How to Keep Remote Employees Engaged in Company Culture - Spark Hire

How to Keep Remote Employees Engaged in Company Culture - Spark HireOffering remote work opportunities is becoming increasingly common in the workplace. This is a major perk for many employees, and can be a huge selling point for companies looking to stay competitive in a cutthroat marketplace. However, managing remote employees requires a different approach than you might take when youre managing a team situated just down the hall. Here are some tips for ensuring that your employees feel connected to yourbusiness and the company culture, regardless of where they get their work doneBe extra vigilant about communicatingWe often underestimate the amount of communicating that gets done in an informal way. This means when youre walking to the bathroom, grabbing a drink of water, or going to get something off of the printer. When youve got team members working remotely, these opportunities for communication no longer exist. Because of this, youll need to make extra efforts to communicate with your team. Let them know that they can reach out whenever they need to, and make yourself accessible via the phone, video chat, and e-mail.Find a way to create a sense of camaraderieEmployees who are working remotely may miss out on the sense of teamwork you enjoy when youre in the office every day. Develop creative ways to make aya everyone feels included. You should set goals for the team, schedule regular conference calls, and make sure that your remote employees get to know one another, even if theyre not spending all day in the office together.Make it a point to offer praise and feedback to your team membersYoull want to issue regular praise and feedback to your employees, just as you would if they were in your office. Its easy to forget about this when you dont see these individuals daily, but make sure that this is a regular part of the routine. Employees should know what theyre doing well and where they can improve. This way the job feels like a career and not a series of mindless tasks that they do at home alone.Trust your employees, but find a way to hold them accountableIf youre giving your team the benefit of working from home, let them enjoy it fully and dont try to micromanage them to compensate for the fact that you cant see them. At the same time, youll need to have some way to measure everyones productivity. Employees should have goals to hit on both a short and long-term basis in order to illustrate that theyre actually working during the day and not taking advantage of a work-from-home policy.Virtual employees can be highly productive, engaged members of your team when managed properly. Learn how to make them feel included and youll find that you get their best work and plenty of positive energy, even when theyre not in the office.Image monkeybusinessimages/BigStock.com