Maximizing Remote Employee Engagement is Mission Critical

Today's modern economy and methods of work have shifted from the large collocated workforce to the distributed, work from home and global work force covering multiple time zones. This trend is continuing to rise with the the exception of a few industries. This is especially the case in high tech, manufacturing and service economies.

This model allows for great efficiency and customer intimacy but has resulted in fewer and fewer employees being fully engaged and satisfied at work. According to Gallup in October 2013, only a paltry 13% of the global workforce is truly engaged. This is a daunting figure and says a lot about our level of productivity. Just imagine what could be accomplished if the engagement level was at a still low 40% globally.

The problem of employee engagement is a big concern for both company executives and human resources. The issue of employee engagement is not just a internal concern, this extremely low level of engagement effects every aspect of your business, most importantly your customer relationships. Whether or not we wear are emotions on our shoulder, the attitude that comes with low engagement is clearly evident to your customers.

It is also typical for employees and contractors that are remote from your primary locations to feel more disconnected from the whole then people in primary company locations. additionally, it is hard for company executives and human resources people, who are traditionally located at company headquarters, to fully understand how the remote employee feels. This lack of understanding results in employee engagement programs that are intended to help increase engagement being effective for only a few people.

To be clear, the job of promoting engagement does not fall simply to the people in human resources, it is the job of every executive and manager to help their people get and stay engaged. In order to help remote employees stay engaged resulting in higher productivity, happier employees and ultimately happier customers, a few tips:

Staying Connected:

This is very easy to say and much harder to get right. Staying engaged goes well beyond the occasional conference call or weekly status meeting. You can not pretend to say your engaged with your remote employees if the only conversation you have is when you need something or to see how much work they have completed. Having status meetings and checking work status is a definite requirement when you have remote employees, however, engagement means much more.

Remote employees , like all employees, want to feel connected to the company and be a part of something larger then themselves. They want to feel like valued contributors to the organization well beyond their individual jobs. They want to be a part of the process and feel like their opinions are counted and taken seriously. They want to feel like more then just a cash register to the company.

If you manage people (especially remote), ask your self a few key questions:

1. What do I know about my employees outside of what they do for the company?
2. Do I involve my employees in decisions regarding them or their team or do I simply dictate changes without any of their input.
3. Do I empower my employees to make decisions for the customer or do I require them to involve me in all decisions.
4. Do I have a clear understanding of the goals and aspirations of my people.
5. Do I keep my people up to speed on company news and happenings or do I let them find out through the rumor mill.

These questions, is answered honestly will clearly tell you whether or not you are connecting with your people in a way that promotes greater engagement.

Communicate Clear Expectations and Direction

One could argue that the root cause of most problems is not downright negligence but missed expectations. There is of course a a subset of people in which negligence is their stock and trade, but this is the exception rather then the rule.

When working with people, the more they understand about what is required and expected from them the more effective they can be in their role. Take the appropriate time to make sure things are clear while leaving enough room for empowered decision making from the employee. We don't want robots, we want people who are clear on what their role is but free enough to forge their own path and make an impact for themselves and the company.

Another critical step to promoting engagement is helping the employee understand how what they specifically do impacts the bottom line of the company. This is not a new concept, the most popular name for it is Open Book Management. This concept breaks down each persons role and details how it effects the companies finances either for the good or bad. This is not always an easy thing to do and requires a manager to really understand the business in order to properly communicate this to the employee. The net result is each employee is treated like an owner in the business, and when this happens, employees come up with some very creative ideas to make their job more engaging and the company more successful. Finally, tie compensation and incentives to this and you will see your people thrive.

Involve Your People in the Big Picture

In many corporations, there has always been a high degree of separation between the executive circle and the rest of the company. To the executives this is normal protocol and there are plenty of situations where a high degree of privacy is required. The one area where the executive wing should open the conference room doors is in discussing the companies annual goals and how to achieve them. The executive team might be surprised at what they can learn from the broader company.

More importantly, this communicates to the company at large that the opinions and ideas of the employees have value and merit. Have you ever asked your people what they think of where the company is going, its goals, approach and methods. When you do this, you inherently treat people like they are owners and they will respond in a positive way.

Of Course, this open dialogue is only useful if the executive team is sincere about engaging its people and see their input as valuable. It is the clear job of the mangers and executives to initiate this discussion, show interest and sincerely consider what is offered.

Lets be clear, a company still needs a strong leader, if you wait for a full consensus then you will never act. A good leader carefully considers the input of all people and then makes a decision, you will not please everyone all the time. Empower your people, allow them the opportunity to own their ideas and see them through and your engagement will soar.

Visit in person often

A good leader walks the floor, engages their employees on a regular basis and shows sincere interest in how they are doing. With your remote employees it is harder to do but still critical. Take the time and spend the necessary money to travel to visit your remote people. Do not use the excuse of time and money as a reason to not visit with your remote people as this will communicate the wrong message. Loyalty and respect is not given, it is earned

Conclusion

With employees changing jobs every 3-5 years, employee engagement is mission critical. It costs an amazing amount of time and money to hire, train and coach people just to lose them in 3 years and start over. An engaged employee is a happy employee, a happy employee results in happier customers and a better outlook for all parties involved.