Ways to support your remotely working employees
Satisfied employees are the foundation of any successful business. Working from home poses several challenges for employers to ensure that employees remain confident while working from home. We have compiled the seven most relevant tips of our daily consulting work to ensure that your home office employees stay balanced and satisfied.
Be approachable, even when working remotely!
Stay transparent!
Many employees are concerned that they hear less about day-to-day business at home than in the office. So keep your team in the loop at all times.How about a short daily meeting with the entire section where both organizational and day-to-day updates are announced? Also, be transparent when you're not satisfied with something: A quickfeedback via video chat quickly clarifies.
Make hybrid meetings inclusive!
There is proof that the shared speech of employees in online meetings is lower than meeting participants who are together in the office. Nevertheless, to ensure that no ideas are lost and productivity still maintains during a meeting, it is essential that you establish some rules: Some "camera on" command, actively moderating a discussion to allow more silent participants to speak, and actively following up on meeting decisions with a log of responsibilities, all lead to a noticeable improvement in meeting culture. In addition, interactive elements can help to ensure that all participants are actively involved in the meeting: For example, use opinion polling, whiteboards, or assign the presentation parts to as many participants as possible to integrate the entire team!
Praise employees for good performance - in front of colleagues!
As a consequence of working from home, many employees are concerned that their performance will not be sufficiently noticed and appreciated. That's why it's vital to continue praising your employees regularly, even when they work remotely. For example, if you write an email to your entire team, next time, specifically mention positive achievements of individual team members - so praise in writing and in front of everyone.A short daily is also an excellent way to show your appreciation.
Remember, online meetings are exhausting!
While online meetings are great for imparting much knowledge in a short amount of time, it's been proven that participants can only maintain the concentration required for this for an hour and a half.So plan online meetings well, keep them as short as possible and schedule small breaks - your employees will appreciate you!
Why not simply relocate team-building measures to the home office?
Even if a company outing is not possible at the moment - there are many uncomplicated, fun team-building activities that neither cost much nor are time-consuming to organize. A joint online games evening, a collaborative museum or concert visit, or a wine tasting: all these activities are possible online if you still want to spend time together. The possibilities arealmostlimitless: Get creative! How about decentralized cooking classes, for example, where you learn completely new recipes together? Your team will undoubtedly be talking about this for a long time - whether online or offline!
Create alternatives for informal communication!
Since conversations in the hallway, in the coffee station, and the everyday walk to the cafeteria are naturally eliminated when employees work from home, it is essential to create alternatives for informal communication consciously. One good option is a "digital lunch," where colleagues meet online for a meal-floor talk and fun included. Exchanges bring variety, and your team will return to their desks with more energy after the break.