How to engage remote employees?

Remote work has gained popularity in recent years, but managing remote teams can be challenging, especially regarding company culture. While it has its advantages, let's explore how to find the perfect balance for both employees and the company/managers...

Freelancers, digital nomads, developers, writers, editors, sales managers,... This might be interesting for you!

Keep your remote employees engaged - the biggest challenge!

Remote employee engagement should be your top priority. Whatever business you're part of, you must find the strategy that suits you best and is most effective for you.

Losing employee engagement can happen faster than you think. Not being physically present for day-to-day office interactions with their team, social events, celebrations and afterworks can create a certain distance and lead to less productive employees. And that's not what we want!

So, making sure remote team members feel included and engaged is key. With everyone working from different places all over the world, use strategies that encourage teamwork, communication, and trust. Managing remote teams well means valuing diversity, fairness, and making sure everyone feels heard and appreciated despite physical distance. Obviously, these are the fundamentals to apply to any employee, whether remote or not, but it's always good to make a little reminder if you want to keep it next level :)

It's time to engage with you virtual teams and boost engagement!

Benefits of remote work

The first benefit we can think about is obviously better work life balance for the remote workers. The flexibility remote employees can benefit while working remotely is indeed a huge and appealing asset! Having the possibility to manage your time and schedule as you wish is indeed a luxury that many dream of.

This flexibility can lead to increased job satisfaction and a more healthy work-life balance.

Remote work also offers cost savings, increased productivity, and access to a broader talent pool, leading to improved work-life balance while fostering inclusivity and enhancing employee satisfaction and retention. Long story short, remote work offers numerous benefits that can lead to increased employee satisfaction, productivity, and better business outcomes.

One team!

Your team members work from home? Don't forget to make them feel like they're part of the entire team. The computer screen should not be a barrier to the sense of belonging within the company.

If you make it a point to prioritize employee engagement and teamwork, regardless of location, you, as managers and company leaders can foster overall organizational success. You need to boost employee moral and productivity if you want to keep them happy and motivated!

Communication is key!

As remote employees won't experience face-to-face interactions and on-site team meetings, casual chats over coffee or during lunch breaks, they won't have the chance to create connections with other colleagues, team members and c-level.

This can sometimes create a bit of distance with remote employees. That's why it's important to pay special attention to our colleagues working remotely. Don't hesitate to overcommunicate!

Catch up!

A weekly or bi-monthly team meeting, just to chat and having informal conversations to check in on how the employee is feeling and what's going on in their life is important. Talk about everything, anything that isn't work-related. It's a moment outside of work-related topics to make sure everything is okay and catch up on personal matters. Say yes to virtual team coffee chat!

Ask your remote workers how they are doing. Consider implementing a feedback culture, which will promote better communication and a smoother workflow process with your remote teams. Gather feedback from your team members to be sure to be on the same page, tracking progress and adjust company's vision if needed.

Even behind their screens, your remote workforce is also human being. Don't forget that and strive to cultivate connections and relationships as much as you can, even through video conferencing. If your remote employees feel that you care about them, they will feel more engaged and committed to your company. This applies both inside and outside the office, and to all employees.

Use digital tools and daily practices for you and remote employees

Use collaboration tools to connect with your team and make it easier to connect with them while working remotely.

There are multiple online channels to communicate with your teams effectively. It can be through video conferencing tools (Zoom, Google meet,...), communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft teams, Notion, Trello,...), and any other platforms for tasks management and internal/external communication, file sharing...

Best practices for managers and leading teams

The first thing we can think about is the onboarding. The onboarding process is key when engaging remote employees. It must be organized and clear. Read our article about onboarding checklist for more information here.

Then, the best practices for managers to engage remote workers include fostering open communication channels, setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, offering opportunities for professional development and growth, promoting team collaboration, recognizing and celebrating achievements, and ensuring inclusivity and equity among team members.

Finally, prioritizing employee well-being should also be a point not to neglect!

If you want to know more about employee satisfaction, employee retention, employee recognition programs, read our blog.

Virtual meetings and celebrations

We all love a good celebration, after-work gathering or birthday celebrations at the office, don't we? Even if your remote workers are not physically present, it doesn't mean they can't enjoy the company's celebrations. There are 10000 ways to celebrate together! Make those video calls fun and make sure your team enjoys themselves. Employee engagement matters, even for work parties :)

The remote work model is here to stay, so you better be ready to engage your employees and make them feel important, no matter where they are in the world. It can be hard, but it's not impossible!

Bests corporate gifts for remote employees

Even if your remote workers are not at the office, they all deserve to be cheered up!

Here's our selection of the best custom gifts for your remote teams.

• A pocket hoodie . To be comfy while working remotely. We all love a perfect hoodie! Even in office workers.

• Osprey laptop sleeve. If your remote employees are digital nomads, they're gonna need a good custom laptop sleeve. Here's our favorite from osprey.

• Karst stone notebook. A good notebook to write down all the daily tasks and todo's.

• A walden lava rock diffuser. To make remote work environment feel cosy. Customize it to make it truly yours.

• A custom coffee mug from Kinto. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes, so you can choose the perfect one for your needs.

• A lovely custom candle. 100% organic candle made from natural soy wax and lasts for houuuuuuurs.

• A branded blanket for your daily remote adventures.

• Some good branded pens. The most iconic pens to customize according to your wishes. We always need enough of them on our desks, don't we?

• A tea kettle, to make gooood tea all day long when working from home.

It's never been so enjoyable to do homeworking with such products, right? The remote employee engagement will never be better with those, that's for sure! Greater work life balance and well-being assured!

So, ready to jump intto the remote lifestyle?