With remote work growing in popularity, companies are running into unique problems. Virtual workspaces allow more flexibility in how and where we work, yet can feel disconnected. Without seeing faces in the office every day, it is easy for employees to lose attachment to their jobs. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to fix that. Here are three tips to keep your remote workers engaged.
Maintain your office culture
Remote employees can feel disconnected because they don’t notice the people working alongside them. This is rarely an issue in a traditional office, since everyone is usually in the same building. So, what can you do about this? Well, you could start by treating the virtual office like it’s a traditional one. It’s hard for your employees to feel connected when you’re not creating an environment for connection. Be personable with them. For instance, you can send a ‘fact of the day’ every morning in the company’s Slack or Teams channel.
Another method is to stay up to date with each employee and celebrate personal achievements together with the team. Similarly, you should show recognition for achievements made in their work. While this doesn’t have to be a competition, other employees should be aware of outstanding achievements by their coworkers. A workspace where people celebrate each other’s achievements is a healthy and more connected one.
Encourage communication
Employees want to be heard. You should offer avenues for them to provide feedback and ideas on how things can be improved. When working remotely, you need to encourage this even more, since everyone is communicating less frequently. And while you’ll miss conversations in the break room or at the water cooler, you should still make communication as regular as possible.
Use Slack or Teams to set up regular chats between members of your organization. It’s great if your employees feel comfortable sending fun posts in a casual channel. They should also feel comfortable messaging coworkers regularly. You can use this to facilitate mentoring. Let your employees — new and old — know who they can contact with any questions they might have. Make sure they know they can reach out to these mentors as often as they need to. A regular cadence like this will build trust quickly. And allowing these relationships to grow will go a long way in connecting your employees.
Incorporate remote team activities
Gamification allows you to add creative training to your virtual workspace. Here at Digitec (now Apti), we’ve helped companies think outside the box with their e-Learning. To help Disney onboard Cast Members through its College Program, we designed Mission Timekeeper. In it, players were able to train while playing a 3-D game that allowed them to navigate the Disney galaxy. Use these types of trainings to foster a collaborative environment where work and play go together.
And you should organize non-work-related activities too. These can be both virtual and in-person. Once a month, you could schedule a virtual trivia night. And once a quarter, you could have an in-person event. These types of friendly activities help bond employees to each other and the company. You want them to be comfortable laughing with one another. In turn, this should help them collaborate much easier.
Key takeaways
Remote work can bring a unique set of challenges to your company. You might be worried that employee engagement will drop without a traditional office. However, there are steps you can take to avoid that. By bringing your traditional office culture with you, employees can still feel part of a team. By encouraging communication, you can help every person in your team feel heard. And by incorporating activities, you can create a fun and friendly virtual workplace. These components all play a role in connecting each member of your remote team.
Are you interested in learning how Digitec (now Apti) can help you increase your remote employee engagement through training? Contact us to set up a free consultation.