The corporate world we see today is largely different from how it has been perceived in the past. The modern workplace operates in an entirely different manner with flexible and remote working arrangements at the forefront of things. Who would have thought a few years back that such work arrangements would be feasible? But it is true that the future of the corporate world is remote and the trend of flexibility is here to stay.Â
Actionable strategies for engaging remote workersÂ
Optimize virtual onboarding experiencesÂ
In times of virtual workplaces, even onboarding has gone virtual. Employees join organizations virtually and start working remotely without knowing their team members or managers. This is in fact, a toxic element of the modern workplace. Because of ineffective onboarding experiences, new employees do not really blend into the working environment. This further takes a toll on their motivation and engagement.Â
- Arrange a virtual tour of the workplace for the new employeeÂ
- Host a virtual meeting between all team membersÂ
- Connect the new employee with their managers and mentorsÂ
- Send a personalized welcome email to the new employeeÂ
- Seek feedback from the employee at the end of their first dayÂ
- Bring D&I activities into the picture
Introduce virtual coffee breaks
Host mental health webinars
One of the basic strategies to drive high engagement in any workplace is to care for the well-being of your employees. When you show empathy and care for your employees, they respond with greater allegiance and loyalty. This allegiance further drives them to exhibit greater commitment, diligence, and accountability.Â
Of course, you would want to be more accountable to someone who cares for your wellness, right? The same is the case with your employees. When you care for their wellness, they will reciprocate with gratitude and responsibility.Â
Besides, it is also true that work stress is real and as competition gets more intense, the stress levels are shooting up. To substantiate, as per Wrike, more than 70 percent of remote workers experience high stress and experiences pertaining to burnout. Needless to say, performance and burnout cannot go hand in hand.Â
To engage your remote employees in a worthwhile manner, you hence need to support their mental wellness. They will exhibit greater engagement when they can overcome their stressors and foster positive wellness. For that, holding mental health webinars can be a great way to show that you care for your remote employees.Â
You can invite mental health counselors to hold virtual sessions so that employees can discuss their issues to seek effective solutions for stress management. This can be a great way to keep your employees engaged and satisfied.Â
Invest in the right communication toolsÂ
Effective internal communication is the key to engagement and performance in a virtual work environment. When there are efficient communication mechanisms in place, the flow of knowledge and information is consistent. Having said that, leaders can share instructions, feedback, and information in an efficient manner.Â
Also, teams can discuss project details concisely and clearly with the help of the right communication tools. For high engagement, teams need effective collaboration and for that, efficient communication is salient.Â
As per SalesForce, more than 86 percent of executives believe that ineffective communication and collaboration is the major reason for project failure. Also, it is essential to pay heed to the fact that more than 80 percent of enterprises use social collaboration tools to enhance internal communication for business processes.Â
Being a leader, you need to ensure that you invest in the right technology that facilitates high engagement through effective information sharing. Besides, you also need to ensure that you provide effective training to your employees for the utilization of the communication tools or software you integrate. Your employees need to master the 7Cs of communication to perform exceptionally well. In the virtual workplace, technology will assist them in managing the 7Cs of communication effectively.
To encapsulate, employee engagement in a virtual workforce has different dynamics. The facilitators are different and so are the factors of engagement and retention in a virtual workforce. With the above actionable strategies, you can drive exceptional results in terms of employee engagement, experience, and retention. Subsequently, you can create a positive culture that leads your organization to new horizons of success.Â