The same principles of engagement apply to both remote and in-office teams. However, the critical difference lies in how you implement them. Work lunches and team socials are a little more challenging when your teams are scattered around the country or the globe. That said, implementing a remote culture needn't be difficult. You just have to go about it a little differently.
To provide the best remote employee experience possible so your teams stay engaged and motivated, it's essential to draw up a remote working policy — before you do anything else.
A remote working policy sets expectations surrounding engagement and productivity. This isn't as intimidating as it sounds, and plenty of online templates and resources are free.
Even if an organisation has only a few remote workers, this policy is important, especially as the number of workers choosing to end their daily commute is increasing.
Moreover, as more teams are making their home an extension of the office, organisations must do more than supply an allowance to cover a new desk and chair. They must radically rethink how they communicate online and reconsider the tools their teams need to stay connected.
Now, with all that out of the way, let's get on to how you can engage your remote teams and why it's not as challenging as you think.
Typically, organisations see the most improvement in engagement and remote employee experience when working on pain points in communication, environment, and development.
Employees should be encouraged to check in with each other on a day-to-day basis and celebrate small wins, such as remembering to take a screen break, drinking enough water, or finally finishing those amends.
At the manager level, there should be weekly or bi-weekly one-to-ones and shorter catch-ups throughout the week. Managers should also reward their teams when they do something well and check in on them semi-regularly. Custom employee rewards or using a points-based reward system are good examples.
Finally, remote employees should be updated with company news at the organisational level and feel like they are part of the decision-making.
The environment is a broad category that covers several factors. Firstly, it describes the actual place an employee works, or in other words, their physical environment. For example, are their desk and chair suitable, and do they have the necessary equipment?
Another way of thinking about the environment is the digital one, such as whether they have the right software to do the job and if Zoom works ok. Software issues are often a source of significant frustration, so they must be resolved promptly.
The environment can also include social wellbeing. For example, does the employee feel supported? Can they go to their manager with their concerns? Admittedly, this is the most challenging environmental factor to fix, as a cultural problem usually fuels these issues.
Providing remote teams with the opportunity to upskill will help them achieve their long-term career goals and supply you with an ever-expanding pool of in-house experts.
Fortunately, learning online has never been easier, as there are so many courses that employees can take remotely. Of course, if the opportunity arises, they could study in person.
Learning and development isn't just about upskilling, though. It's great for increasing engagement as employees can study an energising topic or subject that fuels their creativity.
One of the best ways to gather feedback from remote teams is with a digital survey platform. By sending short surveys weekly or bi-weekly, you give employees a voice.
This shows that their opinions are valued and their experience is important. For example, when introducing a benefits and perks package, it's important to understand what they consider the best benefits and perks are.
Video is a vital part of keeping remote workers engaged. One of the most common complaints of remote workers is that they don't see the faces of their colleagues enough, and consequently, they don't feel part of a team.
Asking managers to teach virtual classes on their specialist subjects helps fill social and knowledge gaps. Employees learn new skills in-house, which benefits them and the organisation.
Create a scheduling system to encourage strong collaboration between remote workers and in-office colleagues. This is important, as in-office employees sometimes assume remote colleagues are more available than they are.
At Perkbox, we have regular Let’s Talk sessions over Zoom while working remotely. During these sessions, senior leaders discuss company updates, and employees can ask the senior leadership team anonymous questions about anything they want to know.
Create team or individual goals over a video call. Online learning platforms are ideal for upskilling when this is necessary. Establishing a mix of shorter and long-term goals is also a good idea. This way, employees feel they are achieving something while working towards a qualification, for example.
Try setting up a channel where employees can share inspiring or exciting ideas relating to your product, market, or industry. It can be difficult to strike up a conversation in a remote world. But this creates a place where employees can come together and talk about interesting topics.
Remote employees won’t always come to their manager with issues or concerns. Consequently, the manager must be proactive and try to find out how their employees feel. Especially when their team seems more withdrawn than usual. Keeping on top of this is integral to a remote supervisor's role.
For remote workers, it can often feel like career development is put on the back burner or there are fewer progression opportunities. To keep top performers motivated and engaged, it's important to discuss the next steps in their careers regularly. This helps employees visualise how they will fit into the organisation's long-term future.
The best way to motivate remote employees is to recognise and reward them when they go the extra mile. When employees receive appreciation for their hard work – it makes it all feel worthwhile.
Try to go around the room with specific topics or questions, allowing each participant to speak and share their thoughts. This way, any naturally quieter speakers don’t have to feel they must fight to be heard.
You should always ensure remote employees are using their annual leave and are taking time away from their home office. By making digital boundaries commonplace – such as no emails after 6 PM or having an undisturbed break for an hour at lunch – you can prevent employees from overworking and risking burnout.
Remote working doesn’t just affect employees, it also has a huge impact on managers too. Managers will need help updating their skills for the remote world and can benefit from extra training, such as spotting any signs of concern in their remote employees’ wellbeing. A mental health first aid course, for example, is something you could offer.
For at least 5 minutes of every video call, focus on conversation that isn’t work-related. Share funny stories, talk about how the day is going, and mention what you did on the weekend — just as you would in the office. This creates a sense of community within your digital environment and supports a healthy remote culture.
Introducing an end-of-day social meeting sends a clear signal to remote employees that you care about their social wellbeing. A short, half-hour meeting should be enough, and you can use the time to talk about any successes over the week and share recognition for great work. If and when possible, encourage in-person catch-ups too.
This role of the people management team typically sits within HR, and they use data and other tools to improve the working lives of all employees, including those who work remotely.
They ensure remote employees are represented and have their say on important decisions such as changes to company benefits.
Organisations that don't have the budget for a team could put together a more informal group where each member represents the department they work in.
Employees often become isolated when they feel disconnected from their team and organisation. The consequences of poor employee engagement include drops in productivity, collaboration, morale, and a rise in staff turnover.
Any manager will know how difficult it is to keep a team engaged and productive when they're in the office. However, staving off boredom and disengagement in a remote environment requires a different approach.
The most challenging aspect is acting quickly before these issues become entrenched and part of the remote culture. After all, when people are working remotely, you can't pick up on typical body language cues that indicate something is amiss.
Engagement survey questions provide insight into the current employee experience. We recommend adding a scale to these so you can quantify the results. You could use a Likert or numerical scale depending on how you want to analyse the data.
The scope of these questions typically covers wellbeing, connection, motivation, and environment, and ask things such as:
If you want to dive deep, you could add questions about management and performance. Moreover, adding open-ended questions provides more qualitative data that gives an insight into how someone feels at the individual level.
Perkbox is a comprehensive employee experience platform with everything you need to increase remote employee engagement.
Because employee experience drives engagement, each feature focuses on key experiential touchpoints. For example, the real-time recognition feed fosters a culture of celebration, while the points-based reward system keeps your remote teams motivated.
In terms of wellbeing, that's covered too. Perkbox includes an ever-expanding library of wellbeing resources, in addition to thousands of discounts, deals, and freebies your employees can use to buy supplements, athleisurewear, and more.
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