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 © 2015 Edelman
CONNECTIONS
SEPTEMBER 2015
REMOTE BUT NOT ALONE
FOUR TIPS FOR ENGAGING REMOTE EMPLOYEES
By Jenna Wollemann, Senior Account Executive
Remote
employees’
 physical work environments varygreatly - from coffee shops to home offices to cars for those in field sales - but these workers have one thing incommon: Since they are often geographicallydispersed and not bound together by a conventionaloffice structure, they often miss out on the opportunitiesfor camaraderie and collaboration with theicolleagues that come more naturally in office settings.Remote workers may never physically meet many ofthe people they interact with every day or get in-person face time with their managers.Human beings are social creatures by nature, so itcomes as no surprise that Harvard Business Reviewnotes that when managers make it a priority to engagewith all employees, regardless of location, thecompany thrives. While face-to-face interaction is stillhard to beat, technological advances over the pastdecade have made it easier to make remoteemployees feel part of a team. Here are four tips.
1. DEVELOP AN AMBASSADOR NETWORK.
We recently helped a company that was spinning offfrom its parent organization launch a remoteambassador network to keep non-office workersinformed about changes the company was goingthrough. Specific employees were identified to serve asambassadors and join monthly calls with the corporatecommunications team, where they received updatesthat were particularly relevant to remote workers.Ambassadors were then responsible for relayinginformation to an assigned group of employees in their region using whatever channel they preferred, be itemail, phone calls or video conferences.An Edelman perspective on making meaningful employee connections that deepen engagement, build trustand accelerate business performancePicture an employee working remotely. Are you envisioning
 
someone in their pajamas, answering emails from their couch? Taking conference calls from bed?
This is an outdated stereotype that doesn’t
accurately describe those who work outside the corporate office, a population that Global Workplace Analytics estimates has grown by nearly 80 percent since 2005. These are employees who are constantly on-the-go, telecommunicating from coffee shops, making sales calls on the road and interacting with
colleagues they’ve
never met in person.Many discovered their networks raised similaquestions or issues related to the spinoff, and remoteambassadors helped find solutions and answers fastthrough their relationship with the communicationsteam.Want to take this idea a step further? Consider developing an employee matching service usinglocation-based data to connect remote workers andhelp them organize meet ups with others in their area.
2. GET PERSONAL.
For the sake of building relationships, people whomanage remote employees should find ways toshow them they belong. Build non-work small talk intocalls and meetings. This can range from simplegestures, such as taking an interest in
employees’
well-being and lives outside work to more concertedefforts, such as starting a remote employee booclub, a recipe-sharing group or a private Yammer discussion where employees share pictures of their office views, their work environment, even their pets.
3) STIMULATE CONVERSATION WITH DIGITALTOOLS.
According to Gallup, workers in the modernworkplace want to feel an intrinsic connection totheir work and their company. Creating frequentopportunities for remote employees to engage withtheir teams helps develop those essentialconnections.
 
 © 2015 Edelman. For more information, contact us at employee.engagement@edelman.com.
There are many collaboration platforms today thatcan help connect disparate workforces, including:
 Yammer : One of the most well-known internalsocial networking platforms. Many organizationshost
YamJams,
 moderated, time-bounddiscussions on a specific topic and photo-sharingcontests, both of which engage participants nomatter where they work.
 DropThought: A real-time engagement tool thatallows companies to take quick pulse checks onemployee sentiment. Accessible from any device,it is easy for remote employees to use and sharefeedback.
 Slack : A messaging tool for teams that is similar tosocial media sites employees already use, and isgood for sharing photos, short-form videos andother 
bite-sized
 updates with teams
.
 The Vision Lab: A mobile friendly crowd-sourcingplatform that encourages employees to posesolutions to common problems and vote for thebest ideas.
4) MAKE IT EASY FOR REMOTE EMPLOYEES TO PARTICIPATE.
Whenever 
there’s
 a team meeting, always be sure toinclude a dial-in and consider nominating someoneto develop written recaps to make sure remoteemployees
don’t
 miss important in-the-roomnuances. When launching an internal campaign or initiative, plan activities that all employees canparticipate in regardless of location.For example, one of our clients recently debuted anew company brand, and sent every employee abranded item kit, including a pennant flag with thenew logo and name. To illustrate the
company’s
global footprint, teams were encouraged to takephotos with the flags in unique and interesting localplaces and share their images on Yammer. Thiscampaign created a sense of unity amongemployees around the world.Consider sharing digital files of posters distributedinternally for remote employees to print for their home office. You may even want to pass alonginvitations to team outings and/or share photos after the fact. Even if remote employees
can’t
 physicallyattend, it will help them feel as if they are truly part ofthe team.
EASY TIPS
 Always, always, always include a dial in number IN meeting invitations (and be sure someone IS designated to open the line!)
 Make it regular protocol for everyone to introduce themselves at the start of a meeting to ensure employees on the phone are remembered
 – 
 and know who is in the room.
 Give remote workers a speaking role in meetings.
It’s far too easy to
lose focus when
you’re
the only one not physically present in a conference room, so make a point to actively call on and bring remote workers into the conversation.
 Use Skype, FaceTime or the videoconferencing tool of your choice more often than just the phone for one-on-one meetings with remote employees.
FURTHER READING
CIO: 5 Ways to Make Telecommuters and Remote Workers Feel IncludedComputer Weekly: Remote workers: it's vital to keep them motivatedGallup: Don't Pamper Employees -- Engage ThemGlobal Workplace Analytics: Latest Telecommuting StatisticsHarvard Business Review: To Raise Productivity, Let More Employees Work from HomeInc.: 6 Ways to Keep Your Remote Workers Engaged and ProductiveMashable: 5 Tips for Keeping Remote Workers in the Loop
ABOUT US
Edelman Employee Engagement helps organizationsaccelerate business performance, delivered by highlyengaged and trusted employees. For moreinformation, visit us at ee.edelman.com or follow us onTwitter at @EdelmanEE.

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