As more people are working from home and are increasingly dispersed, it's important leaders understand that remote and hybrid workers have different needs. Successful people strategies with the aim of boosting remote employee engagement can only happen once this is realised.
It doesn't matter if an employee spends a day working from home now and again or if they are based outside the office more permanently — if they don't feel part of the team, their motivation will dip. And, over time, these feelings of apathy and isolation build. Eventually, they'll see themselves as outsiders to the business.
It's not all doom and gloom though, as there are plenty of easy and low-cost ways to keep remote teams engaged and doing their best work. The most effective and affordable is simply showing an interest in their day-to-day.
Check in with them to see how they are doing and ask questions about their experience. Do they have everything they need? How is their workload? Consistent and meaningful communication goes a long way in maintaining team morale.
There's no doubt about it, remote workers require a different management approach from their in-office counterparts.
But what are the differences, and how do managers motivate and inspire their remote teams? First of all, they need to look at how their employee experiences differ and build a strategy around that. This can be done in the following ways.
When you have a mix of in-office and remote workers, your rewards program can't be tied to in-person events or gifts. The best rewards solution for remote employees — and arguably in-office employees is a points-based system where employees receive points when they have done something admirable.
These points can then be exchanged for a range of rewards, which typically include plenty of products and experiences. Perkbox has thousands of rewards, from discounts on days and meals out to beauty products and much more. Plus, because Perkbox has relationships with plenty of international brands, employees in different countries benefit too.
The most common complaint from remote employees is that they don't feel part of the team and often report being the last to know about — well, everything. While this is never intentional, it is nevertheless an incredibly bad employee experience.
Most of the time, these mishaps occur from breaks in communication and a misunderstanding of who is cascading what information. With Perkbox, you can prevent this by using the culture and comms tool. Sharing information has never been easier as you can post office news, company updates, and more using digital cards.
Each customisable card supports a variety of attachments, including videos, photos, and PDF files. No more relying on convoluted email lists. Everything that matters is all in one place.
Regardless of where an employee works, wellbeing is one of the most important parts of the employee experience. If employees aren't happy and healthy, they won't be working at their best.
There are several ways you can support employee wellbeing. For example, you could offer a wellbeing platform, such as what Perkbox has.
Additionally, you can invite speakers over a Zoom call, and they can share knowledge on their specialist areas. Common speakers include nutritionists and mindfulness coaches.
Flexible working is a style of working that suits the employees' needs. We all lead very different lives and some people may need to start and finish outside of the conventional 9am to 5pm window.
When people request to work flexibly, it's important the employer handles their request in a reasonable manner. This includes:
If the employer doesn't conduct the application in a reasonable manner, they could be leaving themselves open to a potential grievance. However, that being said, if an organisation has a good business reason for not granting flexible working, then they will not face any repercussions for denying an application.
If there’s a meeting taking place, it needs to be expected there are both phone and video conference dial-in options. It really doesn’t matter whether anyone uses those options — the point is that they’re there and part of the way the business operates.
If you send out a calendar invite for an internal meeting, always add a range of attendance options. It keeps remote workers engaged and shows people within the business that you take remote working seriously and it's part of your company culture.
A great way to make your remote employees feel loved is to include them in your planning.
For example, if you're taking the group out for drinks on a Friday afternoon, encourage your remote employees to visit a nearby cafe and buy themselves lunch on the company's dime. If you're throwing an end-of-year Christmas party, offer to bring your remote workers in and put them up in a hotel for a couple of nights.
A common cause for a drop in motivation is isolation. To overcome this, you need to create a more remote-inclusive environment — this is why it's so important for managers to keep close contact with everyone, regardless of where they are located.
Team leaders who work remotely must create a daily routine of checking in with their colleagues — even if it's just to ask them how they are. If there’s a day when there aren’t any scheduled meetings, make a point of giving them a call to say hey, or check in with them via email — it can really make a huge difference.
When remote workers aren’t consistently speaking with each other, they lose that sense of familiarity and camaraderie. To prevent this, Slack channels, WhatsApp groups, or other instant messenger chat options should be created, and their use actively promoted. Encourage team members to post updates, milestones, jokes, and achievements. Another idea is dedicating a channel that celebrates everyone's pet.
Perkbox is an all-in-one employee experience solution that is ideal for remote workers. It boosts remote employee engagement by offering:
Celebrate and motivate your employees no matter where they’re working — in one building, remotely or across multiple locations.
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