The Internet and its evolving technologies and software have
increasingly made it easier for people to work from home occasionally. While
most companies today allow the sporadic WFH (working from home) days for
everyone, an increasing proportion of today’s working population holds down
jobs remotely full-time, working from home offices every business day of the
year.
A lot of people fantasize about doing just that, rid of arduous and frustrating daily commutes, and the need to maintain an expensive and varied wardrobe for the office. GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com reports that, as of January 2016, 2.8 percent of the American workforce works from home at least half the time. Compared to the client companies that I’ve worked with, I think that number is low.
As pleasant as it may seem, working remotely for any organization can also be challenging on a number of levels. Perhaps the greatest challenge is trying to stay up-to-date with current workflow, company news, initiatives and timely work-related information. It can also be difficult to feel a part of the company and its unique culture.
Being remote means a complete lack of opportunities for casual, unplanned encounters with peers and managers, and regular face-to-face interactions. As a result, it can be tough for remote employees to feel current and “plugged in” with regard to business-critical information and news.
Limited to the phone and email for connecting with their managers, they often suffer through frustrating minutes and hours as communications go unanswered in the face of fast-approaching deadlines.
The importance of keeping remote employees engaged can’t be overstated. The trouble is, most companies don’t consider it as a unique component of their employee engagement and communications practices. The percentage of at-home workers, though small now, will only continue to grow in the coming years, so the imperative for companies to make a concerted effort better to engage their remote employees will only increase.
The core purpose of undertaking the effort is to make the most of the talent that is not present every day in the company’s physical spaces. The strategy to engage them, then, should seek to sustain, increase and broaden the frequency and variety of communications to and from remote employees to better connect them to the company and its mission, as well as with their colleagues across the organization.
A lot of people fantasize about doing just that, rid of arduous and frustrating daily commutes, and the need to maintain an expensive and varied wardrobe for the office. GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com reports that, as of January 2016, 2.8 percent of the American workforce works from home at least half the time. Compared to the client companies that I’ve worked with, I think that number is low.
As pleasant as it may seem, working remotely for any organization can also be challenging on a number of levels. Perhaps the greatest challenge is trying to stay up-to-date with current workflow, company news, initiatives and timely work-related information. It can also be difficult to feel a part of the company and its unique culture.
Being remote means a complete lack of opportunities for casual, unplanned encounters with peers and managers, and regular face-to-face interactions. As a result, it can be tough for remote employees to feel current and “plugged in” with regard to business-critical information and news.
Limited to the phone and email for connecting with their managers, they often suffer through frustrating minutes and hours as communications go unanswered in the face of fast-approaching deadlines.
The importance of keeping remote employees engaged can’t be overstated. The trouble is, most companies don’t consider it as a unique component of their employee engagement and communications practices. The percentage of at-home workers, though small now, will only continue to grow in the coming years, so the imperative for companies to make a concerted effort better to engage their remote employees will only increase.
The core purpose of undertaking the effort is to make the most of the talent that is not present every day in the company’s physical spaces. The strategy to engage them, then, should seek to sustain, increase and broaden the frequency and variety of communications to and from remote employees to better connect them to the company and its mission, as well as with their colleagues across the organization.
Tactical approaches
There is any number of ways to achieve these ends, many of which should be unique to each given situation, since no two companies are alike. Variables include the total number of employees and the percentage of them working remotely, the nature of the business, and the number of offices scattered around the country and across the globe. But consider these ideas as a starting point for your own unique situation.
- Employee survey – Make a concerted effort to solicit responses in your annual employee survey from the remote employee cohort to raise their participation rate to more closely reflect the true percentage of the employee population they represent. Consider a contest where all remote employees who complete the survey are automatically entered into a drawing for a cash award or prizes. Ask questions directed only to remote employees to determine how engaged they really are, and their feelings about the timeliness and relevance of company communications. Solicit their ideas for improvement.
- News’ timeliness – Ensure that all remote employees are receiving information in a timely manner. Conduct random checks on whether particular items were received when intended. Make corrections to the distribution system as necessary to ensure timeliness.
- Raise their profile – Use your monthly newsletter or intranet to increase the organization’s awareness of remote employees. Launch the effort with a feature story about them. Tell their story, and include quotes from individuals about the experience. The feature can serve as the launch for a regular brief spotlight feature on individual remote employees: selfie photos of them at work along with thumbnail sketches of who they are, what they do for the company, and their hobbies, etc.
- Benefits programs – Ensure that all benefits programs, such as wellness programs, accommodate remote employees. Tailor the programs, as necessary, to make it easier for remote employee to participate. Follow up to encourage their on-going participation.
- CSR participation – Create and/or suggest ideas for them to contribute to the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Spotlight some of those activities in internal communications, including Town Halls and the newsletter or intranet.
- Recognition – Encourage managers, supervisors and peers to be proactive in recognizing remote employees in team meetings and other venues. Adjust performance metrics to accommodate remote employees and the vicissitudes of their situation.
- Internal social media – If you use internal social media like Facebook at Work, Yammer or Jive, set up an affinity group for remote employees where they can share their experiences, questions and concerns among themselves. Encourage senior leadership to engage with the group on the site as well.
- Home office visits – Invite three or four randomly selected remote employees to the headquarters offices to participate in key events, such as quarterly Town Halls. Afterwards, have them join the CEO or a member of the leadership team for lunch. Give them at least a full day to be in the office so they can spend time with their co-workers, especially those they regularly deal with over the phone. Also, make sure that each remote employee visits the nearest company office, or the one they work most closely with, as often as possible – at least once or twice a year.
- Technology upgrades – Lastly, always check the quality and reliability of electronic communications. Make sure that webcasts of Town Halls and other company-wide events work flawlessly. Run pre-checks with a small selection of remote employees. Similarly, ensure that teleconference technologies like WebEx and conference room speakerphones are fully functional so that remote employees can participate in team meetings without difficulty.
