Etisalat UAE | Remote working – keeping your team engaged

Remote working is not going away anytime soon. Despite going back to work, most businesses know that hybrid working is going to be the norm. A study by The Wall Street Journal a couple of years ago suggests that one of the crucial factors that separates successful companies from others are those that give employees a sense of belonging. This is still true.

Engaging remote employees is important to ensure that your team is still as efficient and productive as they would have been in the office. However, it can be difficult to define and measure what employee engagement looks like to you and to your team members. It differs for each person and depends on the roles they play.

So how do you keep engaged and connected with your employees?

Define goals and collaborate

Clarity is crucial for remote workers to be productive. If you do have remote employees, you should also have a work-from-home policy. Even if you support flexibility, some rules should be applied as this helps employees feel like they are a part of your organisational culture.

In order to set up your remote team for success, you need to set clear and measurable goals for remote employees. With remote teams – where communication is more challenging and things can get lost in translation – it’s important to be crystal clear about their duties and responsibilities.

Team collaboration is one of the main factors for greater productivity. Collaboration and employee engagement solutions are the best way to eliminate this challenge faced by most companies who have remote employees.

Make sure they have all the tools they need to get their job done. Ensure that they have the necessary tools from access to work documents and collaboration tools to ensure that they can continue to be productive.

You can also monitor their progress on assignments and flag any concerns you might have about their performance. Make sure that they are seen and heard and that they have access to your “virtual” door. Create a personal connection so that they do not feel isolated and are able to feel free to reach out when they need the help or the guidance they need.

Remote workers want to be a part of decision making in companies that they work for. They want to have a word and be heard. Give remote employees the tools and information to make their own decisions, communicate and implement new ideas.

Better communications

For remote teams to be productive and engaged, it is crucial for managers to understand how remote employees should be led and managed. In fact, most employees believe that managers should update their skills to support a remote team. Train your managers on best practices for communicating with your company’s remote teams.

Communication is a key tool for maintaining this engagement for both sides – the employer/line manager and the employee. Communicate often and proactively to ensure that there is a momentum maintained and they do not feel isolated. Though we are “zoomed” out by now, it's still quite important to stay in touch and let them use key communications and collaboration tools to be in touch with other members of the team and the business.

The best way to gauge your employees' engagement levels is by simply asking them about their work and their passion levels. Are they interested or asking the right questions? Do they feel free to ask the right questions?

Career gth opportunities are also one of the main factors that attract and keep talent within companies. Oftentimes, remote workers get neglected. In order to keep them happy and engaged, some career advancement opportunities should be made available and shared often.

Create a corporate wellness program that gives access to the tools they need to maintain the balance they need to be productive. Corporate wellness is a very important tool to help remote workers stay engaged and productive as businesses continue to change tack and work through new ways of doing business.