Employee engagement refers to the strategies that an organization applies to exploit the full potential of its workers. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, businesses continuously shift to remote working environments. Managing remote employees can be challenging if your company lacks the right techniques. Markedly, there is a need for the HR team to engage in viable practices to engage and keep the remote employees happy.
Remote employee engagement is beneficial in the growth and development of your company. Low employee engagement leads to increased employee turnover and loss of talented workforce to the competitors. Therefore, it is prudent for the HR team to retain talented remote workers through viable employee engagement.
Here are ways on how to engage remote workers through HR.
Train the Managers
Managers are responsible for leading remote teams. Their leadership attributes determine the level of employee engagement among remote workers. Your HR department should train these managers to understand the operation of the employees in remote areas.
Besides, your HR should organize sessions to mentor the managers to engage in best communication practices with remote employees. Ultimately, the remote employee teams will be productive and happy in their remote working environment.
Establish Remote Workers’ Goals
Your remote employees should have guiding factors to enhance company success. The HR teams should develop measurable goals and targets for both individual and group remote workers, to keep them engaged. Once your remote employees understand their duties and responsibilities, they will be organized and engaged. Markedly, clear establishment and communication of goals, duties, and responsibilities enhance remote employee engagement.
Develop Work-from-home Policies
Work-from-home-policies connect the employees with the company’s culture, goals, and objectives. Your HR should involve remote employees in developing these rules and policies. Such a strategy makes the employees feel part of the organizational culture, and in the end, their performance will improve.
Create Opportunities for Career Growth
Your HR should offer and create career growth opportunities for remote workers. In the virtual environment, the employees may be neglected, leading to stagnancy in their career progression. Companies and employees have growth expectations over different periods. Career growth enhances the development of employees. Developed and talented employees are the basis of the growth and expansion of your business.
Therefore, your HR team should create opportunities to advance remote employees’ careers. For instance, through incorporating the learning culture, the remote employees can develop additional skills to enhance their careers. Also, remote employees should be encouraged to handle multiple jobs. Here, their skills, experience, and flexibility are cultivated, increasing their value.
Besides, regular training of the remote employees enhances their growth and development in the long run. These employees get conversant with new technologies and skills as they enhance their careers. Ultimately, creating opportunities for career growth increases remote employee engagement.
Foster Peer-to-peer Feedback
Your HR team should foster peer-to-peer feedback in the remote working environment. The team should first engage in virtual team building to enhance communication and collaboration. The remote employee teams increase your workers’ confidence, and as such, they get confident with their decisions. Besides, the team members get the motivation to give feedback and engage in consultation when necessary.
Additionally, to promote a culture of transparency and feedback, your HR team should embrace rewards and incentive programs. Given this, the employees will utilize their knowledge and skills for their teams to stand out. In the end, you will achieve maximum employee engagement.
Plan and Effect Company Retreats
Face-to-face meetings cement the relationships among the virtual team members. Your HR department should periodically organize company retreats for the remote employees to bond. These retreats help in establishing your organization’s future.
According to Forbes, fun initiatives help in boosting the employees’ morale as they feel valued. Therefore, the retreats should incorporate fun team building activities to enhance the employees’ relationships. Ultimately, company retreats will foster employee engagement even in their virtual teams.
Final Thoughts
Employee engagement is the basis of reduced employee turnover, retention of talented employees, and your company’s success. As such, your HR should enhance success through motivating and keeping the remote employees happy. COVID has thrown business into a digital scramble to adapt to remote work, and employee engagement may suffer under remote conditions, but there are always ways to get creative and improve your workplace, even remotely. You can engage remote workers through HR by training managers, establishing remote workers’ goals, developing work-from-home policies, and creating career growth opportunities. Also, your HR can foster peer-to-peer feedback and plan company retreats. With these tips, you can successfully engage remote workers through HR to attain company goals.
