How to Improve Employee Engagement in a Remote Work Environment

How to Improve Employee Engagement in a Remote Work Environment
Photo : How to Improve Employee Engagement in a Remote Work Environment

Remote work may have been around for quite a while - but most of us have only experienced it firsthand in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to working from home has proved beneficial for a lot of businesses and their workers. Companies were able to cut costs during this difficult time and keep business going despite the government-imposed lockdowns. Employees, on the other hand, were able to experience a better work/life balance, save time on commuting, and spend more time with family. 

However, while working remotely does come with all of the above benefits, there are also several downsides to keep in mind. One of these downsides can be the lack of engagement on the part of remote working employees. As workers are not in their typical working environments with their colleagues by their side, they might feel less motivated and connected to the company. This, in turn, can lead to the loss of productivity, poorer results and lower performance.

Thus, keeping remote workers engaged and motivated is an essential element of managing a team in today's environment. 

So, how do you keep remote employees engaged and motivated at work? Here are a few ideas.

Virtual Employee Engagement Activities ldeas

Here are several strategies you can try to keep your employees engaged and connected when working remotely. 

Encourage Wellness Practices in Your Team

No matter how fast-paced the modern working environment may be, health should always be yours and your team's main priority. Poor well-being can hurt your team performance more than any delays - and should, thus, be avoided at all cost. What you can do is try to create incentives for your team to exercise, eat healthily, and stay active. Perhaps, you can sign your team up for online yoga classes or kick off weekly meetings with a quick meditation session.

In addition to promoting health and wellness, these practices can also help bring your team together. Bonding over non-work-related goals can bring back that sense of camaraderie they had when in the office. 

Organize Casual Hangouts

In addition to hosting regular work-related meetings, consider allocating time for casual hangouts. When working in one office, you would probably often engage in casual conversations with your team. Asking about how your colleague is doing, what's new at home, etc. can be a simple yet highly effective motivation practice.

You can leave some time at the end of each scheduled meeting for casual discussions or set up separate friendly hangouts during the working week. 

Make Sure Your Team Feels Valued 

Your team needs to feel valued and appreciated - even if it's from afar. You are not in the office with them every day to say a quick "thank you" or have lunch after a successful project. So, you should find other ways to celebrate with your team. 

You can send them virtual gifts for holidays, thank them during team calls, or award extra days off after exceptional results on an assignment. You should also make sure that your employees can always talk to you if they have concerns or issues with the current working setup. Miscommunications and misunderstandings can be quite common when working remotely - and it's best if they are handled at once before they become bigger problems. 

Use Tools to Engage Remote Employees 

The digital age has blessed us with lots of tools for remote communication. From project management software to free time tracking apps, make sure to use anything that will keep your team engaged and happy. Keeping a close eye on team productivity can help you quickly notice changes in employee engagement and take the necessary steps to prevent related issues.

Make Teamwork Playful

Research shows that gamification can be an effective strategy for increasing motivation. In simple terms, gamification is about applying game-playing elements to a serious work environment. This strategy has proved successful in improving team engagement. 

You can separate your team into smaller groups and set up work-related competitions to help promote a sense of collaboration and cooperation. Winning teams can be rewarded, which can motivate them to do even better in upcoming competitions and make the overall working process more exciting. 

Consider Time Zones and Other Complications

If you have employees working from different time zones, note that they may feel left out during company discussions and meetups. They may miss out on important events. In this case, you may want to set up additional lines of communication for employees working in a different time zone. 

It is also important to take into account everyone's time zone (when possible) when sending out work emails, setting up meetings, sharing updates, and more. Do your best to keep all members of your team engaged and involved in crucial exchanges and even light colleague banter.

Leave Space for Feedback

Another essential element of managing a remote team is listening to and gathering feedback. Every time you implement a new strategy or make changes in the working setup, make sure to check in with your team. Get their opinions on how these changes are affecting their work. 

Together, you will be able to evaluate what is working for better productivity and what isn't much faster. What's more, keeping your team in the loop about your management strategies can lead to better engagement and connection to company goals. Your team members will also be more motivated to communicate with each other and share ideas on what can bring towards better results.

Conclusion

Naturally, this is not an exhaustive list of strategies and practices for improving employer engagement. By doing more research on the topic, you can assemble your own collection of helpful tips for managing remote employees and apply practices that are most suitable for your team and company. 

Whichever of the above ideas you decide to implement, it is important to remember that working remotely is still a learning process - for both businesses and their employees. This is why you should give yourself the space to experiment, try out new strategies, and explore new ways of communication, management, and performance tracking. Eventually, you and your team will come to a workable setup that will keep your colleagues motivated and work results better than before. 

© 2024 iTech Post All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of itechpost.com

Tags

Company from iTechPost

More from iTechPost