Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Remote Employees Motivated & Engaged
Author: Daniyal Chishti
Since the advent of the internet and technological advancements that allow employees to work remotely, the traditional office space has been changing. No longer are employees chained to their desks in a specific location; now, they can work from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection.
While this may seem like a dream come true for some, it can also be difficult for employers and leaders to keep their remote employees motivated and engaged. Here are five ways to do just that:
Setting A Clear Expectation Process
A remote employee may feel lost and confused if given unclear instructions or directions.
Because of this, it’s crucial to ensure that remote workers understand what is expected of them in terms of performance and other business objectives. Here are some questions that you, as an employer or a leader, will need to answer to clarify what’s expected of your remote team:
- Will remote workers adhere to traditional office hours (9 to 5), or will they have flexible hours based on their time zone?
- How can remote teams develop company culture if you can’t meet in person?
- Do you have a better work-life balance if you work remotely?
- What opportunities won’t be available to remote or hybrid employees that in-office employees will? How will your business deal with this?
These are some of the questions employers and leaders can ask to develop productive and engaged remote employees in the long run. An article by Harvard Business Review on managing remote employees reminds leaders that this does not imply micromanaging their employees and requiring daily completion reports.
Instead, set up regular one-on-one meetings to assess their progress. This also allows you to answer employee questions, troubleshoot problems, and provide feedback on their performance to ensure they meet their objectives.
Foster Collaboration Amongst Remote Employees
We all require social interactions at work. Organizational success must encourage employee collaboration by providing the appropriate tools and work environment. In today’s work environment, sending an email and waiting for a response isn’t enough.
It would be best if remote working tools are used for communication to make your remote workers feel connected. Some of the most useful remote working tools are:
Slack – One of the most popular remote working tools that organize conversations into channels. Implementing a communication tool, such as Slack, will give your remote workers the feeling that they can reach someone quickly if necessary.
Zoho Connect – Allows businesses to create an enterprise social network where team members can collaborate on projects.
These are just some tools. There are many more tools available to match exactly what you need based on your business size and requirements. Many remote workers take advantage of the opportunity to interact with their co-workers the way they would in a traditional office setting. Having the necessary remote working tools to talk about whatever is on their mind will make them feel like a true member of your work family.
Celebrate The Success Of Your Remote Team
Employee recognition is an essential part of any thriving company culture. Employees require recognition to remain motivated. This is especially important when working remotely to feel connected to the organization.
To keep employees motivated and engaged, here are a few ways to continue to show your appreciation for them:
- Create a place to celebrate small victories. Look for opportunities to compliment employees, even if the praise is brief. Maintaining a casual atmosphere while allowing you to recognize when employees go above and beyond for the team is possible with a designated area to celebrate “small wins”
- Connect executives with remote workers. It is well known that remote workers may experience a sense of loneliness. Connecting them with a role model in a company they wouldn’t typically work with will help them feel more engaged
- Show them how they’re establishing a good reputation for themselves. Go to the managers of outstanding employees. Request that their managers highlight recent victories or instances in which they assisted another team member
Provide Frequent And Honest Feedback
Offering frequent feedback is another way to improve employee engagement and connectivity. Feedback is an excellent way to demonstrate to your remote workforce that you value their contributions while identifying and improving any areas where they may be underperforming.
Moreover, employers can provide frequent feedback to remote employees by scheduling regular video calls depending on the scale of your business. A weekly video conference is usually sufficient for medium-sized companies and aids in developing trust and rapport with employees.
If you create a remote culture that encourages frequent feedback, team members are more likely to agree on performance expectations, and employees are less likely to be surprised by any negative comments.
Provide Remote Employees With Flexibility
Allow your employees to have flexible working hours. Flextime policies allow employees to set their work schedules, which is especially useful for remote workers who must care for children or other family members during the workweek.
Furthermore, allowing your employees to choose their working hours can benefit your company in various ways. It can boost employees’ well-being, provide a better work-life balance, and enable them to adapt to changes in their personal lives. These advantages can make your remote team feel more connected to and valued by your organization.
Let AIQU Build Your Dream Remote Team
When the right engagement strategies are in place, remote working can significantly reduce costs and increase employee satisfaction. However, before assisting a remote IT team, businesses need help building the right remote team to work well in a remote environment. Here’s where we can help.
At AIQU, our Remote360 experts can help you source the best global remote IT talent. We have an exclusive database of vetted remote IT professionals. This saves you time and money in the hiring process. We can also manage the attendance and payroll in the candidate’s country of residence for your business.
With outsourced IT recruitment services, it doesn’t matter where your team is geographically located. You don’t have to spend months on end looking for the right person; instead, just partner with an outsourcing company like ours with a proven track record of success!
Interested? Share your details here.
