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5 Tips to Improve Employee Engagement for Remote Team

By | Andre Oentoro

Today, remote working has become the top option for most employees. The perk of working anywhere at any time has attracted many to choose this type of employment when they are embarking on a new career journey.

Another reason why remote working is now an attractive career option is that people don’t need to spend long hours of commute. As you all already know, commuting is a big challenge for many employees because everyone is set to work at the same time, making it a hurdle to go during rush hours.

Not to mention the ability to work at employees’ convenient hours has contributed to an increase in productivity, meaning that both employers and employees have been taking advantage of this term.

However, remote working can be a challenge on its own.

While employees’ productivity may be at its peak, communication between teammates may suffer from this working term. The lack of on-site, face-to-face dialogues often leads to misunderstanding at work, which commonly causes lower goals achieved. Many employees can disengage without realizing it, and it’s bad for business.

So, how do managers keep their remote employees engaged? Here are a few tips to improve employee engagement.

1. Create a virtual employee bonding event

A virtual event is great for remote employees to feel closer to each other and bond with their teammates. A virtual event can be an offsite company meeting or just a group video chat. The goal is that your employees will have fun and learn more about each other.

It’s important to keep your remote workers happy and motivated. Hosting a company-wide game or tournament allows them to meet new people from different departments and gives them an opportunity to bond over something fun and competitive.

2. Have regular on-site meetings

Surely, it’s not the same as meeting in person for the first time, but an on-site meeting can be a good start for remote employees to build trust with their teammates. These meetings also allow employees to understand their managers better.

On-site meetings can help employees strengthen their relationships with team members who are used to communicating through online chats. With offline meetings, managers can also get to know each employee better so they can begin a program that employees need. For example, managers can provide online training programs to help employees hone their skills. This can be easily done when managers have understood what their employees want through direct communication. 

3. Set up a team calendar

It’s important for remote workers to know who has availability when they work together on tasks or projects. Setting up a shared calendar allows employees to know when they are available and when they are not so that they don’t miss deadlines or double book themselves with other colleagues’ assignments that need assistance at the same time.

And make sure to use video chat for regular meetings. Video chat is a great way for remote employees to interact with their teammates. It’s also a good way to show off your company’s office space and make the remote workers feel more like they’re part of the team.

4. Acknowledge your employees’ achievement

Make sure to acknowledge your employees’ achievements and special days. If they’ve had a particularly good week, make sure to let them know you’re aware of it. You can reward your employees for their achievements by sending an appreciation message or giving them gifts.  

Also, it’s great if managers remember each employee’s birthday and congratulate them on their important moment. Although it’s not as effective as giving gifts in person, sending online gifts will make employees happy nonetheless. Around the holiday season, give gifts such as mugs, t-shirts, or other special or meaningful items to you or your company.

5. Give your employees the freedom to work and a chance to speak

From e-commerce to even games companies, one of the biggest benefits of remote work is that employees can set their hours, allowing greater flexibility in their work day schedule. This freedom can make the difference between happy employees and those who are not so happy.

If you want to improve your remote working environment, then you need to make sure that your employees have a chance to speak. This means not taking over every meeting and allowing them the freedom to make decisions on their own. For example, allow employees to voice their concerns or express their creativity by giving them a space for it. 

Remote workers are often more creative than their office counterparts because they spend less time worrying about how they look or how others perceive them. Encourage this by allowing them to express themselves through writing or art projects. You should also mention that the most meaningful project will be rewarded. 

Wrapping Up

Employee engagement is essential for businesses because it drives productivity and improves retention. Remote working is an excellent way to improve engagement because it allows employees to work when and where they want, which is better for their productivity and their happiness.

Remote working is not only beneficial for employees, but it’s also good for employers. It can save businesses cost each year because of lower real estate costs and the benefits of reduced office distractions.

When setting up your remote work environment, you should focus on creating a positive experience for both employees and employers by encouraging employee engagement with these five tips above that will help increase productivity and retention.


Author Bio:

Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order). 

 

Twitter: @breadnbeyond

Email/Gravatar: andre@breadnbeyond.com 

LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro

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