In many industries across both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, remote and hybrid work environments are the new normal. However, keeping employees engaged when they aren’t coming into the office every day has remained a consistent challenge for all types of workplaces. 

To help your business retain an engaged, passionate team, this guide will explore practical strategies for supporting and energizing all of your employees, even when they’re working from home.

1. Build a strong communication culture.

While a remote or hybrid work environment has many benefits, it also comes with communication challenges. After all, employees can’t easily drop by each other’s desks to check in when everyone is working at home. 

However, remote work environments that are able to overcome this obstacle and build workplace cultures of strong, open communication can engage employees and improve productivity.

A thoughtful communication strategy ensures employees feel informed, seen, and supported. Here are a few ways you might improve your workplace communication practices: 

• Set consistent meeting rhythms. Arrange routine check-ins so employees are used to staying in contact and have regular opportunities to provide updates, get feedback, and ask questions. For example, you might hold daily standups, weekly team check-ins, and monthly all-hands meetings.
• Match your tools to your message. Your business likely has access to a range of communication tools, and you should choose the right platform for each type of message. For instance, Slack is perfect for quick informal discussions, email tends to facilitate official correspondence that should be done in writing, and video calls are useful for complex discussions. 
• Create guidelines for responsiveness and availability. Ensure employees know when and how quickly they are expected to respond to messages. You might have an expectation that employees are online and able to respond to emails, answer phone calls, and attend virtual meetings between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM on weekdays. Policies like this reduce ambiguity and also can help remote employees set work-life boundaries, reducing burnout. 

Additionally, strong communication is also about maintaining transparency. This applies to all parts of your business, from your company’s general direction to employee performance expectations. Astron Solutions’ guide to pay transparency points out the particular importance of communicating openly about staff compensation, explaining how it “promotes fairness and equity in the workplace” by reassuring employees that their employers are properly evaluating and compensating their work. 

2. Reinforce employees’ sense of purpose.

Remote work means employees primarily operate independently, which may cause them to feel disconnected from their peers and your business’s overall purpose. As a result, their engagement may falter if they lose sight of how they’re contributing to your business and why it matters. 

Help them stay connected to your mission by:

• Reiterating your organizational values. Most organizations have stated organizational values, and you should strive to ensure that employees know them by heart and see them play out in their day-to-day work. During regular check-ins and team communications, reiterate your business values and discuss specific examples of employees embodying them as is appropriate. 

• Tying individual work to your broader goals. When assigning employees new projects and roles, explain how each assignment relates to your larger business goals. This gives employees context for what you are trying to achieve, helping them make strategic decisions about their work. 
• Launching a virtual recognition program. Enable employees to connect with their peers and celebrate accomplishments even while working remotely. 360MatchPro’s remote employee recognition guide suggests appreciating employees by launching virtual volunteer opportunities, posting online shoutouts, or hosting a digital awards ceremony. Some employers even add a physical element to remote employee recognition with corporate gifts, retreats, and appreciation events.

Managers will likely be your remote employees’ main points of contact during their day-to-day work. Ensure all supervisors understand their direct reports’ role in your business as a whole so they can answer any questions and help reinforce employees’ place at your organization. 

3. Design virtual professional development opportunities. 

To retain your remote employees, aim to help them grow in their roles. This can be challenging in hybrid and remote environments due to a lack of in-person training, but your organization can still design and recommend online professional development opportunities.

You can facilitate online growth opportunities by:

• Developing a digital onboarding experience. When new remote employees join your organization or current ones transition to a new role, they’ll need to be onboarded. Ensure this is possible to do remotely by creating structured virtual onboarding procedures. For instance, you might have a dedicated set of online training courses, directions for when managers should check in, and tests to confirm employees’ independent learning. 

• Assigning peer mentors. While remote employees can’t easily chat with one another around a water cooler, they can still form connections and get quick help from a designated peer mentor. Ask your current employees to volunteer to act as mentors for less experienced employees on your remote team. Then, have mentors check in with their mentees and make themselves available for questions and advice. 
• Recommending online courses. For remote employees looking to advance their careers, recommend (and consider paying for) additional educational opportunities. For example, you might point them toward online certification courses or buy tickets to a relevant conference in their area. 

Training programs are an investment in your team. When you implement one, set specific goals and track progress toward them rather than simply hoping employees will take advantage of it. For example, you might survey employees about their satisfaction with a specific online training course to see if it’s having the desired effect on their quality of work and productivity.

4. Host team bonding opportunities. 

Even when working remotely, your employees still likely want to get to know and connect with their coworkers. When your team feels a bond with one another, they’re more likely to stay engaged and try their hardest to make your business a success. 

You can host engaging virtual team-bonding activities by:

• Scheduling optional virtual social events. Let employees get to know one another in a casual setting by scheduling virtual lunchtime and after-work get-togethers. For instance, you might host a coffee chat, a trivia night, or a movie viewing party. 

• Encouraging leadership participation. When leadership participates in social events, the rest of your teams will follow suit. Plus, remote managers and supervisors can get lonely, too! Treat these optional events as opportunities for your entire company to come together. 
• Creating employee resource groups or wellness committees. Remote work can be stressful, often leading to blurred lines between work and home life. Help employees get the resources they need and work together to overcome these challenges by forming wellness committees and encouraging employees to share wellness tips with one another. 

A team with strong bonds tends to be a more engaged team. After all, when they have strong connections, remote employees logging in for the day aren’t just supporting your business but also helping their friends achieve their goals. 

Just like in-person employees, remote workers feel engaged by workplaces that provide growth opportunities, foster a culture of inclusion, and have a sense of purpose. You just need to convey these parts of your business through your digital communications and efforts to build organizational culture. Get started by reviewing your team’s current engagement practices and consider how you can take them online.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer C. Loftus, MBA, SPHR, PHRca, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, CCP, CBP, GRP

Jennifer C. Loftus is a Founding Partner of and National Director for Astron Solutions, a compensation consulting firm.  Jennifer has 23 years of experience garnered at organizations including the Hay Group, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, and Harcourt General.  

Jennifer has held volunteer leadership roles with SHRM, New York City SHRM, and WorldatWork. She serves as a subject matter expert to the SHRM Learning System and as a SHRM instructor.  Jennifer is a sought-after speaker for local & national conferences and media outlets.

Jennifer has an MBA in Human Resource Management with highest honors from Pace University and a BS in Accounting summa cum laude from Rutgers University.  

Jennifer holds Adjunct Professor roles with Pace University, Long Island University, and LIM College.

Jennifer received the 2014 Gotham Comedy Foundation’s Lifetime Ambassador of Laughter Award.