How to rally your remote workforce
Thursday 21st July 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we now work. During periods of lockdown many of us were asked to work from home, then lots of us found that we liked it. The benefits of working remotely suit not only us but the companies we work for and the result of this is that many organisations have now declared that they plan to permanently adopt remote working.
If you are a company that employs remote workers, you may be wondering how you are now going to manage them moving forward. Working remotely can be a lonely experience and systems need to be in place to ensure that a good connection remains amongst colleagues. Being aware of how to implement these and how best to rally your remote workforce in these different times will be important to your success.
Vision
Create a clear vision with strong values as it will make it easier to persuade your remote workforce to rally behind its common cause - this will help build a strong remote culture. A clear understanding of where the company is heading will help them to feel that they have an important part to play in the business.
Transparency
Maintain transparency in all aspects of your organisation’s operations. Transparency enables remote workers to feel able to share their ideas and feelings about their working life, which will in turn foster strong bonds and a loyalty to your company. Enabling staff to share ideas will make them feel valued and that they are making a contribution to the success of the business.
Regular Communication
This can be a big challenge for a remote workforce so establishing a culture that encourages regular internal communication will maximise the effectiveness of your team.
Work out the best forums for this communication to occur. Make sure protocols are in place to ensure that communications are helpful and not disruptive; this will ensure that everyone feels comfortable to speak up.
Arrange virtual social gatherings
Chatting and banter are important parts of office life but a difficult one for remote workers to access. Encourage social time - it could take the form of allocated time on video conferencing calls that provide opportunities for people to chat and share stories or simply catch up on news and gossip.
Meeting one to one
Make sure that managers and supervisors create time to catch up with their remote workers. This can take the form of a regular phone call or virtual meet up and will ensure that all your workers have the opportunity to feel valued and listened to.
Communication tools
The communication tools you provide for remote workers should be ones that they all feel comfortable using. Find ones that are user friendly and are an effective way for everyone to engage. It is extremely important for remote workers that they find communicating with colleagues easy and worthwhile.
Creating a workplace culture that encourages friendship, job satisfaction and productivity is key. For remote workers this culture needs to be encouraged to ensure that whilst productivity is increased, good mental health is maintained.
Setting up a strong remote culture will enable your staff to feel connected and will strengthen their bond. This will in turn produce better results for your business.
