platform and less likely to get work done or communicate with their teammates.
Because you are working with remote team members, the digital tools and platforms that you use represent the working environment that you are offering your employees. It makes perfect sense, then, to be meticulous with the programs and tools that you will require your employees to use while they’re on the clock.
Given this, make sure that the tools have all the features that your workers need to collaborate, complete tasks, and communicate with each other. It’s also a must to listen to employees if they have any complaints or concerns about your prescribed work tools and take action to address these issues. This sends the message that you value your remote employees’ opinions and are supportive of their efforts to improve their individual working conditions and processes.
Schedule Online Social Events That the Entire Team Can Join
Encouraging good camaraderie between remote workers can help your team members become more invested in the work that they do and the company they keep. Knowing the personality and quirks of the people they work with can help remote workers feel more comfortable asking their colleagues some work-related questions, for example.
You can encourage social interactions among remote workers by setting up social events that every member of your remote or hybrid team can join. Perhaps you can set up an online game or movie night and send funds to everyone who will participate so that they can buy themselves some snacks and drinks. This way, everyone can share a common experience even if they don’t exactly work next to each other. Such events can also be a good jump-off point for conversations in the team’s casual chat group.
Follow these essential tips and you’ll have an easier time ensuring your remote employees will remain vested in the work that they do and the company that you all work for. Just the same, don’t hesitate to make these tips your own and customise them to suit the particular challenges and considerations that your company and remote employees might have. Always remember that engaged teams are more profitable, according to statistics about employee engagement cited in an article by Forbes. In short, high engagement among remote workers benefits not only your employees, but also the company itself.
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