Strategies for increasing employee engagement in the age of remote working

Managing a remote team can be a challenge, especially when employees are on different types of contracts. When working remotely, they have fewer opportunities for meetings, this translates into a focus on tasks and leads to efficient achievement of company goals. This type of work also makes it possible to hire qualified specialists from all over the world faster. In this article we will describe tools for organizing remote work, what communication should look like in a distributed team and proven methods for motivating employees.

What are the strategies for building remote employee engagement?

The most important thing is to create a good atmosphere so that employees feel part of the team, despite the lack of physical presence. That's why building remote employee engagement always starts with communication. A constant flow of information through online meetings on Microsoft Teams and keeping channels open for one-on-one conversations on Discord. This helps employees feel informed and makes onboarding effective.

The best way to motivate employees is to provide them with professional development. Training programs give this to online employees who feel that the company cares about their development. Setting clear goals during recruitment and providing feedback also plays a significant role.

An important part of managing a remote team is building a collaborative organizational culture. Virtual coffees, or thematic meetings in specialized teams, help build relationships among employees, foster a sense of community and boost team morale.

Managing a remote team should also include flexibility in working hours. Online employees want to be able to adjust their work hours to fit their personal lives. A flexible schedule will increase their satisfaction, resulting in a positive impact on productivity.

Motivating remote workers also requires recognizing their achievements. Publicly appreciating employees at team meetings, makes them feel noticed. Reward and recognition systems, which can include non-salary bonuses, such as a shopping voucher at Allegro, are also effective methods of motivation.

It's worth remembering with remote work tends to be for people who have the skills to work independently, concentrate, manage time and plan and achieve daily, weekly and monthly goals. These qualities allow you to remain highly effective, despite the lack of physical supervision and home distractions.

What tools help manage a remote team?

Monitoring remote work requires a number of specialized tools that facilitate communication, collaboration and monitoring of work progress.

Slack, for example, allows quick team communication and integration with other applications. Microsoft Teams offers video meetings and file sharing, making daily collaboration easier. The popular Zoom video conferencing tool is used for webinars and training sessions.

Project management tools such as Trello use boards, lists and cards to organize tasks and goals, allowing easy tracking of progress. Asana helps manage projects and deadlines, providing a preview of a team's schedule. Jira, popular with development teams, enables bug tracking, project management.

Google Drive, lets you share documents, spreadsheets and presentations, allowing multiple people to work on the same files simultaneously. Dropbox, on the other hand, makes it easy to share large files and synchronize data between different devices.

DeskTime is an automated productivity tool that increases transparency and optimizes work processes. Toggl helps monitor how much time an employee spends on individual tasks and projects. Meanwhile, the free Clockify also offers reporting features.

A remote collaboration tool such as Miro is a virtual whiteboard that allows teams to collaborate on mind maps and diagrams in real time. Notion is a tool for note-taking, project management and knowledge sharing. And Confluence, is a platform for creating documentation and collaborating on content.

Progress monitoring and reporting tools like Microsoft Azure, and Monday.com allow you to manage projects and track progress in real time, offering powerful reporting features.

What are the best communication practices for remote teams?

InPost, a leader in the logistics industry, attaches great importance to communication in a distributed team, using cloud technologies and online collaboration tools, Google Workspace and Zoom. Remote work risks are minimized by regular technical and psychological support. The company provides access to career and psychological counseling to help deal with isolation and stress. Monitoring of remote work is done through ERP systems.

Communication within the distributed team at CD Projekt Red is based on regular online meetings and transparency. The company organizes daily stand-ups, using Microsoft Teams and Zoom for creative collaboration. Remote work risks are minimized by feedback sessions, giving employees the opportunity to talk about problems. Monitoring of remote work is done through Jira and Confluence, allowing real-time tracking of tasks and progress.

Allegro, Poland's largest e-commerce platform, uses advanced distributed team communication tools Slack and Trello. Remote work risks are minimized by regular cyber security and privacy policy training. Monitoring of remote work is implemented through regular reports and performance analysis, and TimeCamp helps track work time and task completion.

How do you measure and evaluate the performance of remote workers?

One of the primary indicators is task completion time. Studying how much time employees take to complete individual tasks allows you to assess efficiency and identify potential delays. Trello, Asana or Jira can help monitor progress and control whether projects are being completed on schedule.

Another key KPI is the number of completed tasks. Monitoring remote work on a regular basis and seeing how many tasks employees have completed in a certain period of time, e.g. a month, gives a complete picture. This indicator also helps identify employees who may need additional training.

Quality of work is another important indicator. Quality can be assessed based on feedback from principals, cooperating companies and supervisors. High quality work demonstrates the competence and commitment of employees, which is important for the success of the organization.

Employee engagement is another important KPI. It can be measured through satisfaction surveys, which assess how employees view their work and their attitudes toward the company. High engagement translates into higher productivity and lower employee turnover.

Attendance and absenteeism are also important indicators. Regular monitoring of online meeting attendance and records of days off help assess employee availability. High attendance indicates responsibility and professionalism, while frequent absenteeism requires additional analysis.

Communication effectiveness is another important indicator. It can be measured by the number and quality of interactions on Discord, or Microsoft Teams. Clear and understandable communication is crucial for smooth teamwork and quick problem solving.

Achievement of project goals is another key KPI. Monitoring how well employees meet monthly or quarterly goals and project milestones allows you to assess their contribution to the organization.

What are the biggest challenges of remote work and how do you overcome them?

Building employee engagement, regular virtual meetings and team-building events help maintain team bonding. Transparent communication and clear goals also strengthen commitment.

Employee motivation methods, personalized development paths, recognition of achievements and flexible working hours are proven ways. Online training programs and regular feedback also help.

Remote work tools, Slack, Trello and Zoom make it easier to communicate, manage projects and organize meetings.

Remote team management, goal setting and open communication are essential. Leaders should also support employees with access to appropriate training.

And how do you feel about monitoring remote work? If you need support and are looking for proven methods to motivate employees, feel free to contact us! We will advise and help you work out your business goals faster!

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