In managing projects for several of eQ’s client companies that have remote employees and having been a remote employee myself, I am very familiar with the challenges that can arise for leaders in creating a remarkable employee experience for everyone on their teams including those not in the office every day.
There are obvious benefits for your remote employees – conceivably they can work wherever they want, they can come and go as they please, and as long as they’re not conducting a meeting through Skype, there are some days when they can clock-in wearing pajamas!
At the same time however, the lifestyle of the remote employee can be difficult. Not only can typical requirements like traveling be hard on a remote employee and his or her family, but there will likely be a lack of connection between the remote employee and his or her co-workers, as well as a lack of connection between the remote employee and the story of their organization.
As a reminder, the story encompasses the mission, the core values, the vision, and the overall spirit of the organization. It is the “why” a company does what it does and it is a valuable basis for employees to understand why they do what they do and go on to invest their genuine passion into their work.
For a remote employee who spends days or weeks or even months away from the office, it’s very easy to feel removed from the story. Metaphorically speaking, rather than feeling like they are a fellow character in one of the company’s chapters, they might feel more like an appendix in the back of the book.
So how do the leaders of a company help their remote employees feel more connected to their company’s team and more a part of their company’s story? Here are four tips which I have experienced success with both as a remote employee myself and when working to strengthen the bonds between our client companies and their remote employees.
- Reach out to your remote employees at least once a week. I have found that the weekly one-on-one meeting, which can be conducted through a 15 – 30 minute phone call, is particularly conducive to discussing ongoing challenges that this employee might be confronted with and consistently allows an assessment of the solutions that have been put into place.
- Remind your remote employee of the company’s mission, vision, and values constantly. Whether you’re writing a quick email to check the progress with an individual or creating a fancier piece to inspire the whole team, always bring it back in some way to the organization’s story so that everyone is on the same page no matter how close or how far they are from home.
- Require that all remote employees physically make their way into the office at least quarterly. It’s not an easy ask but it's incredibly important for employees who work every day out in the field to actually see the people they are working alongside (figuratively) in the face-to-face setting from time to time to foster that human connection that can only come in-person, not through machines.
- Refrain from using the word “virtual” to describe remote employees. While the literal meaning behind virtual is appropriate for employees that use computers as their primary source of interaction, virtual still connotes the idea of being unreal or even fake. As I've come to notice more often than not, many remote employees can feel like less of a team member when they are defined with virtual.
As leaders of growing businesses, you’ll want every member of you team to grow together rather than grow apart, per se. So make sure your remote employees stay connected to your organization’s story through ways that are more meaningful than an Internet connection.
Carrie Root is a project manager at entreQuest who works closely with companies to coordinate their course of achievement towards corporate growth and implement strategic training programs throughout the ranks of their organization.
