5 Tips for Maintaining Employee Engagement in a Remote Environment

If we’ve learned anything in the last two years, it’s that adaptability is crucial. The professional world has swiftly shifted to a remote work environment, and this has required us all to shift our way of thinking about productivity, employee engagement, and work culture. Remote work has its unique challenges, with maintaining employee engagement being high on the list. Our team has quickly shifted to a hybrid in-office/remote setting, and it’s working for us. Here are our recommendations for successfully keeping your team happy and productive from home.

Give remote employees a voice

Technologies like Zoom and Teams allow us to connect just as if we are all working in an office together every day. Utilize these technologies to give your employees a voice. Because you are not all working in the office together, there may be a bit of a disconnect on what each individual employee is working on or has achieved. Try not to dominate the call with company updates, but instead, carve out time each month for remote employees to share what they are most proud of at the moment. This will help them feel they are still part of the team and have a voice in the company.

Welcome remote employees with a gift they’ll want to use

As more and more remote employees join your team, welcome them with a new hire gift they will actually value and want to use. A coffee mug is great, but what unique items could you gift to your employees that will serve them while they work at home. Tchotchkes are a thing of the past. An entire brand experience is taking over. Our carefully curated New Hire Kits are hand-selected with items that align with your brand. We understand that promotional products and apparel are not one-size-fits-all, so we work closely with your hiring team to select items that will serve your employees well, then fulfill and ship each custom package so you don’t have to.

Keep remote employees connected with tools for communication and collaboration

Working remotely can cause feelings of isolation and disconnect. Without going overboard and falling into the trap of micromanagement, establish a frequent, structured communication framework amongst colleagues. Programs like Google Meet, Zoom, Slack, or Google Chat allow employees to stay connected and in the know daily.

Celebrate milestones virtually

Big wins should be celebrated, no matter remote or not! Don’t let celebrations of milestones go by the wayside. This will ensure your employees remain engaged and maintain high morale. Not only can you publicly recognize employees for anniversaries or birthdays, but you can also celebrate big sales, group successes, and team wins.

Be flexible about when and where remote employees work

Empower your employees to take responsibility for their work and trust that they will accomplish what they need to do to stay on track. Some employees may work best in a quiet home office, while others may find themselves more productive in a coffee shop or co-working space. Many employees have likely shifted to taking care of children or other family members in the last year or two. Allowing some flexibility in your employee’s hours – within reason – may encourage more productivity and efficiency. While all of these suggestions may not work for your team, adopting some flexibility and meeting your employees somewhere in the middle is sure to increase employee engagement in today’s remote environment. Remote work isn’t just a trend, it’s our new reality.