More and more businesses nowadays have a significant number of employees that work remotely. While businesses tend to benefit from such policies, many remote employees report feeling left out and disconnected from other employees.
If your business has remote workers it is important that you take proactive steps to ensure they feel included:
- Make sure communications are frequent
It is important that both managers and on-site employees are frequently in communication with remote workers. Ideally, they should be included in any meetings or discussion that take place – and roped into informal communications.
If video conferencing is available it is best to take advantage of it and encourage all employees to do so. The face-to-face contact can build stronger relationships and forge a stronger bond.
- Celebrate successes with remote employees
Remote workers are often left out of celebrations, let alone office parties and social occasions. That can amplify the feeling of isolation, especially if the celebration is due to the success of a project they were involved in.
Try to make it a point to invite remote employees to celebrate. Even if they can’t attend, the fact that they weren’t forgotten will resonate – and you can find a different way to show they are appreciated.
- Leverage technology to connect
As mentioned previously, video conferencing can help engage remote employees – and there are other technological solutions that can help too. Collaborative software suites can ensure remote workers are included and provide a platform for social communication too.
Using employee monitoring software such as WorkExaminer can help as well. It will allow administrative staff to keep tabs on remote employees, and spot early warning signs such as decreased productivity.
- Loop in remote workers on projects
In many businesses, remote workers aren’t looped in on projects with tight deadlines. That should not happen, and you should make it a point to involve them instead.
If you’re concerned about productivity or whether or not remote workers can deliver based on the deadline, you could use WorkExaminer. It will let you monitor remote employees as closely as you need to in order to ensure that they aren’t distracted and remain on track.
- Schedule regular meetings to provide feedback
A regular meeting should be set up on a weekly or biweekly basis for managers to sit down with remote employees and give them feedback. That feedback can include insights gained from hard data that WorkExaminer provides, as well as any other collaborative platforms that are being used.
The use of WorkExaminer can extend beyond that as well, and help eliminate distractions that may eat up to 40% of the working time. It can track internet usage, filter unwanted websites and apps, or even monitor employees in real time.
In the meeting make it a point to ask them what they think about the steps you’re taking, and to suggest any further steps that they feel may help.
Employee monitoring software is crucial in any business that has remote workers, as the insight it can provide is second to none. In particular, WorkExaminer’s tools can help to manage remote employees more effectively and make them feel more included, which in turn could help your business get a 25% productivity boost.
At the end of the day, your goal should be to increase employee engagement and satisfaction. The steps above should help you to do that – while providing other benefits to your business as well.
