Remote work has many benefits for employers and employees. Cross-cultural teams, greater workforce diversity, an increase in productivity, profitability, and flexible schedules are some major and widely discussed ones. Though keeping employee engagement high is important, it can be a tricky issue to maneuver successfully.
Fortunately, there are many ways to support employees and keep their spirits high, even when you have a remote work model in place. Here are 6 simple ways you can manage and support remote workers.
Since remote workers are physically apart from their colleagues, it’s more likely for them to feel emotionally and mentally distanced. This can pose risks to employee well-being and the satisfaction they get from their jobs. Management and HR professionals should thus ensure regular communication among remote teams through video calls and web conferences.
Video meetings go a long way in encouraging team collaboration and ensuring face-to-face connection and interaction. Remote teams can opt for popular collaboration and communication tools like Slack, Google Hangouts, and Trello.
Besides video calls, you must offer a platform for employees and managers to have short conversations for clear communication around deadlines, work challenges, and so on. Leverage an internal messaging system to enable remote workers to communicate quickly with each other without overloading their inboxes.
This will create open lines of communication and better coordination among workers, allowing them to stay on the same page even when they are far away.
While communicating for work is important, make sure to offer your employees opportunities to discuss non-work-related matters. The absence of a real office water cooler for casual conversations makes it crucial to set up a water cooler channel on your company's messaging platform. This will help your team connect in a relaxed atmosphere while building camaraderie.
You can also plan virtual get-togethers and team-building activities. Virtual work outings and casual video calls can keep your remote workers excited to be part of your team while boosting employee engagement.
Lay down clear expectations from your remote teams to establish much-needed boundaries with them. Discuss work hours, project deadlines, goals for organizational development and professional development, email response times, break times, and so on.
Defining expectations and boundaries will not only boost productivity but will also allow your remote teams to enjoy some work-life balance. Considering that your team may be working during different time zones, clear boundaries can show them that you respect and care about their time and personal lives. This can help you build positive relationships with your team members.
Prioritize your workers' health so that they perform at their highest levels. You can consider creating incentives for your team to exercise, go outdoors, cook healthy meals, or take up other healthy habits.
You can also launch a team wellness program and digital learning and development sessions via Upfolx to keep them engaged as well as physically and mentally fit.
Although your employees may be out of sight, don't let them be out of your mind. If they face problems related to a project, a colleague, or a personal matter, understand the clues they're giving you and offer solutions to help them out.
Distance doesn’t have to make your teams feel less engaged and connected to your organization. Our simple tips can help you support and connect with your employees even when they’re halfway across the world from you.