How to Engage Remote Employees: Best Ways to Engage Remote Workers and Increase Employee Engagement

Hey there! With more employees than ever before working remotely these days, keeping people engaged when they aren’t in the office can be a challenge. However, an engaged, motivated remote workforce is crucial for productivity and company culture. That’s why I want to share some of my favourite tips for boosting employee engagement today, specifically for teams that work from home or remotely.

From creative ways to recognize people virtually to best practices around communication, flexibility with work hours, and more – I’ll cover a variety of actionable employee engagement ideas you can start trying out right away. My goal is that these strategies for engaging remote employees spark new ideas to help ensure your distributed workforce feels connected, empowered, and enjoys their work as much as your in-office teams.

The shift to increased remote work isn’t slowing down anytime soon, so let’s jump right into some fun, outside-the-box ways to keep your at-home employees actively engaged!

Remote Employee Engagement: 22 Creative Strategies for Virtual Success of Remote Work

Prioritize Communication Channels

Facilitate seamless communication through virtual channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom, fostering a connected remote community.

Set Crystal-Clear Expectations

Explicitly define roles, responsibilities, and objectives to guide remote employees toward success.

Unconventional Team-Building Activities

Step up your team-building game with virtual escape rooms, online cooking classes, or virtual scavenger hunts to forge stronger bonds.

Cultivate Autonomy with Flexibility

Empower remote workers with the freedom to tailor their work schedules, boosting motivation and ownership.

Swag Surprises

Infuse excitement by sending personalized company swag directly to remote employees’ doorsteps, making them feel valued and appreciated.

Applaud Achievements

Celebrate remote employees’ wins with public recognition, virtual shout-outs, or personalized e-cards.

Learning Adventures

To stimulate curiosity and growth, offer unique learning opportunities such as virtual museum tours, TED-style talks, or industry webinars.

Host Interactive Virtual Town Halls

Energize the remote workforce with engaging virtual town halls featuring interactive Q&A sessions and live polls.

Craft Thoughtful Remote Work Policies

Develop policies prioritizing work-life balance, flexibility, and clear communication guidelines.

Nourish Well-being with Snack Gifting

Surprise remote employees with curated snack boxes or subscription services, promoting well-being and a sense of care.

Goal Tracking Reinvented

Gamify goal tracking using virtual leaderboards, encouraging healthy competition and goal attainment.

Share the Leadership Spotlight

Rotate leadership roles among remote team members to foster collaboration and leadership growth.

Constructive Feedback Culture

Cultivate a feedback-rich environment encouraging remote employees to share insights and ideas fearlessly.

Cross-Functional Connection

Organize cross-departmental virtual coffee chats or speed networking events to broaden remote employees’ professional networks.

Virtual Mentorship Odyssey

Design mentorship programs that connect remote employees with mentors who offer guidance and career support.

Embrace Diversity Celebrations

Use virtual diversity celebrations to highlight different cultures and traditions within your remote team.

Skill Swap Showcases

Host virtual skill-sharing sessions where remote employees can teach each other new talents or hobbies.

Thrilling Team Challenges

Spice things up with remote team challenges, like fitness competitions or creativity contests, to boost engagement.

Equip for Success

Ensure remote employees have ergonomic chairs, high-quality monitors, and other essential equipment for an optimized work environment.

Personal Growth Blueprints

Collaborate with remote workers to craft individual development plans that align with their career aspirations.

Coffee Break Connections

Set up virtual coffee breaks where remote employees can casually connect and discuss non-work topics.

Embrace Snack Gifting for a Tasty Touch

Delight remote team members with snack gifts, sending them delectable treats that infuse joy and energy into their workday.

Ways to Engage Remote Employees

Host virtual social events like trivia, happy hours, or coffee breaks to encourage casual social interactions.

• Send care packages or fun mailers with company swag to make remote staff feel part of the team.
• Schedule regular one-on-one check-ins to connect on both work and personal happenings.
• Create opportunities for remote teams to collaborate through tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
• Recognize remote staff publicly in company meetings or newsletters when they go above and beyond.

What are some excellent tips for engaging remote employees?

Some good engagement tips for remote workers include scheduling regular one-on-one check-ins, using collaboration tools like Slack or Teams for water cooler chat, sending care packages to make them feel part of the team, organizing virtual social events, and publicly recognizing their excellent work.

How can I build connections between my remote team members?

You can build connections amongst your remote team members by facilitating team-building activities virtually via video chat, creating spaces for social conversations to occur organically in online chat tools, and scheduling regular in-person events when possible so remote workers can meet their colleagues face-to-face.

What are some creative employee engagement ideas for remote workers?

Creative engagement ideas for remote workers include online trivia or game competitions to spark friendly competition, sending personalized birthday or anniversary cards in the mail, asking for peer recognition nominations and sending shoutouts, and hosting hobby clubs like book clubs or cooking classes over video chat.

How often should managers check in with remote employees?

It’s best practice for managers to check in with each remote employee on their team once a week at minimum. This frequent 1:1 time allows managers to coach remote workers, understand roadblocks, and ensure they feel connected and engaged with their work.

What are effective ways to keep remote employees engaged?

Some highly effective engagement strategies for remote employees include frequent check-ins, team-building activities, peer recognition programs, soliciting feedback, and providing the latest tools and tech to do their best work. Keeping them connected with colleagues is key.

How can I measure remote employee engagement?

Check-in often with remote staff to engage employees one-on-one. Evaluate employees work productivity frequently, get feedback on job satisfaction, and track their participation in online team events. This gives managers good insight into the quantity and quality of employees’ work to determine their level of engagement.

Why is feeling valued/recognized important for remote employees?

When remote employees are out of sight, they can quickly feel their work goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Feeling valued through peer and employee recognition, manager praise in meetings, spot bonuses, and celebrating successes is essential to keeping remote staff feeling fulfilled and engaged in their work.

What happens if my remote workers feel disconnected from the rest of the company?

If remote employees begin to disengage and feel disconnected from your organization and colleagues, productivity and work quality will likely suffer. This also increases risks to retention. That’s why proactively building connections, having remote workers visit the office occasionally, and reminding them they are valued is so important.

Innovative Ways to Boost Remote Employee Engagement

Consider partnering with SwagMagic, a premier swag gifting service, to create an engaging remote work environment. With their customizable and thoughtful swag surprises, you can effortlessly make your remote employees feel appreciated and connected. Embrace these innovative strategies and embark on a journey to elevate your remote team’s engagement, motivation, and overall satisfaction. Remember, innovation is the key to sustaining engagement in the dynamic world of virtual work.

Unveiling the full potential of your remote team’s engagement requires a tapestry of creative approaches. You can cultivate an empowered, motivated, and tightly-knit remote workforce by weaving in unconventional strategies like swag surprises and snack gifting with traditional tactics. Remember, innovation is the key to sustaining engagement in the dynamic world of virtual work.