How to Keep Remote Employees Engaged – 9 Easy Ideas for Managers

Having a large number of remote employees working for you can be difficult, but there are some simple ways to keep them engaged. This article outlines nine ideas for managers to consider, based on surveys and observations.

Encourage cross-departmental discussions

Creating a culture of cross-departmental discussions can help to improve morale, enhance productivity, and drive business growth. However, it's important to realize that this kind of collaboration is not an easy feat. It requires a lot of buy-in from all parties involved. It can be particularly useful in hybrid work settings, where employees may work in both in-house and remote roles.

To encourage cross-departmental discussions, managers should understand that the purpose of this type of communication is to help employees feel connected to their co-workers. They should make sure that their employees feel safe and comfortable speaking up about issues or concerns.

Similarly, managers should be able to explain their roles and responsibilities in a way that's understandable to everyone. They should be prepared to talk to isolated employees, and they should also be able to provide the remote workers with meaningful feedback.

In addition, employees should be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities. These include extracurricular sports and other recreational activities that promote team building. By participating in these activities, employees will feel connected to their colleagues and feel more invested in their company.

Project managers can also help encourage cross-departmental collaboration by scheduling formal team check-ins and informal "touch base" sessions. These sessions help teams to get a better understanding of one another's working styles, and they can also help keep everyone informed. They also allow departments to discuss top priorities and adjust directions in real time.

Finally, employees should be encouraged to share their accomplishments with their colleagues. This can help them feel better connected to the organization and may also help the cross-team work group know who to contact.

It's also important to recognize and appreciate the efforts of remote workers. This includes giving them a sense of pride in their accomplishments, which can make a difference in their productivity. This can also be achieved by highlighting remote workers' achievements via social media.

Finally, companies should provide employees with a clear understanding of their mission, so that they can align their work with the company's values. This will help to keep remote workers engaged and happy, and will also help to boost employee profits.

Celebrate anniversaries and birthdays

Keeping remote employees engaged is a good way to ensure a strong, productive team. Employees need to be recognized for their work, and celebrating special occasions can help achieve this goal.

Sending e-cards can be a great way to show your appreciation to employees. You can also order birthday gifts for your employees directly. Nectar allows you to do this in a streamlined manner. Using Nectar, you can create birthday gift lists and order them monthly.

One way to celebrate employee birthdays is by sending a gift box. The box can include snacks, a cake, or a gift card. It can also include items like mugs or shirts. You can select the contents of the gift box based on your employee's budget and personal preferences.

Another way to celebrate employee birthdays is to hold a virtual birthday party. This can be a fun way to tie the team together. A virtual birthday party can include team building activities and birthday shoutouts.

A virtual celebration can be a great way to honor employees on their birthdays, as well as during other holidays. Virtual happy hours are also great ways to get to know teammates. You can also use a virtual celebration for work anniversaries.

Using a virtual celebration to celebrate employee anniversaries can also be an effective way to reward employees. A virtual birthday party can include team building games, happy hours, and other activities. The virtual celebration can also be a great way to build morale.

If you want to keep your remote employees engaged on their birthdays, try sending them treats. This shows them that you care about them and that you're thinking about them.

Connecteam Celebrations makes it easy to celebrate employee anniversaries. It helps companies create a strong company culture, and removes the headaches associated with employee milestones. It also automates the process, allowing staff to view their anniversaries in a single place.

Crewhu is another tool that can help you recognize employees on their birthdays. It has badges that single out employee birthdays and let the entire virtual team get behind the celebration.

Provide career paths and growth opportunities

Providing career paths and growth opportunities for remote employees is essential to keeping them engaged and committed. In fact, many employers are investing in these initiatives to help retain top talent. Here are a few ways you can provide this benefit.

First, you must understand your employees' goals. This will allow you to coach them and support them to reach their full potential. You should also encourage employees to set boundaries.

Second, you must develop a strong culture. This culture is crucial in the coming years. A strong culture includes valuing people, respecting your remote team members, and providing access to learning and development opportunities. You should also offer relevant training courses to help your employees meet their goals.

Third, you must build a strong management team. This includes managers and senior leaders who will be able to guide your employees. HR managers are also responsible for supporting your employee's wellness. By providing a strong management team, you can help your employees feel valued.

Finally, you must ensure that your employees feel heard. If your employees feel that they are not being heard, they are less likely to speak up. This can negatively affect business performance and productivity. By ensuring that your employees are heard, you will increase their engagement.

Career pathing is one of the most important employee retention strategies. This strategy maps out the skills and experience that are necessary for each role. It also allows you to recognize and acknowledge employees' changing interests. It can also help troubleshoot challenges that may arise.

If an employee is ready for a change, a career path can help them find a new position. A franchise food worker may want to become a store supervisor. With a career path, he or she can identify the skills and experiences needed to become a store manager. A computer analyst may need to acquire managerial certification before he or she is considered for a lead software engineer position.

In addition to providing career paths and growth opportunities, it is also important to build an effective HR team. Effective managers and HR teams can help your employees feel that their role is important and that their interests are in the best interests of the organization.

Encourage friendships

Increasing workplace friendships can have a number of benefits for both the company and the employees involved. They help to improve employee retention, increase employee satisfaction, improve productivity and reduce work-related stress.

Studies show that having at least six hours of social time per day lowers stress, increases well-being and enhances overall engagement. Having a friend at work also leads to fewer workplace safety incidents. In addition, employees who feel connected are more likely to be collaborative and buy into the company's goals.

Creating a culture of collaboration can be achieved through employee engagement platforms, virtual team-building activities and peer-to-peer recognition programs. These programs allow employees to share their talents and passions with their colleagues. They can also encourage deeper connections by highlighting long service anniversaries, birthdays, and recognitions.

Remote employees have an important role to play in developing a cohesive work culture. They have to be respected, trusting, and flexible with their work schedule. They also have to be recognized as valuable assets to the company. When they feel valued, they are less likely to quit.

Read More: 10 Must-know Statistics about a Manager’s Role in Employee Engagement

The best way to encourage workplace friendships is to create opportunities. For example, employers can invite employees to join them at career fairs, participate in virtual team-building activities, or attend regular Zoom mixers. They can also highlight the team on the company's career page.

By making social connections, employees will have more energy to do their best work. They will be happier and more productive. Their relationships will also help to reduce stress, improve communication, and foster innovation.

Employees who feel valued are also more likely to take action in the company to help it grow. This can include taking part in employee-led initiatives, implementing their passions into work, and working with colleagues to develop new products.

The key to encouraging friendships is to understand the interests of your remote employees. They are naturally geared to form connections. They also enjoy working with people who care about them.

Employers should be open and honest when it comes to employee relationships, and encourage employees to be themselves at work. They should also understand the strengths and weaknesses of remote employees.