Remote Teams Need Connection In The Workplace
Remote work became the norm for many professions during the pandemic and it is still prevalent three years later. Employees save money by not having to commute and businesses save money by not having to provide physical office space. Despite this mutually beneficial relationship, remote work has one notable drawback—isolation. Some people working from home report feeling out of touch with their co-workers and managerial staff. Here are a few ways to boost employee morale and connectedness in the remote workplace.
The Importance Of Employee Connectedness
Feeling like part of a team is a crucial aspect of employee engagement, influencing people’s satisfaction and performance at work. In 2020, 29% of people working exclusively from home reported feeling burned out very often or daily. How can employers decrease that number?
1. Using Team Collaboration Tools
Performance improves when workers feel engaged and connected to their job. That’s why 8 out of 10 employees used team collaboration tools, such as instant messaging and conference apps, as of 2021 [1]. Employers should promote the use of tools that bolster camaraderie and communication as long as they don’t hinder productivity. For example, on a message board like Mango, team members can share tips and essential information with the entire staff. Instead of starting a long chain of emails, respondents can leave their replies under the post and view each other’s comments. Employees can also go back and reread posts from years prior without clogging up their inboxes with emails.
2. Creating Personal Touches
Many remote employees live so far away from their workplace that they will never set foot in the office. Consequently, they may never meet their team members face to face. But that does not mean employers should adopt an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. In a traditional office setting, workplaces often celebrate employee milestones like birthdays, marriages, promotions, and personal achievements. Employers managing remote staff should still acknowledge these meaningful events. By sending a handwritten card, care package, or even an email, managers can show employees they care and create a sense of connection.
3. Hosting Video Conferences
Though people often lament using Zoom for meetings, seeing and hearing one’s co-workers is vital in improving communication, friendship, and trust. Without these regular check-ins, it is easy to forget that there is a real person behind every email address. Video calls humanize people and provide social cues even phone calls cannot deliver. Video conferences can also quickly clear up questions or misunderstandings without sending messages back and forth for days. They allow people to deliver a large amount of information in real time, listening to feedback and new ideas as they host a presentation or brainstorming session. That’s good news, considering the average office employee gets over a 100 emails a day.
4. Promoting Health And Wellness
Workers with severe depression take 20 times more sick days than healthy employees [2]. This astonishing drop in productivity highlights the importance of mental and physical health in the workplace. Employers should find ways to improve their staff’s well-being. For example, providing paid sick leave encourages people to take the day off when they really need it rather than working through a fever or migraine. Companies can start an employee wellness program that promotes daily walks or meditation sessions—it can even take the form of a contest or game. Allowing workers to take longer breaks also encourages healthy habits like eating lunch more slowly, squeezing in a 15-minute workout, or resting after a session of intense focus.
5. Encouraging Goal Setting
Managers should have regular check-ins with remote employees to set goals. During these meetings, workers can give updates on their performance or anything they are struggling with. Then, they can set goals to improve their productivity, client satisfaction, or competency on a given task. These meetings serve two purposes. First, they foster communication and reveal any areas of potential improvement. That gives workers the chance to become better at their job and highlights how the management staff can help. Second, regular check-ins are a social activity that strengthens workers' and supervisors' bonds, boosting employee connectedness.
6. Being Available
One of the most significant challenges remote work poses is slow communication. In an office, people can knock on their manager’s door and immediately resolve any questions or concerns. Remote workers, in contrast, might wait for days to get a reply after sending an email. Managers who are available by phone call, text, or video conference improve the remote work experience. Staff who cannot be on call in this manner should provide alternate ways for employees to handle emergencies. For example, hiring a customer support service for IT issues could be indispensable during a sudden cybersecurity crisis. It would free up other people’s time, help employees connect to the team, and resolve incidents quickly.
Creating A Positive Workplace
In many ways, improving employee connectedness is a matter of treating remote work more like a traditional office setting. By communicating effectively, celebrating employee achievements, promoting physical and mental health, using collaboration tools, and being more available, managers can make their staff feel like part of the team. That goes a long way toward employee engagement and satisfaction.
References:
[1] Your guide to team collaboration software
[2] 10 Statistics That Show Happier Employees Are More Productive
