Did you know that companies with remote work options have a 25% lower turnover rate than companies that don’t offer remote options? During the height of the pandemic, many workers realized they liked the freedom of working remotely. As a result, more and more companies are planning to continue offering remote opportunities going forward.
But, as a business owner, how can you make sure that remote employees are just as engaged as those working out of the office? We’re here to help.
Keep reading to learn about tips you can implement to help your remote team stay connected and productive.
Offer Support During Onboarding
New hires can always feel overwhelmed when starting at a new company, but that feeling is magnified when starting a remote position. Consider using onboarding software like this to help make those critical first few weeks go smoothly for new remote employees.
You should also make sure that when employees are working from home, they have access to all the same tools that an in-office employee would have. This includes the following:
- Login credentials
- Access to documents and training material
- Equipment like laptops and monitors
- A clear understanding of who to go to with questions
By starting off on the right foot with new remote employees, you’ll be setting them up for success even if you never meet in person.
Create Water Cooler Moments
One benefit of working in an office is connecting with colleagues through water cooler talk. Remote employees miss out on the casual conversations that happen spontaneously in the break room. This can leave them feeling disconnected from the team. Instead, create a virtual water cooler environment to help remote employees feel connected even from afar.
For example, if you use Slack or Microsoft Teams, you might have a channel dedicated to water cooler talk. Here, employees can chat about TV shows, interesting new articles, or life updates just like they would in the office.
Prioritize Communication
If real estate is all about location, location, location, engaging remote employees is all about communication, communication, communication.
Make sure your remote workers don’t feel like they are lost out in the ether of your company by engaging them regularly. For example, you might hold weekly check-in calls with the team so everyone knows which tasks to prioritize. Or, maybe you have written monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals for each employee to help keep them on track.
Make sure all of your employees know that your door is always open for clarification, feedback, etc., either through phone calls, video chats, or team meetings.
Listen to Feedback
A successful remote work environment is a two-way street. You should be clearly communicating your expectations with remote employees. But, you should also be listening to them to get feedback on how you can improve.
Check in with remote employees regularly to get their opinions on how to improve company processes, ideas for how to meet company goals, and more. Then, take the good ideas they share and act on them, so they know their voices are being heard.
You can even solicit feedback in the form of an anonymous survey, to help employees feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Embrace Technology
Thanks to today’s advanced digital world, it’s never been easier to stay connected virtually. While technology can sometimes become overwhelming, it can truly help you connect with remote employees in new ways.
Make sure your employees know how to use internal communication systems beyond email. This will help streamline communication efforts and track progress on projects. Use video conferencing whenever possible to make it feel like you’re meeting in person, even when you’re worlds apart.
Schedule virtual happy hours or team activities to help remote employees experience the same feelings as they would working out of an office. The more you embrace technology, the more connected all of your employees will feel.
Show Employee Recognition
One of the best ways to help remote employees feel engaged is to highlight their successes, not only one-on-one but also by sharing with the whole team.
Be sure to do the following:
- Share positive feedback from customers
- Highlight great work on a project
- Give a public thank you when an employee goes above and beyond
If you’re doing an in-office reward like lunch for the team, don’t forget to include your remote employees as well. You might send them a gift card so they can have lunch “on the company” too, for example.
Believe it or not, public recognition and rewards can be just as motivating to employees as receiving a raise, so put in the effort to make sure all employees feel appreciated.
Establish an Environment of Trust
There’s a stereotype that some managers don’t trust that remote employees are actually working as much as they should. This can be demoralizing and leave employees feeling like their boss doesn’t trust them to do their work.
Instead of falling into that stereotype, establish an environment of trust from the beginning. Commit to trusting your employees to do the jobs they were hired to do. And, if you notice concerning behavior from a particular employee, address it with them directly, instead of creating new policies that will impact the rest of the team.
When employees feel like their boss trusts them, they’ll stay more engaged and productive. And, they’ll be more likely to come to you with any concerns if they know you aren’t trying to micromanage their time.
Keeping Remote Employees Engaged Is Key to Company Success
After reading through our tips for keeping remote employees engaged and productive, you should feel confident knowing how to create a happy, healthy working environment for all employees. As a result, you can expect to see lower turnover rates and higher quality of work from your employees.
Looking for more ways to keep your employees happy? Be sure to browse through our other articles before you go.
