Make Remote Employees Feel Like They Belong With These Gestures

2020 has witnessed the biggest rise in remote working ever. While many of us may not have had a choice, the reality is that remote work is the new normal and it is here to stay.

While there are many benefits of remote work that businesses and employees can expect to enjoy, there are also unique challenges associated with the remote work arrangement.

One such challenge is instilling a sense of belonging within remote employees.

For managers and/or business owners, building personal relationships with employees is a known way to make sure they don’t feel like just another cog in the corporate machine. While doing this is natural and easy in an office environment, relationship building with remote employees mandates conscious efforts.

In this article, we will briefly explore some ways you can tell your remote employees that they are an indispensable part of an awesome team that cares about them. Let us begin:

Send Goodies

Goodies like snack bundles, desserts, or even branded office swag can go a long way in making your employees feel cared for.

Sending goodie packages isn’t just a way to make employees feel like a part of a team that cares, they are also great for starting conversations within the teams. Such goodies can easily become the topic of conversation when you need to break the ice at your next conference meeting.

Invest Time In Team Building

The importance of team building is enhanced when your team is distributed and in today’s scenario, isolated.

Since traditional team building activities are not an option, managers and business owners must come up with innovative digital team building activities.

One example can be sending all team members branded office swag that they can use to decorate their workspaces at home. Then, each week, the whole team can be present on a conference call where one employee gives everyone a tour of their home and workspace.

For more ideas, you can refer to this incredible article about virtual team building activities.

Invest In Their Future

The web is abuzz with articles talking about how this time of being confined within our homes is perfect for learning a new skill. Chances are, your employees agree with the same.

As an employer, when you invest in helping your employees learn new skills and become more employable, you are investing in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

As your employees become more employable, your business also gets accessed to a better trained workforce. Moreover, when your employees believe that you care about them, they will want to stick around for longer and will be better motivated to bring the best foot forward every time they are assigned a new task.

The best part is, with the help of instructional design companies, you can develop training content that addresses the needs of your business and helps you bridge the skill gaps that are deterring the growth of your organisation. This way, you will not only be developing skills that directly benefit your organisation, but will also be providing your employees with training opportunities that present clear benefits that are relevant to their current and desired job roles.

Offer Public Recognition

When working in an office setting, it is common to exchange a few positive words with employees that are performing well. This appreciation goes a long way in keeping them motivated to keep their performance consistent.

In a remote work setting, this appreciation needs to be more vocal and public. Acknowledging the achievements of certain team members in front of their peers will not just help them stay motivated, but it will also motivate the others to step up their performance. At the same time, such interactions will also help your employees escape the feeling of isolation by giving them more opportunities to interact with their team members.

Conclusion

Keeping remote employees engaged is not a difficult task. However, as mentioned earlier, it is a task that will require conscious efforts undertaken with intention.

Featured Image: Austin Distel, Unsplash.