Remote Work
Remote work is a method of working that allows employees to work outside of a regular office setting. It is founded on the idea that work does not have to be completed in a certain location in order to be successful.
A cultural paradigm change has occurred in what society considers to be an appropriate workplace, and remote employment has benefited from this greater independence.
Some remote employees make the most of the advantages that a flexible work schedule provides. Others choose to leave their typical routines behind and hit the road. In addition to being able to choose their own schedules and work whenever they are most productive or creative.
But one of the most important aspects of remote working which should be considered is remote employee engagement. Many employees struggle with the notion that they don’t have enough time in the day to finish work.
Working from home does not guarantee that employees will be more engaged—in fact, it may have the reverse effect. Workers can lose contact with their team due to isolation and a lack of in-person communication with coworkers.
When there is a lack of connection for an extended period of time, it is easy to lose interest in sticking with one profession or position.
From our experience of working with remote companies, we have seen that workers who work remotely are more productive, engaged, happy and have a better work-life balance. Furthermore, firms that provide remote work and flexibility are more appealing to top talent, allowing them to attract and have better employee retention.
However, managing a remote workforce isn’t always straightforward. So, how do you make sure your remote workers succeed? Maintaining employee engagement no matter where they work is one of the key aspects of keeping your employees fresh and more productive.
Advantages of Remote Work
People prefer to work remotely for a variety of reasons, the most obvious of which is that it allows them to live a more flexible lifestyle. Remote employees can focus on the things that matter to them outside of the office when they aren’t compelled to be in an office for a certain period of time.
An employee working remotely can adjust their work schedule around their personal appointments and ensure that their work isn’t affected due to their personal commitments or emergencies.
Employees who work remotely are less stressed and have higher morale than those who work in an office according to a recent survey conducted by Statista. Employers nurture less stressed employees by removing the commute and allowing remote employees to work in an area that they are familiar with.
Employees that are happier and healthier generate better work and are more committed to their employers.
Remote work has a lot of benefits for the employer as well. The enhanced productivity that comes with remote work is one of the most popular arguments for it.
In comparison to in-office employees, remote employees are more likely to put in extra effort in their professions, going above and beyond to get their work done.
Employees that work from home are also beneficial to a company’s financial line. When a team is fully spread, organizations can save money on things like rent and office furniture, resulting in lower overhead.
Employers offer remote work possibilities to keep their employees happy and motivated, in addition to improved profit margins and higher-quality, more efficient labor.
You can read more about the advantages offered by remote work in our other blog post here.
Engagement for Remote Employees
Employee engagement is a workplace approach that refers to the mental and emotional relationships that employees have with their workplaces and their colleagues. Its goal is to increase an employee’s emotional connection to the company, as well as their job responsibilities, position within the firm, co-working environment, and company culture.
Most firms are scrambling to manage their remote employees and keep projects on pace due to the quick paradigm shift to a completely remote workforce. Even companies who were already accustomed with remote working are finding it difficult to scale and manage their procedures.
Employees’ interactions with their coworkers and superiors are radically shifting as a result of remote work. Employee productivity should be maintained, and employees should not feel detached.
As a result, small business owners must create a simple employee engagement workflow for remote workers in order to build a professional and emotional strength fabric that boosts happiness and productivity while reducing burnout and loneliness in the decentralized workplace.
Here are a few measures which can help you keep your remote employees engaged and perform to their maximum potential.
IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
Not all of your communications with your remote workers should be work-related. Don’t be hesitant to send an off-topic email or an instant chat every now and again.
You can also intentionally create time and space for informal communication via video conferencing with your employees by having a virtual team lunch break. Fostering team relationships through social hours, video chats, and virtual team-building events will keep your remote staff motivated.
Managers who lead remote teams must make themselves available because remote teams may feel disconnected. Checking in with remote workers on a regular basis is a fantastic method to assist them overcome the hurdles that come with working from home. This would ensure that no employee is felt left out due to lack of communication.
KEEP GOALS CLEAR
A remote employee can feel like they’re stranded on an island if they don’t have clear direction. An employee who is unable to respond to these internal inquiries may become utterly disengaged.
It’s critical to be absolutely clear about their roles and responsibilities while working with remote teams, since communication can be difficult and things can get lost in translation.
If you have set measurable goals for your employees, it reduces the uncertainty about the quality of the work they need to deliver and you can also quantify their work based on their individual tasks.
GIVE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK
Peer-to-peer feedback is an excellent technique to bring distant employees together. This is just one more technique to foster their teamwork and communication while also allowing them to learn from one another. You can consider developing a rewards and recognition program to make peer-to-peer feedback more successful and motivating.
RECOGNIZE YOUR EMPLOYEES
Apart from rewards, recognition is a powerful motivator for remote workers. This is one of the most important factors in increasing workplace engagement, productivity, and retention.
Employees appreciate incentives, written and verbal accolades, appreciation, work anniversaries and birthday wishes, to name a few gestures. Employees feel more engaged, respected, and valued when they receive regular acknowledgment from peers and management.
TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Team building activities decrease competitiveness within team members. This informal bonding has tremendous implications at work. Organized problem-solving exercises for remote workers can be a great source of entertainment and help them avoid burnout.
Remote workers become more creative and cooperative as a result of participating in fun team-building activities. This can help you in increasing your team cohesion, leading to better work-collaborations.
BALANCE SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION
Employee communications can be sped up or slowed down due to remote communication. How many times have you written a slack message or a chat to your colleague or senior and worried about how it will be received and whether or not it would be read?
Emails or chats should not be the major means of internal communication because there are now tools that allow for quick communication without burying information.
OVERSHARING INFORMATION
It is not a problem if you overshare information with your employees, be it personal or professional. Update them with your company’s performance for the month or quarter and ask for suggestions on suggestions to improve.
Try to keep it informal so that you can have better employee participation. It is rather recommended that you share a few things with your employees and also encourage them to be open with their colleagues. This would foster a form of water cooler conversation which would also serve to be opinion-building.
It’s evident that remote work will only expand in popularity in the future years, making it more crucial than ever to know how to manage and engage your remote staff. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to engage remote workers – follow these tips to reap the full benefits of a remote workforce and keep your team happy, healthy, and productive throughout the year.
Do you have any experiences of ideas which you implemented to keep remote employees engaged? Do let us know in the comments below!