In today's hyper-connected world, remote work has become the norm for many businesses. But, like everything else, there are downsides. With employees scattered across different time zones and cultures, keeping them engaged and motivated can be a challenge.
As a leader, it's your responsibility to find ways to connect with your remote team members and create a culture of collaboration and innovation. In this blog post, we'll explore some practical tips and strategies that can help you engage your remote employees and build a strong and productive team, no matter where they are in the world. So, let's dive in!
Employee engagement is the fuel that drives employee performance, retention, and productivity. When your team feels connected to a larger mission beyond just their computer screen, they become a force to be reckoned with, bursting with creativity and enthusiasm.
And here's a fun fact for you—employees who are truly engaged are a whopping 87% less likely to ditch their employer. So if you want to keep your team around and motivated, find ways to keep them connected and engaged, even from a distance.
As an organization with remote employees, technology should be your best friend. Face-to-face hangouts and meetings may not be frequently possible, especially if you have a vast employee pool, but nothing’s stopping you from hosting a conference meeting online.
Make use of digital tools like Zoom, Slack, or Google Meet to gather your team and discuss organization goals, assign tasks and even have a casual conversation.
You want your employees to feel like their efforts are needed and appreciated. And there’s no better way to do that than to provide authentic feedback about the work that they’re doing and ways in which you would like them to improve.
Two-way constructive feedback positively influences employee performance and ultimately contributes to the growth of an organization. In this case, employee engagement surveys may be exactly what you need!
Sending out a thoughtful card or gift to acknowledge an employee's special day can go a long way in building a strong relationship between the employer and the employee. It shows that you are invested in your employees' well-being and are willing to go the extra mile to make them feel valued.
Celebrating personal events doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming. Even a simple gesture like a personalized note or a shoutout on the company's internal comms platform can make a big impact. It's the thought and effort that count the most.
Working remotely presents a unique challenge when it comes to communication. In an isolated environment, it can be easy to feel like there's no room for communication. However, it is important to break that barrier and establish healthy channels for communication. One way to achieve this is by providing remote employees with access to the people they need to talk to in order to get work done.
This can be achieved through various means, such as regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, and virtual collaboration tools. By providing remote employees with the tools and resources they need to effectively communicate, you can help them feel more connected to the team and the organization as a whole.
It is also important to encourage open and honest communication among remote employees. This can be achieved by creating a culture of transparency and trust, where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. By fostering a culture of open communication, you can help remote employees feel more valued and engaged, which can lead to increased productivity and success for the organization as a whole.
Once your employees are confident in sharing their ideas with one another, a positively inclusive work culture will turn into a reality. Make sure your company values revolve around the concept of respect for everyone regardless of their working background or location.
Although this may be costly to arrange, mentor and training programs can be quite influential in the long run. Invest in online growth and skill development courses for your remote employees so they can make up for their lack of personal and career growth through socializing.
Providing recordings and arranging video conferencing at the time of in-house training would be a cherry on top!
Whether the focus is on remote employees or cleric employees, measuring employee engagement will help you understand if the ball is rolling in your court. As a business organization, engagement practices that aren’t beneficial will only cost you negatively. So, make haste in improvising them as soon as possible.
Even though employee engagement presents differently for everyone, if an organization is able to incorporate the above-mentioned strategies in their work lifestyle, result-oriented and productivity-leading remote employee engagement will be inevitable. However, the story doesn’t end here. There is more to the formula of employee success than just proper engagement, especially if the aim is to achieve long-term employee success.
Employee success encompasses the complete experience of an employee; whether they have enough learning opportunities, is their career path leads to personal development and if they feel like they’re making a difference.
As per Jostle’s model, the holistic concept envelops engagement, enablement, celebration and success. And it goes without saying that it has been a success! Your employees need to feel like they’re part of a team that strives and requires you to contribute.
If the ultimate motive of your business is to carry out efficacious engagement for remote employees, you’ll only get so far. But, if it is to achieve chronic employee success, you’ll get as far as you need to!