Employee engagement tips in a remote working world

What is employee engagement?

There are many factors that contribute to employee engagement. If you want your employees to feel engaged in their jobs, then you need to provide them with a working environment that is conducive to good performance and satisfaction. Employee engagement is defined as the factors that influence an employee’s level of commitment toward an organization and its objectives.

Why is employee engagement important?

A number of studies have shown that employee engagement can be directly linked with the success of a company.Employee engagement is an intangible concept, but it’s directly related to the way employees feel about their work, in addition to the culture of their workplace. Some companies have mastered employee engagement, and others struggle to get their entire team on board with both the company and its mission.

Categories of employee engagement

“The first step in improving employee engagement is to understand the types of engagement that exist,” says Robert Hosking, HR manager at BetterWorking. “There are three main types:

Emotional engagement. This type of engagement is about feeling a sense of purpose and fulfillment in your work. It’s about enjoying the people you work with, and feeling that your skills are being used to the best of their ability.

Employee-organization fit. This type of engagement is when an individual is well suited to a company’s culture, working environment, management style and so on. Someone who isn’t a good fit can quickly become disengaged, while someone who is well matched can become engaged very quickly.

Task/achievement-orientation. This type of engagement comes from getting a sense of satisfaction from meeting or exceeding objectives.

Employee engagement challenges in remote working environment

For many companies, working remotely is an important part of their business model. Remote or distributed teams can be faster and more efficient than their co-located counterparts, and allow companies to hire the best talent from all over the world.

Trying to manage a remote team is not easy, though. Remote employees are often more disengaged than their co-located colleagues, less likely to stay with the company long term, and have a higher chance of absenteeism. Just because you don’t see your team in person doesn’t mean they are any less important than anyone else.

When I read this article on how to improve employee engagement in remote working teams by Jacob Morgan, I was very impressed by his way of capturing my eyes with the title and first paragraphs. There were so many good points that I didn’t have time to read everything he wrote. It was like a summary for me to remember. If someone asked me about how to improve employee engagement in remote working teams, I would definitely recommend this article and if I had time, I would read it again carefully.

One of the major challenges you will face as an entrepreneur is to manage a remote team. It can be difficult to supervise and motivate people who are not physically in the same place.Trying to establish a strong connection across different time zones and working environments may prove to be extremely challenging.The good news is that there are many tools and strategies at your disposal to help you get through this process successfully.

How to improve employee engagement in remote teams

Here are some suggestions for how to improve employee engagement in remote working teams:

1. Set objectives:

The first step towards a successful collaboration with your remote team is establishing objectives for your project, which will help you avoid a lot of issues later on. You need to make sure that everyone involved in the project is aware of its purpose, the expected results and their contribution to it.

2. Set goals

You should also set goals for your employees, so that each one knows what he or she needs to achieve in order for the project to be considered a success. This way, you will be able to also measure their performance by comparing their results with the set targets. This will give you more flexibility when it comes to appraising your employees’ performance, as they will know exactly what they need to deliver.

3. Communicate effectively

Get your entire team on board. If you’re setting up a remote working team for the first time, you’ll need to make sure everyone is on board with this new way of working. You can achieve this by gathering all of the new members of the team together and outlining what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re switching from an office-based team, it’s also a good idea to outline why you’re embracing remote working so they can see the benefits it will bring. Finally, do this before hiring anyone else so they know they made the right decision applying for the job at your company.

4. Provide required tools

Give them everything they need to succeed. Remote workers need access to all of their equipment and files if they’re going to be able to complete their work successfully. Using a virtual phone system can ensure that your team stays connected with one another and with the various application you all will use to keep the business running. You’ll need to give them access to all of this remotely so it doesn’t affect their workflow or productivity in any way.  Using employee management software for remote teams is an effective way to ensure employee engagement. Moreover, you should also set up a number of different communication channels such as Slack, Zoom or MS Teams.

Conclusion

When you have a motivated staff, you’ll see results through better work quality, lower turnover rates and higher overall production from your employees. Using online employee management software is key to initiating employee engagement for remote workforce. Thus, the best way to improve employee engagement is to focus on these key areas:

1. Recognize and reward accomplishments.
2. Listen to your employees’ feedback.
3. Foster a sense of unity among your staff
4. Keep an open communication channel.
5. Build trust within your organization.
6. Establish clear goals and expectations for employees.
7. Provide opportunities for development.
8. Be transparent with all aspects of your business.