July 2022

If you want to improve employee engagement for your remote workers, start at the beginning of the day. Implement a clock-in, clock-out software system. It doesn’t seem like working from home is going to lose its popularity any time soon. It’s convenient and beneficial in more ways than one. But working from home can create a divide between your workers and the company. Working from home can invite distractions and turn your employees’ attention to things other than work. You want to keep your remote workers engaged with the company, and there are some simple ways to improve this. Start When They Clock In If you want to improve employee engagement for your remote workers, start at the beginning of the day. Instead of your employees walking into the office, they go from a bed to another room in their home. Depending on the location, it might not promote a healthy work environment. Implement a clock-in, clock-out software system so that your workers can morph into work mode and you can know they’re working. This software helps you keep track of your workers. You’ll know when they start work, go on lunch, and end their day. The software also shows the hours they work, and you can compare that to their productivity. If you see some inconsistency, check in to see how you can help them increase their productivity. Keep Communication Flowing Since you don’t have a chance to talk with your employees at the water cooler or coffee pot, you need to find other ways to keep open lines of communication flowing. Don’t just communicate through email. Talk with them in chat rooms so that they always have a way to reach you and vice versa. Keep in mind everyone’s different time zones so you can effectively reach them during their work hours. Also, share your cell phone numbers with each other in case of emergencies. Technology is fickle, and if your employee’s computer crashes, you want them to be able to notify you immediately. Foster Personal Connections It’s important to keep that employer-employee relationship intact, but this doesn’t mean you can’t foster personal relationships with your workers. Take an honest and genuine interest in your employees’ personal lives. They have more responsibilities than their job, so ask them every now and then what else they have going on. Before you start a work meeting, ask how they are doing, if they have any fun plans for the weekend, and share some of your own anecdotes. Hangout Virtually Don’t make it all about work. Host a few virtual hangout sessions with your employees to remind everyone that they work on a team and you all have a common goal. During these meetings, don’t stick with chop talk. Consider having a team-building session once a week. In these sessions, you can play games, discuss goals, and talk about future plans. Every now and then, give the reigns over to one of your other teammembers. This method will make your workers feel involved and essential members of the company. Give your remote workers a reason to want to engage with the company and improve the workflow for the entire team. HOW TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT FOR REMOTE WORKERS by | Mallory Knee 7