(Newswire.net — April 18, 2018) — In 2016, more than 40 percent of working Americans reported that they worked remotely at least part-time to fulfill employment responsibilities. With these numbers increasing each year, these telecommuting employees miss out on vital face time and daily company culture which normally contributes to an employee’s level of engagement. As the workforce becomes increasingly remote, it’s important to empower your staff with the tools they need to stay connected and to work efficiently. To combat that disengagement, here are three strategies and tech solutions businesses owners can use to help keep remote employees just as connected and synchronized as an in-house staff would be.
Promote Seamless Communication
Seamless communication requires specific implements. If you employ remote workers, it’s important to invest in the essential tools that will allow them to feel connected. To make sure workers are always connected use tech equipment like 4G LTE laptops. The 4G LTE laptop features all-day battery life to ensure that when employees are on the clock, they are always available and they can be available without being tethered to a power outlet or Wi-Fi hotspot.
However, offering the necessary equipment doesn’t guarantee that your employees will use it. To hold your employees accountable to each other and themselves, find ways to reward communication across offices to encourage constant availability. Rewards for most communications per work week or most tasks completed using communication will demonstrate to your staff the important aspect of their job responsibilities.
Encourage Productivity
A major issue that employers often face when working with remote employees is the inability to know how productive these workers are outside of the office. Walking down the hall to peak in on them is not an option, and without encouragement from the boss, some workers may become disengaged. Time tracking software can help you and your employees stay on track.
Tracking software like Zen Desk provide a cyber help desk and case tracking system, and can be a huge help in enabling employees to succeed. Not only does tracking software assign a case to each purchase or inquiry, it assigns the case to a specific employee. The tracking system then centralizes customer support and tracks any open issues. It can also track team productivity and has an option that allows employees to report any issues they may have within the company, so employers can gauge not only productivity, but employee satisfaction as well.
Promote Face-to-Face Time
Just because your remote employees are not in office doesn’t mean that they have to be faceless names on a screen. Many businesses use Skype to conduct important conferences or even daily meetings in real time. Involving your work-from-home employees in these activities will show them that they are valued members of the team and can also help them to connect to company culture.
If a video call is not feasible, many chat applications at least offer a photo of the user that helps convey personal identity. Plus, programs like HipChat limit chat accessibility to a single organization, ensuring that it’s private. It can be set up as one-on-one chat or group chat, and in addition, it offers cloud-based file storage, video calling, inline image viewing, and users can search for prior chats within the system.
In essence, one goal of any business should be to treat all employees equally, whether they be in-house or remote, but making telecommuting workers feel like part of the team may require a little extra effort. Enabling seamless communication, encouraging productivity, and offering face-to-face interaction can help keep everyone be engaged and on the same page. With a better understanding of tech products that allow you to do just that, you can better keep all employees in constant communication while encouraging them to be efficient and productive at work, wherever that may be.