Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant change in the workplace. Businesses have been required to implement new methods of conducting business as a direct result of the pandemic to ensure that they will be able to continue doing so despite the continuing health catastrophe. A growing number of businesses have begun allowing their employees to work from home or another location, known as remote work or telecommuting, rather than reporting to the office daily. Many years after the epidemic, companies have recognized that remote work arrangement has had a variety of advantages, including higher employee productivity and engagement, decreased expenses connected to office space and utilities, and a more diversified workforce. As a result, companies are increasingly adopting remote work arrangements and embracing the shift towards a more digital or hybrid workplace.
Due to the rise in the number of employees who perform their duties from home, managers must find efficient means of maintaining a connection with their remote staff. While remote work has advantages, it also presents unique obstacles for managers. The following are some tips on maintaining a successful connection with your staff who work remotely and how to keep them engaged in their work.
Establish Expectations Early.
Establishing the baseline for new employees’ experiences as team members throughout the onboarding process is critical. Establishing expectations upfront contributes to developing an atmosphere of trust and understanding. Make sure that any regulations or norms for working remotely are communicated in a way that is understandable to all your staff and that everyone is on the same page. As a result, everyone, regardless of their location, will feel the same sense of accountability and drive to produce high-quality results.
Maintain Communication.
Staying connected with your staff without seeming overpowering is one of the most challenging aspects of managing a remote workforce. It is essential to check in regularly, but you should avoid doing so too often. You do not want your employees to have the impression that they are being micromanaged or that continuous contact overwhelms them. As a general guideline, arrange one-on-one meetings with each employee to check their progress and address any problems or worries they may have with their jobs or the working environment. You’ll have the chance to learn more about each person. As a result, you allow them to provide individualized feedback when required.
Build Relationships.
Managers can make an effort to conduct frequent video calls or virtual events to bring together distant team members. In doing so, employees can get to know one another and form bonds that will make future collaborations smoother and more efficient. When employees are not physically present with other team members, it could be challenging to feel connected to the group or like they are contributing to its success.
Establish a sense of community.
It is essential to establish a sense of community within your organization and focus on strengthening the connections that already exist between individual members of your team. This may be accomplished via company-run social media accounts or other internal online forums, such as a forum or message board, where staff members can meet and exchange information and perspectives.
Effectively use Technology.
Email, instant messaging applications, video conferencing software, and various other tools and platforms available today may assist managers in connecting and engaging with their remote employees. It’s critical to consider your alternatives and choose the ones that will benefit you and your team the most.
Schedule Team Building Activities.
Socializing is a great way to de-stress after a hard day of work, and it’s beneficial for those who live alone and don’t have many other opportunities to contact others outside of work. Setting up virtual team-building events like icebreakers or group chats where everyone can come together and converse informally about things other than work is one approach to developing connections among remote teams. Regularly engaging in this practice has improved working relationships between team members, which can boost team efficiency and performance.
Both managers and employees must put forth the effort to keep their remote teams engaged and connected; individuals must be held accountable for maintaining communication, while managers must provide support and direction as needed. Managers can connect with their employees by establishing expectations early, maintaining communication, building relationships, establishing a sense of community, effectively using technology, and scheduling team-building activities. Try putting some of these strategies into practice if you’re having trouble engaging your remote employees or find that communication is lacking. You’ll quickly start to notice results!