By now, you’ve almost certainly got a handle on the basics of managing your remote employees and keeping them engaged. Given the ongoing pandemic, it’s something you’ve almost certainly had to learn to do over the past several months, which means you’ve probably gotten quite good at communicating in a variety of different ways, communicating frequently and being more proactive.
While all of those are good things, there’s more you can be doing. If you’re looking for some new ways to keep your remote team engaged, try these on for size:
Create A Culture of Connectedness
Changing your company’s culture can be hard, but it always starts at the top. You have to be the one to drive the change, and the simple truth is that your employees will feel more engaged and connected if some of the communications you have with your employees extend beyond work related tasks.
Be sure you’re taking the time to share funny or personal stories. Ask questions. Engage them on an emotional level. Do that and their productivity will soar because they’ll feel a stronger connection to both you and your company.
Encourage Side Projects
If money alone was the key to keeping employees happy, it would be relatively easy to do. You could simply write a bigger check and everyone would be happy. It turns out though, that money is actually a relatively poor motivator, beyond what it takes to meet basic needs.
What employees really crave is autonomy, and this is something you should encourage at every turn. If your employees are interested in side projects that align with your company’s goals, by all means, give them the space, time and resources to pursue those goals. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Again, it’s not enough to master the basics of remote work communication, and if you’re interested in taking things to the next level, the ideas outlined above will certainly help get you there.