Many employees work remotely today, fueling the need to develop remote work policies. The policies are there to ensure that the employees are engaging and productive in the organization. Many of the organizations focus on the required operational responses to make sure there is continuity to your business. According to statistics, Novoline Online holds a leading position in terms of the number of new employees hired during the peak of the pandemic in March 2020.
There needs to be high monitoring to ensure that virtual employees focus entirely on their work without any distractions. The human resource department needs to work together with other departments to make sure that remote-work employees get everything they need.
Below are some of the things that the employee engagement manager should address for work to flow smoothly.
1. Equip Employees
Ensure that your employees have the right equipment and technology to ensure they succeed in their jobs. Just because your employee has a laptop and a mobile phone does not guarantee success. A good example is cameras; do your employees have them to ensure you have virtual meetings?
Acknowledge that employee communication over the internet is different and has many flaws. Nonetheless, it needs to be professional, and the parties should respect each other. It should be of concern that virtual communication is mostly uncomfortable for many.
2. Address Any Distress signs Among Your Employees
To understand your employee’s concerns and challenges, you need to be very careful. Indirect observations and direct conversations need to be the modus operandi. When you are in the employee selection process, find out whether the candidate is tech-savvy. This will come in handy if the employee is going to work remotely.
Additionally, ensure that your employees understand that you care for their welfare, and you will help in case of any problem. Facilitate conversation between managers and the employees regularly to maintain a healthy relationship.
3. Trust Your Employees
Nothing encourages employees the most, like knowing that their boss has full trust in them. They tend to be more productive, and they will support all of the company’s agenda. You, as the employer, will also be at peace knowing that you have the backing of your employees.
Never micromanage as you may end up losing high potential employees. Give your employees the freedom to make small decisions that do not have a high impact on the organization. Though there are concerns that you may lose the visibility you once had, let your employees enjoy a little freedom nonetheless.
You may make your employees disengage, which is not suitable for any company. Your employees already have enough on their minds, and there is no need to add more pressure. Give them the freedom to do the things they think will be helpful.
4. Promote Dialogue
Dialogue between employees and the manager works magic. Engage with your employees instead of giving those lectures and shouting at them. Employees will feel more part of the organization when the channel of communication is two-way.
The information will also sink in well when you engage them and let them contribute their ideas. Though it may be difficult for a global employee manager to engage with all the employees, you should start with supervisors. Every employee plays a particular part in the organization, and his or her opinion should matter.
5. Have One-on-Ones
Having remote employees may be a tussle for many managers. However, never let this be a problem just because you cannot have one-on-ones with your employees. Remote employee monitoring is hard, and you should strive to create some face-to-face interactions with them occasionally.
Sometimes you may forget to update communication with your employees on slack, hip chat, or Skype, and the remote-employees will not know of the plan you have for them. For this reason, you should ensure that you meet with them at least once every three months to pass down critical information.
6. Add Many People to Your Calls
As a team leader, you should ensure that the information you want to pass around gets to as many people as possible. Especially when you are on the employee hiring process, you need to take into consideration the opinion of many people. However, you need to point out non-HIPO employees and ensure to put them back on track.
Since training new employees are costly and time-consuming, try to retain productive employees for long.
Another advantage of adding many people to your calls is that they get to understand that it is the communication from the boss, and they will take it seriously. Most employees tend to follow instructions if they come directly from the boss.
7. Use Video Often
Most of the communication between humans is non-verbal. Talking to someone without seeing them conceals many things. Because you do not see your employees for many days, you need to videoconference them as a means of communication.
You will be able to gauge their reaction and their general mood. You will also be able to tell those who take good care of themselves and show their progress. It is also essential to use video conferencing when requesting a reference for a potential employee. You get to see their face and get a clear picture of whom they really are.
Conclusion
Managing remote employees is quite a challenge, and you have to understand the unique challenges they face. However, if you implement the above tips, you will manage them effectively.
With the state of events today given the Covid-19 pandemic, working remotely may be inevitable. If you have any other ideas about remote workers management, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.