Employee engagement is quickly becoming one of the most critical indicators in appraising work satisfaction. Remote workers want to be involved in their work, enthusiastic about the organization they work for, and committed to their fellow workers. Employee engagement has been proven to reduce staff turnover, improve productivity and efficiency, improve customer service and retention, and deliver higher profits.

However, promoting employee engagement in the time of COVID-19 presents unique challenges since not all your team members are in the same place. It’s easy for remote workers to feel isolated, leading to a decrease in your company’s overall engagement levels… Read more about how to build engagement between your remote workers. This article will discuss how to build engagement between your remote workers.

1. What Is Remote Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement refers to the emotional commitment the employee has towards the company and its goals. Businesses build solid relationships in the team helps in having more effective meetings and discussions. And the most accessible tool in helping you do so is icebreakers.

In this digital age of new remote employee engagement strategies, businesses are finding new ways to involve their employees in the company. For example, they create 'geographically distributed teams' that encourage employees to interact with each other using an ambient sound channel.

As companies grow, they must continue to learn how to engage and motivate their employees despite not being in the same room. Remote workforce engagement is vital to the success of any company, so employing remote employee strategies that boost engagement and overall productivity is important.

2. Importance of Remote Workers Engagement

2.1 Keep Remote Workers More Productive

Engaging remote employees will ensure your team is still as efficient and productive as they would be in the office. When employees are more engaged, they are more invested in their tasks and show exemplary ownership. This is the reason why engaged employees are always more productive than their counterparts.

2.2 Deliver Better Service

The ultimate goal of an organization is to deliver excellence. When employee engagement is high, employees go the extra mile in performing their tasks which leads to better customer satisfaction.

2.3 Engaged Employees Are Loyal

An engaged employee finds their job to be motivating and personally fulfilling. As a result, they tend to be more productive on the job than other disengaged employees. Employee engagement and loyalty go hand-in-hand, oftentimes with each influencing each other equally.

2.4 Employees Have Higher Job Satisfaction

A satisfied employee is not just a retained employee but an ambassador for the brand, internally and externally. Happy employees are more loyal to the company and its objectives, they go the extra mile to achieve goals and take pride in their jobs, their teams, and their achievements.

3. How to Build Remote Workers Engagement

3.1 Keep Communicated Frequently

To keep employees engaged, especially in diverse locations, company leaders will have to get creative. It is suggested that managers have well-organized communication channels that allow for clear and direct coordination and address remote team member questions and needs as quickly as possible.

This can be accomplished through continual check-ins, daily meetings with video chats/screen sharing, regular group meetings or work-related gatherings via Zoom (or other video conferencing platforms), and other activities that maintain consistency in operations.

It's important to ensure that remote workers feel a sense of connection with their co-workers. This can be done by establishing regular and consistent communication and daily or weekly check-ins. The intent is to make employees feel connected in the same way they would if they were working side by side.

Some effective communication channels and strategic use of technology to streamline communication and increase seamless work efforts between all team members:

3.1.1 Video conferencing

E.g., Zoom, Google Meet. The team can discuss tasks that need more explanation, share screens, host webinars, create virtual conference rooms and hold invitation-only meetings. Sessions can be recorded for future reference. Leasers should only limit people who need to be in the meeting from those that are only interested in the topic and the outcome. Another way to avoid online fatigue is to vary your use of different technologies. The best way to resolve a question one-on-one may be to pick up the phone.

3.1.2 Cloud storage

Cloud storage is a cloud computing model that stores data on the Internet through a cloud computing provider that manages and operates data storage as a service. It’s delivered on-demand with just-in-time capacity and costs and eliminates buying and managing your own data storage infrastructure. This gives you agility, global scale, and durability, with “anytime, anywhere” data access.

E.g., OneDrive and Google Drive. Secure and shareable, these can be integrated with other tools to streamline collaboration.

3.1.3 Project management

Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people. The development of software for an improved business process or the construction of a building, etc. These are all examples of projects. E.g. Trello, Top Tracker and Asana. Manage workflows and help the team stay focused on projects, tasks, and goals.

3.1.4 Time tracking and focus apps

E.g., Toggl and Serene. For remote workers needing to stay focused and productive, these applications track project time or switch off distractions enabling deep focus on a particular goal.

3.2 Include Remote Workers In Onsite Office Culture

Office culture is an organization's internal environment, featuring personalities, fun social interactions, and impromptu team lunches. A remote worker can feel forgotten during this on-site activity.

It's essential to include them in the interactions and fun things that on-site workers get up to, such as virtual tours of everyone's workspaces. Virtual' getting to know you' team-building activities can be great for new joiners or for forming a new project team.

If the situation allows for it, you can create opportunities for everyone -- remote and on-site -- to meet up occasionally, whether in designated workspaces or on company retreats or days out. Some tips for recommendation:

• Engaging remote employees requires a strategic approach and long-term commitment to your people, like planning remote happy hours to keep your remote employees engaged.
• A company news feed or blog is also a great way to keep remote workers in the loop. Be sure communication is always a two-way street, so employees feel comfortable raising questions or concerns.
• Help employees communicate with each other by giving access to a 'wellbeing' library or online channel that promotes sharing. People can gain information, learn about exercises (like yoga) and take up mindfulness.

3.3 Recognize Employee Contributions

Remote workers tend to put in more hours than their in-office counterparts, but they often don't feel part of the team. One solution is to make employee recognition a priority.

Leverage an online recognition platform to give every employee the ability to view, comment on, and give recognition in real-time. Employee recognition is a top driver for employee engagement. Regular recognition from peers and managers helps employees feel connected, appreciated, and valued.

3.4 Keep Them Stay Updated

Keeping your remote workers updated on projects, goals, team progress, and company news are essential. Since a lot of information at companies gets circulated through water cooler talk or chats across desks, remote employees can easily get left out of the loop and feel disconnected.

Use an employee-friendly goal setting and tracking system to give everyone access to company goals, progress updates, new projects, and more. Check-in regularly with your remote employees for both one-on-one and team meetings, so everyone has a chance to connect and keep their finger on the pulse of the company. When remote workers are part of the dialogue, they will be empowered and feel more connected and engaged.

3.5 Give employees the tools to succeed

Ensuring your employees feel confident and empowered to do their best work no matter where they are is key to improving engagement and performance. Whether a new hire or a veteran employee, make sure your remote team has the tools and training to get the job done.

And resources and amenities aren't limited to hardware or equipment needs like laptops or company cell phones. Do your employees have a place they can work effectively at home? Do they have access to development opportunities?

Don't be afraid to get creative. You can offer stipends for co-working spaces for employees who don't have a home office or cover costs to send employees to business conferences and professional development courses.

3.6 Encourage flexibility

Your remote workforce may be made up of an international group of employees of all ages who work in different time zones. These employees have their optimum working methods, so businesses should encourage flexible working practices to meet deadlines.

One of the best things about remote work is the flexibility it offers employees. While you may need to have set times around team meetings and collaborative sessions, give your employees autonomy around when and how they work the rest of the time.

Trust them to get the job done. Building trust between employees and managers is crucial for employee engagement and satisfaction. Plus, flexibility means employees can develop a working cycle that works best for them, creating a healthier work-life balance.

3.7 Ask For and Listen to Feedback

Communicate with employees when you take action on their feedback so they know they have been heard, and their opinion is valued. When employees feel valued, they are happier and more engaged at work.

Creating opportunities for your employees to give feedback on work. And don't shy away from giving constructive feedback. Help employees take advantage of development opportunities. You've encouraged two-way communication across several channels, and you're connecting up with your team members regularly.

One of the best ways to understand your employee's views and engagement levels is to ask them. You can do this through a simple survey that asks them for their feedback and analyzes the results individually and alongside other employees' data.

Managers should provide additional training, communication, and resources to support new remote employees throughout their onboarding. Assign mentors to new hires so new employees can rely on someone to ask questions and get oriented throughout their first year. If possible, plan in-person team or company retreats and outings to strengthen those connections.

Conclusion

Working remotely is expected to increase by 159% over the course of the next four years. Yet it’s becoming more challenging than ever to keep remote employees engaged and productive while they work remotely. Fortunately, there are many ways you can engage your remote employees throughout the year. As this trend continues, businesses will benefit from high-performing employees well-equipped to collaborate across borders and cultures.