Most business owners want their remote employees to be productive, efficient, and consistent. The best business owners want their remote employees to be productive, happy and have a perfect work-life balance. It can be a challenge but not an impossible one to overcome.
It is easier to track the well-being of the in-house employees, but remote employees are often overlooked in this regard. No business owner wants to be inconsistent with their efforts to ensure the happiness of their employees everywhere.
Here are some ways you can ensure your remote employees’ happiness, productivity, and overall well-being.
1. Communication is Key
Managing a remote team effectively has a lot to do with communication. You can use different channels to interact regularly with your remote employees, such as email, call, video call, instant messages, or whatever else works for them.
It can be a bit challenging for you to choose a way that works for all parties involved. However, things can become a lot smoother and more streamlined once you find the right way. It can take a lot of burden off your shoulders.
When communicating with your employees, you will also want to include things other than projects, deadlines, and work-related progress. For instance, you could start the conversation by asking them how they are feeling and what they are planning for their Christmas Holiday; speaking of this, it might be a great idea to send them custom branded holiday swag with the company’s logo.
This way, you will make your remote employees feel appreciated and gain better insight into their emotional and mental well-being. Such small and big gestures can make every employee feel closer to the company and its cause.
2. Train Your Managers
As a business owner, you cannot stay in touch with every employee that works for your business. That is why businesses rely on managers to ensure the happiness and productivity of every employee. Hence, it is important to train your managers before looking into ways to improve employee productivity.
It is best to ensure that your managers are aware of the latest trends and information in their field to manage the skills of the hired employees. You cannot expect someone with lesser talent and experience to manage skilled workers, remote or otherwise.
Above all, it is important to ensure that your managers are empathetic and patient. It can be hard to manage a remote workforce. Your managers must be able to ensure the work-life balance and dedication to work from all employees.
3. Set Clear Expectations
One cannot tell an employee about their expectations if they are unsure what they want. Remote employees are always looking for guidance from their managers and superiors. It is very important for them to maintain clear communication with all remote employees.
If you do not communicate openly with your employees, it can be hard to get the answers that you are looking for. Hence, give your fullest to ensuring that you get your point across to your in-house and remote employees as well.
Your employees can explore their fullest potential and give you the best of their productivity by being sure about every step that they take. Otherwise, confusion can lead to a waste of talent and resources for your business.
4. Encourage Networking
Even someone who likes to work on their own from the comfort of their home can feel isolated at times, which is why you might want to mitigate this feeling by encouraging networking of remote employees with their colleagues and making “office friends.”
After all, business owners must understand that remote workers are at a higher risk of feeling isolated from the in-house experience. Therefore, it is always a better approach to ensure that remote workers can engage with each other.
An effective way to do this would be to make efficient use of Slack or any other social networking platform to help remote employees combat their sense of loneliness. You can set up online chat groups for all remote workers so that everyone can stay connected.
Having an established “point of contact” is essential for employees so that they can get in touch with one another and stay updated on the latest developments inside the office as well. This way, those employees can feel engaged and motivated regardless of any factors.
5. Establish Personal Contact Opportunities
To make your remote employees feel like they are a part of the team, you can reach out to them in person by arranging meetings. This way, you will indicate your care for them as a person. By establishing face-to-face meetings, you can also ensure that your remote employees can discuss their concerns and share their problems with you in person, which they might feel hesitant about in online meetings or conversations.
Staying in touch with your remote employees is also a great way to ensure that they know you and your vision in person. They can feel like an essential part of the team without any care for being home-based. You can include them in your day-to-day office life.
You could also arrange for the remote employees to spend a few weeks at the office throughout the year. You will want to arrange a place for them to sit and work in the middle of the premises where they can interact with their colleagues and have meaningful conversations.
This way, you will allow your remote employees to observe the office framework and assess the interactions while you, as the employee, can assess their interest level and take notes of their well-being. Such small yet meaningful practices can strengthen your team.
The Takeaway
Remote employees are as important as in-house employees, and while remote employees often opt for remote jobs out of the desire to establish a happy work-life balance, they often gravitate to the “always working” trap, which can affect their productivity and happiness.
It is absolutely worth your time to keep the motivation of your remote employees high. You can arrange a training course for your managers. This practice can ensure that your employees achieve the best of their productivity in any given circumstance.
