Greenfield News

Checklist for Remote Employee Engagement
ONCE EMPLOYEES BEGIN WORKING REMOTELY, THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED

PRODUCTIVITY:
1. Create a culture of employee appreciation to ensure success. Consider virtual rewards; establish an internal “kudos” system or make a plan to share internal success stories at future meetings.
2. Take time to check in with staff on a regular basis. Set up virtual conference calls between managers and employees. Host study sessions between peers where they can virtually co-work on shared network. This promotes open communications and freeform thoughts that mimic office culture.
3. Measure employee sentiment. Employee engagement surveys are being used often to “take the pulse” of worker sentiment and discover areas that might need improving. This will guide you to understand how engaged employees are, and where to invest to improve remote operations.
4. Track employees’ success over time. Take time to make notes of goals, performance metrics, and growth over time. This should be documented clearly between both managers and employees and referenceable over time.


RELATIONSHIPS:
1. Get to know your role and your team on a personal basis. Set up ways to connect on a variety of topics, even those outside of work. Teach a new skill.
2. Create ways for staff to connect cross-departmentally. Often the most creative endeavors come from diverse ideas and thinking.

MOTIVATION:
1. Discover ways to encourage top talent to continue to rise. Remember the importance of mentoring. Make contact information of upper management available to all.
2. Set up virtual conference calls between managers and employees to keep connected.
3. During virtual meetings, encourage questions and discussions. Ensure the facilitator is inclusive when leading discussions. Perhaps using “breakouts rooms” allowing smaller groups to discuss topics more comfortably.

Source: HR Checklist for Remote Employee Engagement by zenefits