Check out five key strategies to guide your approach to remote work and learn how case-driven HR management solutions can keep employee engagement high.
With more people working in remote or hybrid environments than ever before, employee engagement strategies are top of mind. Equipment availability and labor or employee relations issues have emerged for many employers, who must put effective remote work policies in place to ensure employees have access to everything they need: the tools, resources, and social engagement to perform their daily work. Below are several key insights to help inform your remote work strategies and keep your staff engaged and on task.
A study published by Entrepreneur magazine shows that employee productivity actually increases by roughly 13% when employees work remotely and that, surprisingly, remote work has also improved relationships with colleagues. The study goes on to say that 32% of employees have reported improved relationships with their managers, while between 21% and 25% have reported better relationships with peers and colleagues due to working remotely.
Still, working from home can create a sense of loneliness and isolation that must be addressed, with many companies adopting remote work policies that include social outings, work retreats, and off-site gatherings. Some companies have gone so far as to encourage interaction through online video game sessions and interactive solutions such as virtual yoga or exercise sessions.
It is vital that such activities be included as a formal part of your remote working strategy. Simply encouraging employees to interact with each other is not enough; you must schedule and host interactions. Employees in the Entrepreneur survey said they felt that the most effective scheduled events included outdoor activities such as sports, department-wide lunches or dinners, regular mentorship sessions, and community service activities.
According to SHRM, you need to provide staff with the tools to be successful, including strong expectations, organization, and flexibility. Flexibility in work hours is seen by many as a primary advantage of remote work.
Companies that embrace this philosophy and allow employees to make the most out of their remote location will develop clear policies that describe how the team will function when some workers are busiest early in the morning while others are most active in the late evening. The last several years have shown this can work well, provided all employees’ work retains its quality and meets expectations.
Take flexibility to the next level by incorporating it into meeting times, scheduling, and even action plans. When developing a remote work strategy, understand that what works in the office might not work the same way from home. It helps to keep lines of communication open at all times and track the progress of your teams and projects so you can target where problems might arise and address them before they get out of hand.
By the same token, do not only speak to workers when they do something wrong. Positive feedback encourages productivity far more than negative feedback does, so it will go a long way toward positive employee engagement if you make sure to let teams know when they are doing a good job. Celebrate milestones and successes with your team. Be available and make your presence felt in a positive way frequently. The key to successful work-from-home strategies is collaboration and trust. It’s best to avoid micromanaging while also keeping a close eye on benchmarks.
If your staff does not have the computing power to get onto the network and complete their tasks, your remote working strategy will fail. Take stock of what sort of access and equipment your staff might need to perform their duties. Do they need a VPN? Do they have the collaboration tools to work together in teams in real time or separately? Can they participate in virtual meetings?
Some expenditure and investment in equipment upfront can vastly increase your productivity and quality of work on the back end. Do not eschew spending on some new gear and software access for your staff. A stipend for some home office equipment requires fewer resources than maintaining a full-scale office with all of that equipment.
Whether your plan is for a pure remote work policy or a hybrid remote work policy, you must understand that the new generation demands an evolving approach to work with an increased focus on work-life balance and flexibility. The concept of remote working is not going away, and to remain competitive and improve employee relations, you must adapt and evolve with it.
If you would like more information on proven strategies to improve employee relations with your remote work strategy, check out our whitepaper 7 Tips to Maintaining Employee Relations in a Remote Working Environment. Then reach out to LaborSoft for more smart tools and case-driven HR strategies today.
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