The Remote Employee Paradox: Best Practices For Engaging Your Distant Staff

The office, rather, only office has become something of a rarity in the modern workforce. Gone are the days of employees walking to work and catching up on the news with their colleagues at lunch. In today’s digital landscape, employees can work from anywhere in the world. As digital nomads and entrepreneurs working from home, this is an exciting proposition — one that is becoming more popular among companies as well.. In today’s time and tide, employees do not wait by their desks for a supervisor to wander by; now with remote workers the norm, it's often difficult to know how to communicate with those outside your physical location.According to the 2019 State of the Digital Workspace report from Igloo, 70% of remote employees feel left out of the workplace. This article will explore best practices for engaging your remote staff and maintaining communication without spending all day in Slack.

The Remote Employee Paradox

The "remote employee paradox" is the challenge of managing and motivating employees who work remotely. While there are many advantages to having a remote workforce, there are also unique challenges that come with it. Here are some best practices for engaging your distant staff:

Communication is key.

Keep the lines of communication open. Make sure you have regular check-ins with your remote employees, whether that's through video calls, phone calls, or even just emails. This will help you stay up-to-date on their progress and ensure that they feel comfortable communicating with you about any issues or concerns.The most successful managers are good listeners, communicate trust and respect, inquire about workload and progress without micromanaging.

Encourage collaboration.?

When employees are working remotely, it can be easy for them to feel isolated. Encourage them to collaborate with each other, whether it's through online chat rooms or regular conference calls. Just because your employees are working remotely doesn't mean they can't collaborate with each other. In fact, there are many tools and technologies that can facilitate remote collaboration (e.g., project management software, online chat platforms). Encouraging and facilitating collaboration among your remote staff will help them feel more connected to each other and to the organization as a whole.

Make use of technology.

There are many great tools out there that can help you manage and motivate your remote workforce. Utilize project management software, time tracking apps, and communication platforms to stay connected and engaged with your team

Provide opportunities for professional development.

Just because your employees are remote doesn't mean they don't need training and development. Make sure to provide opportunities for them to learn and grow in their roles. Online learning platforms like Edureka are a great way to make sure your workforce is empowered and thriving!

Keep them informed about company news and developments.

Let them know they are associated with the best. Keep them informed about all the achievements and all company targets. When they are aware of all the happenings, they feel very much part of it.?

Make sure they feel like part of the team.?

Prioritize relationships. Team building and camaraderie are important for any team, but good managers go out of their way to form personal bonds with remote employees. They use check-in time to ask about their personal life, families, and hobbies. They designate team meeting time for “water cooler” conversation so that the whole team can create personal connections and strengthen relationships.

Make use of social media

Social media can be a great way to connect with your remote employees and keep them engaged with your organization. Those lunch break conversations when done physically are never just limited to professional talks. It is more of connecting and sharing the same social space and getting to know each other outside the office world. Social Media should be a go-to-platform to know one another.

Make expectations explicit

When it comes to managing remote teams, being clear about expectations is mandatory. Managers who are direct with their expectations of both remote and on-site employees have happier teams that can live up to those expectations. People are never left in the dark about projects, roles, or deadlines.

In order to engage your remote employees, you need to be purposeful and thoughtful in your approach. Simply treating them like any other employee will not suffice — you need to take into account the unique challenges that come with managing a remote team. By following the best practices laid out in this article, you can build a strong foundation for engagement with your remote employees and create a work environment that everyone can thrive in. Let them know that ‘’out of sight is not out of mind’’.