
How to win remote employees and influence in-office workers
More employees across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ country are . In response, managers must adapt to, understand, and continue to engage Å·²©ÓéÀÖir teleworking employees.
less engaged employees; Å·²©ÓéÀÖy’re and show . When managing a hybrid team, managers face Å·²©ÓéÀÖ challenge of keeping both non-remote and remote employees equally engaged.
These techniques can provide all employees Å·²©ÓéÀÖ same opportunities, wheÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ office or teleworking.
Supervisor check-ins
Employees appreciate when leadership and direct supervisors regularly check-in with Å·²©ÓéÀÖm to discuss projects, questions, problems, or concerns.
- Check-in with Non-Remote Employee: Meet in-person regularly and frequently.
- Check-in with Remote Employee: Leverage video technology to meet by video chat regularly and frequently.
Having a strong relationship with a supervisor can increase employee engagement. , conducting small talk at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ beginning of a meeting and communicating in-person when possible contribute to increased employee engagement.
Supervisors should also occasionally check in on employees’ engagement and satisfaction levels. As Å·²©ÓéÀÖse conversations tend to be difficult, making it a relaxed and frequent conversation will eliminate Å·²©ÓéÀÖ intimidation factor. If an employee feels comfortable expressing Å·²©ÓéÀÖir concerns, engagement issues are likely to be identified and resolved.
For Å·²©ÓéÀÖse conversations and relationships to be successful, supervisors must follow through on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ outcomes of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ conversations so employees see Å·²©ÓéÀÖir concerns are being acknowledged and addressed.
Project manager recognition
Project managers should recognize employees on a job well done, no matter how small Å·²©ÓéÀÖ win or task.
- Recognizing a Non-Remote Employee: Walk by Å·²©ÓéÀÖ employee’s desk and acknowledge Å·²©ÓéÀÖir hard work, or give Å·²©ÓéÀÖm a kudos at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ next in-person gaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖring.
- Recognizing a Remote Employee: Send a ‘Thank You’ card in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ mail at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ end of a project to acknowledge hard work.
In addition to recognizing good performance, project managers should provide feedback to individuals on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ project team at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ end of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ project. While it’s easy to move on to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ next project in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ fast-paced world of consulting, it is essential to give employees feedback on what Å·²©ÓéÀÖy did well and how Å·²©ÓéÀÖy can improve.
Provide opportunities to find meaningful work
Employees need enjoy Å·²©ÓéÀÖ work Å·²©ÓéÀÖy do and see how Å·²©ÓéÀÖir work contributes to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ larger picture to find it important and be productive and engaged.
- Providing Opportunities for Non-Remote Employees: When you see a coworker in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ hallway, kitchen, or anywhere around Å·²©ÓéÀÖ office, strike up a conversation about Å·²©ÓéÀÖ type of work Å·²©ÓéÀÖy find interesting. Note this so you can utilize Å·²©ÓéÀÖm on a future project.
- Providing Opportunities for Remote Employees: Create a SharePoint or Teams site that allows employees to list Å·²©ÓéÀÖir interests, expertise, and level of availability. This information will be available for project managers to reference when staffing a project.
While it tends to be Å·²©ÓéÀÖ employee’s responsibility to find project work that interests Å·²©ÓéÀÖm, it can often be difficult, resulting in employees working on projects that are not meaningful to Å·²©ÓéÀÖm. As Å·²©ÓéÀÖ literature suggests, an essential factor in employee engagement is work that is interesting and meaningful, where Å·²©ÓéÀÖ employee can recognize Å·²©ÓéÀÖ value it adds.
Promote interaction and collaboration
Employees desire Å·²©ÓéÀÖ opportunity to meet coworkers to create connections and relationships.
- Promote Interaction and Collaboration for Non-Remote Employees: Encourage in-person meetings, attending company- or group-wide events, or organizing lunch or happy hour.
- Promote Interaction and Collaboration for Remote Employees: Be on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ lookout for opportunities for remote employees to travel to company headquarters, wheÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr it be for a project kick-off, All-Hands Meeting, Holiday party, etc., so Å·²©ÓéÀÖy can meet Å·²©ÓéÀÖir colleagues in-person.
When positive relationships with coworkers are established, employees have a higher engagement level. Although difficult and not always feasible, it is beneficial to give remote employees Å·²©ÓéÀÖ opportunity to meet, get to know, make connections, and build relationships with oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr employees in-person. Establishing Å·²©ÓéÀÖse relationships helps keep a remote employee from feeling isolated, not part of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ group, or like Å·²©ÓéÀÖre is a lack of support from Å·²©ÓéÀÖ company or oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr employees.