How To Keep Your Remote and In-Person Teams Engaged ~ By Christina

Perhaps now more than ever, engagement at work is essential. With the vast majority of workers and employers feeling pandemic fatigue, it’s our social connections that can pull us through – and for many of us those social connections are tied to those we work with. 

So how do we do that?

Read on for three ways to set both yourself and your teams up for engagement success.

If only all of our employees could be this engaged!

First of all, give yourself some grace. We’ve all been through the wringer a few times over and the pressure on leaders right now is immeasurable. Even in normal situations, engaging a remote workforce is not easy. Remote workforces add a layer of complexity because it is more complicated for dispersed employees to unite under one mission. Clear communication with face-to-face interactions and the vibe you get in a workplace are both key components to creating a culture of engagement, and both are lacking when your team is working from home.

Second, ensure your team feels valued. As a leader, your team will look to you for guidance on how to behave, what is expected of them and the deliverables needed to be successful at work – but it goes beyond that. Right now (and always!) employees want to know that you care about them as people. They want to be assured that you aren’t just seeing them as a tool to get some work done, but rather a valuable contribution to the organization – an asset.  

Third, foster personal connection. See your employees as individuals. Talk with them about their weekend, ask after their family, and share a bit about yours. That human connection is essential to building employees who feel connected to the organization, and as their leader you are the link to that organizational engagement.   

Point two and three above are equally as important to remote workers as in-person team members. For employees who are interacting with the public everyday in the middle of a global pandemic, it’s essential that you see the value they are giving the organization and it’s essential that you see them as an asset. 

Engagement is truly one of the least expensive ways to increase productivity and foster innovation in your work team – both of which make a lot of business sense!