10 ways to create positive employee experiences for remote workers

So, what kind of employee experience will enable enterprises to build remote working strategies that support the different variations of remote working? Here are some tips to make your strategy work.

Seeing your colleagues’ faces is critical for energetic collaboration and team-building and thousands of companies have started using high definition video conferencing in response to work-from-home mandates.

The leadership of the organization needs to reduce friction that can occur when working from home and, wherever possible, make the transition as seamless as possible. This may mean moving over to cloud-based processes, improving communication and perhaps even absorbing the costs surrounding creating a home office space such as hardware, software and associated costs that used to be rolled into your physical office space.

Don’t ignore the mental health of team members. For many, breaking away to go to a physical workspace was actually part of a healthy mental routine. So, providing gym memberships to employees when this is a safe resource in your area or providing wellness resources in the form of webinars may be in order.

The coronavirus has changed how we define a “normal” day in the office and prioritizing engagement across the workforce is key. It’s imperative we keep the water cooler conversation going.

Even though employees are working remotely, there still need to be opportunities to interact outside of traditional meetings. This is particularly crucial with new employees.

Internal communications is the most important element of employee experience. It’s the foundation of the experience employees have within the organization, whether they’re working on-site or remotely.

Spending time making sure all employees understand what is going on at the company and what is expected of them will improve their experience, especially when everyone is online. To ensure that they are conveying their intended messages, managers and executives should enter into every communication with an objective in mind, put emotions aside, consider their tone and be sure to clarify, clarify, clarify.

Loneliness is one of the biggest challenges of remote work. This feeling will only be heightened for interns, many of whom are getting their first experience with real jobs. Interns need human interaction to ease their nerves and provide them with sense of validation for their work. It’s up to managers to find which projects will make them feel most connected, valued and in the loop.

There are many amazing technology tools that increase productivity and collaboration while working remotely. While these tools have the potential to unleash creativity, problem-solving and inspire new ideas, it can also be frustrating for workers to learn new technologies. A frustrated workforce stands to lose productivity and motivation. Training is key to setting people up for success and tapping into new ways to collaborate and get work done.

Fostering culture with a remote workforce is a new challenge for most employers. People need human conversation and organizations should encourage social interaction amongst employees. Instead of going directly into work-related topics, use the start of each meeting to catch up and talk about personal matters. Another great option is to schedule virtual coffee breaks or remote happy hours with teams.

Ensuring employees don’t forget milestones both personal and professional is key to keeping morale and maintaining positive employee experiences.

Keep an eye on employees’ birthdays, anniversaries with the company and other personal milestones like new spouses or children, and ensure those are recognized by sending a personalized card, flowers or cake or giving shout-outs on companywide emails or all-hands meetings.

Empowering employees with a variety of collaboration platforms that help them stay connected enables a better employee experience. Microsoft Teams can be used for quick chats and more personal or in-depth video meetings, and Microsoft SharePoint for file sharing and collaboration.

We can help you make a great workplace experience.

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