How to Help Remote Employees Stay Engaged

According to research, businesses lose $600 billion per year because of workplace distractions. 

And while remote workers may not have the same distractions as in-office employees, they still face distractions of their own. From cell phones to social media, it’s no wonder that employers worry that their employees won’t be as productive when working from home. 

So how do you help your remote employees stay engaged while giving them a good experience with your company?

Don’t worry, because this article has you covered. Our guide has everything you need to know about how to help your remote employees stay engaged. 

Use Video Chat Often

One of the most isolating things about working from home is feeling like you have no contact with anyone else, either in person or through a computer screen.

This is one huge reason why you need to add video chat to your remote work strategy. 

With text-only communications, there’s also a higher chance for miscommunication as well. Psychologists today recognize the crucial importance of non-verbal communication, and this gets lost when we only use text or chat.

For example, think about how many times you had a miscommunication while text messaging with a friend. The same can happen between co-workers and between employees and managers.

Use video chat to measure employee reactions if you give them a different task or introduce a new office policy. You can also use video chat when discussing the employee’s performance.

Remember that video calls will tell you even more than phone calls would. This is because you can see the employee’s body language and facial expressions. 

Video chat helps managers keep priorities and expectations clear. As a result, employees will be more engaged because they’ll know what’s expected of them. You’ll also have the employee’s full attention when you’re talking on a 1:1 call.

Increase Employee Well-Being

Many employees enjoy working from home because it helps them have a better work-life balance since they don’t commute. 

But the other side of this coin is that employees also have a hard time “turning off” work mode and switching to relaxation mode. This is because it’s easy to just keep working even after 5:00 rolls around. 

This is where companies can help employees keep solid work hours and set good work boundaries.

For example, you could let employees know the hours that the office can contact employees. This may be from 9-5, and after that, the office will not contact employees.

This makes it easier for employees to close their laptops at 5 pm without worrying about getting a surprise message from their manager.

Remember, the last thing you want is your employees getting burnt out and having to go on stress leave (or worse, quitting). This is why you also need to actively promote employee well-being.

Encourage employees to take regular breaks to get up and stretch. Make sure they have a defined lunch hour so that they can go for a walk outside or exercise if they wish. 

You could also get them a subscription to an online well-being library or organize group yoga or stretches through video once a week. 

Show Your Appreciation

No matter how hard an employee works, they’ll get fed up if companies never show their gratitude for a job well done. This problem gets even worse if companies only show when they’re upset with mistakes.

Burnout can lead to lower output and a lower quality of work, and employees will just end up quitting after a while. This is why it’s vital for you to show your appreciation to workers when they do something to deserve it.

Some examples of showing your appreciation include:

• Sharing a review from a satisfied customer
• Giving a shout-out for meeting a difficult deadline
• Sharing positive feedback for a job well done

You can also make your appreciation public through company emails or company/department chats. Not only will the person feel more recognized, but this can motivate other employees as well.

Peer motivation was the top employee motivator in one study while feeling recognized came in at a close third.

Many offices enhance employee morale by offering meaningful gestures such as employee appreciation gifting. This includes gift cards or gift baskets, particularly after challenging deadlines, such as the conclusion of a company conference.

Other ways you can make employees feel appreciated are by acknowledging their suggestions, giving them more opportunities, and letting them take on more responsibilities if they wish. 

Even saying something as simple as “good job” with a gif or emoji makes all the difference and makes employees feel like they are contributing to the company.

Create a Positive Company Culture

Company culture is a huge factor in employee satisfaction, which in turn affects their engagement. 

No matter how much employees like their job, it’s guaranteed that they’ll be stressed out if the company’s culture doesn’t reflect positivity, trust, and fairness.

One vital element in a positive company culture is trust. Whether it’s an employee or a manager, most people get annoyed when they’re micromanaged. And the reason they’re micromanaged is that their supervisor doesn’t trust them to get the job done.

Of course, you want to support employees and make sure to help them correct things the moment they go wrong so that the problem doesn’t get worse.

At the same time, you need to show your employees that you trust them to meet the deadline and that they will come to you if they have any questions or difficulties.

If your office has a mix of remote and in-office employees, make sure that you find ways to include your remote employees in your company’s culture.

You can create team-building activities, add remote employees to company meetups, and make time for a bit of friendly chat before meetings.

Show Care and Interest

Another huge part of employee satisfaction is when their employers, managers, and supervisors show an appropriate level of care and interest in their personal lives.

When employees feel like they’re only there to make a company money, they won’t be as engaged with their work. This can make their quality of work fall and may even cause your company to miss important deadlines.

The reason you want to show a bit of interest in employees’ personal lives is that personal issues may happen since employees are working from home. 

You also want to show employees that you care and that they’re not just a number to you. You can chat with employees about their families, kids, and hobbies. 

This will also help you to set healthy boundaries with your employees about work hours and expectations.

Make sure to also talk to employees about their workload and mental health. You want to show them that you are committed to helping them avoid burnout rather than causing it.

Focus On Your Onboarding Experience

A positive onboarding experience helps remote workers stay engaged because they know what’s expected of them.

It also helps your company retain workers, so they don’t quit in the first couple of months due to stress and confusion.

Remember to be clear on the difference between onboarding and orientation. Orientation shows employees everything they need to know about their position, duties, and company so that they can do their job.

With onboarding, you also need to help the employee understand and fit with the company’s culture and vision. 

A huge part of onboarding is helping the employee build vital relationships with their supervisors, managers, and any other stakeholders in the company. 

Assigning new employees a mentor can help with onboarding. Make sure that your employee’s supervisor checks in with them regularly to answer any questions and to help them build up their confidence and job skills.

For a successful onboarding experience, be sure to follow onboarding best practices for remote workers, such as the ones suggested.

Connect Employees With Each Other

One of the biggest drawbacks of doing work from home is that it can feel very isolating.

When employees are at the office, they often engage in “water cooler talk,” where they’ll have a quick, friendly chat. This helps employees stay engaged because it gives them a small break from work and builds employee relationships.

Then, when they go back to work, they’re often more motivated and engaged.

But when employees are at home by themselves, they miss out on this sense of connection and camaraderie. 

One way to combat this is to plan in-person company retreats so people can meet their co-workers and feel like they’re part of a team. Another way is to make online social hours, create virtual team-building activities, and assign each new employee a mentor.

This is also huge because you want employees to feel like they can talk to their co-workers if they need help with something. They’ll become more proactive and more engaged in their work if they feel like there’s a solution to their problem.

Use the Right Technology

An often overlooked aspect of employee engagement is making sure you have the right technologies in place.

Having the right technologies helps to make sure that employees’ work goes smoothly. 

For example, if your remote employees are doing work that needs specific software or a high-powered laptop, make sure to supply these to your workers. They may not have the right equipment at home.

And if they’re waiting forever for something to load, chances are they’ll get distracted by something on the Internet. Plus, they may have to be in constant contact with IT, which disrupts their workflow. 

Use Helpful Software

The right software also helps workers stay engaged. Using email may be the default for many companies, but it’s one of the worst ways to keep employees engaged.

Instead, you want to invest your company resources into more engaging and helpful software. This includes video conferencing software like Zoom so people can see each other face-to-face during meetings or short chats.

It also includes cloud storage tools to make it easy for employees to share files and collaborate. Project management apps like Trello help you to create workflows so that everyone can stay on task.

You can also use brainstorming software for everyone to present their ideas the way you would if you were in an in-office meeting together. 

And, if needed, you can make use of time-tracking software like Toggl. Software like this helps employees stay on track and lets them see where they are wasting time.

Ask Employees for Feedback

Finally, one of the best things you can do as a company or manager to keep employees engaged is to ask them for feedback. 

You may think you’re listening to your employees, but you won’t know until you ask them.

One way to ask your employees for feedback is to give them a survey.

On your survey, you can ask your employees questions such as:

• If they’re feeling burnt out
• Their anonymous feedback on colleagues and managers
• How likely they are to recommend the company to a friend
• How supported they feel at work

Think about what other opportunities you might have to ask employees about how they can give you feedback on company processes and their workload. Is there anything that might help them be more engaged at work?

And when you decide to take action on an issue, make sure to tell your employees so that they know their opinions are being heard.

Help Your Remote Employees Stay Engaged With These Tips

As a company owner or manager, keeping remote employees engaged should be at the top of your to-do list. 

Not only do engaged employees get more work done, but they tend to produce better quality work, enjoy their jobs more, and stay at jobs longer.

We hope this guide helped give you some useful tips for increasing the engagement of your remote employees.

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