What are the ways to engage remote employees? Employee engagement is the natural result of a people-centered culture. However, people generally do not engage on their own. Increasing engagement requires action at all levels, from leadership to individual contributors.
It’s a comprehensive task, made even more challenging by the fact that many employees prefer to work from home, at least partially. A recent TNO study found that one in three employees would like to work entirely remotely.
In this piece, I’ve compiled our top tips for boosting employee engagement. These tips will help you get everyone on board, increase productivity, and, in short, enhance engagement. Pick a few to start with and gradually integrate more ideas to improve employee engagement. Investing in employees pays off with a more committed and productive team.
1. Start with Onboarding
A well-thought-out onboarding process ensures that people become engaged from day one—or even earlier. A positive onboarding experience is the first step toward engagement throughout their career with the organization. Include elements that help build relationships, create a welcoming atmosphere, clearly communicate expectations, and quickly provide access to essential resources.
Click this link to go to our previous blog post on onboarding process and it’s importance!
2. Empower Employees in Their Work
Implement a “managing up” culture, where employees take control of their workload and relationships with managers. By allowing employees to shape their own careers, you encourage them to play an active role in their development and care more about their daily work. A performance management plan with frequent reviews can support this.
3. Foster a Sense of Community
Encourage employees to connect through affinity groups. Help them discover what makes them unique as a group and deepen their bond with each other and the organization.
4. Offer Benefits Employees Truly Value
And make sure they know about them. Tailor benefit packages to employee interests (and to what competitors offer), giving employees even more reasons to stay.
5. Promote Transparency from Leadership
Regular team, departmental, and company-wide updates or meetings keep employees informed and engaged at all levels. One-on-one discussions between managers and team members also help. This brings employees closer to decision-makers, fostering empathy for leadership even in tough times.
6. Identify and Highlight Employee Strengths
Encourage employees to share their unique talents and use them at work—whether it’s hosting a concert, organizing a talent show, or translating an email into Japanese.
7. Measure Engagement Effectively
While engagement is qualitative, that doesn’t mean it can’t be measured. To gain real insight into employee engagement, collect data through surveys, employee Net Promoter Scores, Glassdoor reviews, and voluntary turnover rates, among other options.
8. Communicate as Much as Possible
According to Trade Press Services, effective internal communication motivates 85% of professionals to become more engaged at work. Use this as a reason to communicate openly about goals, news, mission, and vision.
9. Invest in Learning and Development
Offer training and development opportunities. After all, 70% of modern professionals would leave their current job to work for an organization known for investing in employee development and education.
10. Provide Flexible Work Structures
Remote work and schedule flexibility are top priorities for today’s workforce. This is why employees who work remotely 60–80% of the time are more likely to strongly agree that their engagement needs are being met.
11. Build Trust
Relationships strengthen when leaders respond to their own mistakes with authenticity, vulnerability, and honesty instead of shifting blame or—worse—pretending the mistake never happened. Additionally, regularly seeking employee advice as a leader demonstrates trust, appreciation, and respect while also potentially yielding solutions you hadn’t considered.
12. Prioritize Employee Health
There’s a reason workplace wellness programs have grown in popularity recently. Employees who report a higher sense of well-being enjoy their work more, are more likely to recommend their workplace, are less likely to leave, and are more loyal to their teams. Also, prioritize work-life balance.
13. Create an Open Environment for All
A workplace built on true trust and open communication ensures even the newest junior employee feels comfortable giving constructive feedback to the CEO. That’s real openness—when there’s no fear of repercussions and employees feel safe discussing tough issues honestly.
14. Commit to Diversity and Inclusion
A truly diverse and inclusive organization can play a vital role in engagement, particularly for younger generations. According to Deloitte, 83% of millennials feel actively engaged when they believe their organization fosters an inclusive culture.
15. Automate Repetitive Tasks
Is there anything more boring than repetitive work? Fortunately, modern software can automate a lot of tasks, such as HR administration, paperwork, reporting, and approvals. This lets employees focus on work they’re passionate about. Don’t hesitate to give them free time and headspace to your employees by automating repetitive tasks. Aiming a clearer mind for them is one of the essential ways to engage remote employees.
16. Create Traditions
While it might sound unusual, establishing team- and company-wide traditions is a great way to build loyalty and connection year-round. Whether it’s birthday treats, a Thursday afternoon beer, or an annual themed Halloween costume contest, traditions give employees something to look forward to.
17. Be Transparent
According to Glassdoor, 96% of job seekers say it’s essential to work for a company that is transparent. Make decision-making considerations, strategic thinking, goals, and vision public. Also, ensure everyone has easy access to information about benefits, development, and performance.
18. Show Empathy
When leaders, managers, and HR professionals show empathy, it can significantly impact employees’ workplace experiences. In fact, 80% of employees say they’re willing to leave their jobs for an employer that shows more empathy.
19. Set the Cultural Tone from the Top
Teaching by example isn’t just a principle in parenting—it’s also relevant for organizations. If top executives don’t actively embody the company’s values and culture, employees further down the chain won’t take them seriously. A positive, engaging company culture starts at the top.
20. Offer Coaching
To flourish, people need more than just management; they also need coaching. Establishing a coaching or mentorship program can engage employees and help them bring out the best in themselves. This is one of the very significant ways to engage remote employees.
21. Focus on Strengths
Employees thrive when they focus on their strengths. To help them do so, it’s important to identify those strengths early so they can reach their full potential during their career with your organization.
22. Step Outside the Office
Looking for a way to keep your company’s energy and culture fresh? Take every opportunity to step away—whether through offsite company events, conferences, remote workdays, team lunches, or happy hours. This keeps things exciting and helps relationships grow.
23. Celebrate Success and Failure
Rewarding people for their hard work and achievements is a proven way to make them feel recognized, valued, and engaged. Also, prioritize creating a company culture that encourages employees to try even their wildest ideas—as long as they learn from their mistakes and move forward quickly.
24. Don’t Forget Offboarding
Offboarding is one important part of the employment process and it’s only fair to include it in the ways to engage remote employees. Offboarding is a valuable opportunity to engage employees—even as they leave. Hosting a farewell party helps maintain strong connections, express gratitude, and show that all employees are valued no matter where their path takes them.
25. Have a Purpose
According to McKinsey, 70% of professionals say their work largely determines their sense of purpose. Giving employees a meaningful mission to work toward and the feeling that they’re creating positive change is key to genuine engagement.