In this new remote work environment, employees may feel even more disengaged from their companies. Employee engagement can be improved in several ways, from seeking specific feedback and holding check-in meetings to promoting realistic goal setting and planning online social events.
Have you ever heard the expression “absence makes the heart grow fonder”? While this may be true in personal relationships, it is not often the case for employees learning to work remotely.
We (Team Corporatepedia) had interviewed and met many entrepreneurs, business leaders, and other self-employed journalists who share their thinking on working remotely. We also learnt a few through the experiences of our employees as well. These discussions contributed to certain approaches/tactics. Those five powerful and productive tactics are listed below, which will help increase employee engagement significantly in this devastating pandemic situation of 2021.
1. Encourage Employee Feedback
One of the remarks I hear about remote workers most often is that they want their employers or bosses to ask for their views and thoughts. The involvement of remote workers in companies’ business and project planning lets them feel that they are part of something bigger and help them attain company objectives.
One way to start including employees is through a formal method, such as an online survey, to ask for feedback. This is not only an effective technique of gathering opinions throughout the organisation, but it also allows employees to communicate their perspectives.
You may create short, convenient surveys with a survey maker tool, including numerous question formats, such as multiple choices, open endings, or combinations. This customisation allows you to focus on particular projects and discover what else you can do to enhance your workplace culture and environment.
2. Organise Consistent Check-in Meetings
Regular check-in meetings can be held to provide employees with an outlet. The sessions also offer a way to present employees with the newest information to complete their project work.
- Daily boosts only need to take a few minutes. These sessions give remote workers guidance, structure and supervision.
These sessions are, however, also a fantastic chance to allow employees to communicate and speak out. You can use this check-in to encourage people to open up and share their feeling on topics ranging from the difficulties of working at a distance (including balance of work and home lives) to dealing with the intense uncertainty and worry of the previous months, depending on the size of your team and your present position. The check-ins give a platform to discuss these concerns and address mental health.
Schedule various types of meetings for check-in. Sometimes every employee requires attention and a listening ear to feel genuinely engaged.
- For example, you can do one-on-one meetings with the whole company, small team meetings and even big “all-hand” meetings.
- When it comes to sharing and opening, every employee can have a different level of comfort, meetings of various sizes.
These discussions will show your staff that you care for them and their efforts to the organisation. Workers who have been cared for by their employers report better satisfaction levels: 60% want to stay in the organisation for three or more years, and 95% feel.
3. Don’t Forget About Recognition
It is easy for firms to lose touch with the human side of the business in a virtual workplace. The attitude of “out-of-sight” may undermine the engagement of the employee.
Even if you can not see them, employees still work hard. Therefore appreciation is still vital. A study carried out by SHRM/Globoforce in 2018 indicated that human-centred activities such as raising awareness, especially if the programmes are valuable, improve engagement, retention and even recruitment.
Suppose you want to highlight the broad appreciation of employees by complimenting and sharing that appreciation with the team for their work and effort. Consider developing a new recognition program that recognises the distinctiveness of the remote work.
Peer recognition programmes can help larger firms by pushing their business recognition process further. Team leaders and department heads may only champion their members with a relevant assistance programme.
4. Set New Creative Goals
Working in a remote working environment often makes it very difficult for individuals to feel inspired to do anything combined with insecurity generated by recent events. A means by spending time and reaching specific targets, everyone can feel more control and certainty.
The ideal place to start while the uncertainty continues can be short-term goals.
This encourages employees to see a goal for themselves. The results and prospective benefits of these short-term, achievable goals will also be achieved. You may want to progress towards longer-term targets as you achieve these milestones.
- Objectives, e.g. personal and business development, can have a direct effect on the employee.
Regardless of which goal/objective, you can boost the opportunities to achieve the goal. You may need to provide extra tools and training for job and project objectives. In addition, provide access to online skills development classes or consider allowing some sabbatical time to work towards these targets.
5. Do not Skip the Social Time
Offer online social activities to encourage team members to connect and collaborate. These social times recognise that it is vital to connect with employees about work for the wellbeing of employees. Online Social Meetups will contribute to the loneliness and isolation of prolonged remote work and experience.
Microsoft revealed that virtual social events rose by 10% from one month to the next in a recent staff poll. The social events included group banquets, social hours and workdays (including “meet my pet” and “pajama” days).
Perhaps you do not wish to do as Microsoft does. Please ask your team for your preferences and ask volunteers to lead the virtual social endeavour. Suggest games online, video games, virtual vacations, and other enjoyable team interactions. Whatever you decide, specify a time to escape from work every week.
Follow these Simple Steps and Enhance Your Engagement.
Employees struggled to stay in an environment with no regular touch with each other. The above mentioned can adopt these five tactics in the weeks ahead to ensure that they remain connected and motivated.
Employee engagement is not about money. These techniques will not significantly increase operating costs. Instead, the commitment of employees derives from connection, participation and recognition.
You will put more resources, work with your remote staff and listen to them. Despite the physical difference between your talent and you, your return included an increased awareness of employee morality and a greater degree of employee engagement.