3 Tips for Keeping Your Remote Employees Engaged
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed remote work and created a new understanding of today’s “normal.” Multiple studies reveal that employees are reluctant to return to the office, and employers have responded by offering both fully remote and hybrid work solutions.
Notably, a 2021 PwC study stated that “remote work has been an overwhelming success for employers and employees” alike. Specifically, 83% of employers said that they have found success with remote work, as compared with only 73% in PwC’s 2020 survey.
More specifically, employees often report higher productivity levels while working from home, and more than 50% of them want to work remotely for at least three days, if not more, per week. Despite these successes, remote work also has its challenges, particularly when it comes to employee engagement.
With employees who work outside of the office, you might struggle to keep them engaged from a distance. But don’t worry! We have some suggestions. Below are three ways to keep your remote employees engaged.
1. Reduce the risk of remote work burnout
According to a 2022 Zippia report, “[Eighty-six percent] of employees who work from home full time experience burnout.” Additionally, “[Sixty-seven percent] of remote workers report feeling pressured to be available all the time.”
When employees are burned out, there are significantly higher rates of absenteeism, unproductivity and turnover. However, spotting burnout in remote employees can be tricky, particularly due to the lack of in-person contact between employees and management teams. Given the nature of remote work, employers should establish guidelines for preventing remote work burnout. Training managers on how they can spot burnout in their direct reports is a good idea.
2. Prioritize the well-being of your employees
The Zippia report also said that approximately “[Forty-eight percent] of remote workers feel as though they have no emotional support from their employers.” Other than offering core benefits, including health insurance, paid time off and 401(k) plans, consider providing your employees with perks that can improve their emotional well-being.
Here are several ideas to inspire you:
- Reimburse them for reasonable home office expenses.
- Urge them to take breaks to eat, decompress or rest.
- Provide mental health resources.
- Establish a supportive remote work culture.
- Promote work-life balance.
- Assign work based on the abilities and interests of each individual employee.
- Provide career advancement opportunities to prevent qualified remote employees from feeling stuck.
- Keep track of and celebrate the accomplishments of your remote employees.
3. Adopt a collaborative remote work environment
Isolation and loneliness are common side effects of remote work. You can combat them by developing a collaborative virtual workplace. For example, build rapport by creating online social events, such as morning coffee chats, book clubs and team-building games. Encourage managers to be reasonably accessible to their remote employees.
Additionally, make sure remote employees know whom to contact and how in the event that their manager isn’t available when they need assistance. This way, they won’t feel alone or overwhelmed in moments where critical work-related situations arise and they’re not sure how to handle the circumstances.
You can also try implementing tools that simplify collaboration among remote employees, such as Zoom, Slack, Trello and Google Docs. Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings to boost manager-employee connections and enable two-way feedback in real time.
Ultimately, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to do too much or go overboard. At the end of the day, if you show your remote employees that you appreciate their efforts, your engagement rates are more likely to grow.
©2023
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