How to Keep Remote Employees Engaged

Maybe it’s not about keeping employees engaged but rather something else. Maybe it’s more along the lines of helping employees manage work-home integration. Particularly for those that rarely worked from home before.

Work has entered our home, whether we wanted it to or not. And now that it is here – it is unlikely that work will be leaving anytime soon. Work is making itself at home on your desk, in the kitchen, on the coffee table, everywhere! With work invading personal space, what can we do to make work stay in its place or integrate better with living at home?

We thought of three simple ideas to help build a routine around working at home. Something HR professionals can consider for your work culture when the time is right:  

• Intentional Workday End – Transitions are important. Transitions are a point where one thing ends and another begins. For example, think about the importance you place on transitioning in a new employee from being a candidate. Being intentional with naming and ending your workday provides a clear transition from work to home. This can be as easy as setting an ending time or having the supervisor send a “good night” message on Slack or email. At home, placing your laptop back in your bag and in the closet can note the transition. Make clear when work is over and set boundaries.
• Social Time – What we will miss most about the workplace is connecting with co-workers because many times they are our friends. The coffee breaks, lunchroom talk, the walk around the block. Make time on the calendar for co-workers to re-connect. Send them a Grubhub gift card to order lunch, set a time on the calendar for them to Zoom, even give them a topic to talk about. Make time for virtual connections to see what does work, doesn’t work, and what suggestions you get.
• Streaming Learning – Streaming providers such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are becoming a source of truth. We get our news, entertainment, and life tips via streaming. Moving forward, streaming content and work are going to become even more inter-related. Think about ways to incorporate streaming services into your work routines as they are easy to access, relatively inexpensive and offer high quality content. For example, pick a work-related documentary for staff to watch and discuss at the next team meeting. 

Keep creating amazing employee experiences! 

-Team 360HRE