Creating Remote Jobs? Here’s How to Keep your Team Engaged
Tips on effectively managing your team to perform their best at their remote job...
According to a report from LinkedIn (the business social media site), by 2030, about 80 million employees in the United States and European Union will be working from home fully; that is about a 300% increase since 20191. Remote jobs skyrocketed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and since then has been on the rise. It provides companies with access to a diverse global talent pool, and reduces overhead costs. For employees, it increases job satisfaction as they are given the freedom to work when and how they want.
Challenges of Remote Jobs
Challenges that companies may experience with staff working from home include:
- Lowered productivity
- Lowered engagement
- Poor communication between employees
- Difficulty keeping track of performance.
However, remote jobs are here to stay, and companies must adapt to remain competitive and successful.
Tips for Enhancing Productivity and Engagement while Working from Home
Here are some tips on what you can implement in your company to increase productivity and engagement while operating remotely:
| Productivity | Engagement |
| Set OKRs (objectives and key results) so all team members know the objectives and the approach needed to achieve them | Create virtual clubs based on shared interest of employees e.g. virtual book club |
| Weekly meeting to review completed tasks and check in on OKRs | Have group learning, knowledge sharing or toastmaster sessions where people can learn and network |
| Incorporate project management and time tracking tools such as Toggl Track or Timely | Celebrate holidays with parties |
| Incorporate communication and collaboration tools such as Slack or Trello | Acknowledge birthdays and celebrate with virtual games |
| Mandate cloud based file storage | Conduct virtual health and fitness programs |
| Review confidentiality and data privacy policy | First or last fridays of the month should be celebrated |
| Provide equipment (e.g. laptop, phone, mobile wifi) to ensure work gets done without constraints | Conduct quarterly in-person retreats |
To have a successful remote organization, it takes conscious effort to motivate productivity, engagement, communication and to track performance.
References
1 https://smith.ai/blog/virtual-business
Also Read: How to Develop a Remote Working Option for Your Team
Am excited as I learnt to see every employee of as part of business progress and carry them along.
It is interesting to provide a workable environment for the employee this enable them to be effective and productive.