The secret behind engaging remote workers

The challenge of engaging remote workers

Engaging remote employees is an interesting challenge facing leaders across all industries today. With the upward trend in remote or hybrid work, it’s quickly becoming an unavoidable one. It makes things hard. I totally get it.

You can’t rely on casual conversations, quick team-building or fun activities, or even out-of-office events as much as you could with an in-person employee. Remote employees could be working from not just a different city, but even a different time zone.

The good news is that there are some things leaders can do to engage their employees that transcend the need to be in-person. There are some inherent qualities that people look for in their leaders, no matter where they are. These qualities can be put into action and up your engagement game. We are looking at one that tops the list today!

Compassion: the universal tool for engagement

Research and analysis conducted by Gallup concluded back in 2018 (before remote work was such an all-encompassing trend) that compassion is a key leadership quality that inspires performance. Put simply, in order to be engaged, an employee, remote or otherwise, needs to know that their leader cares about them.

In a survey of multiple millions of people, Gallup found that employees are more likely to advocate for their employer, support their co-workers, and experiment with new ideas when their leader displays compassion. These are all telltale signs of psychological safety and active engagement. On top of that, they are more likely to have a better work-life balance, yet another important element of engagement.

The days of leaders finding success in their role just by handing down tasks and evaluating performance are long gone. Compassion is a must. To get started, you need to get to know them as a person, at least enough to know the following:

What motivates them

What their characteristics and strengths are

What their communication style is

What to do and not to do when interacting with them

In addition, it helps to know a bit about what your employee’s life is like outside of work. Do they have a family and kids? What do they like to do? Do they require or prefer any special accommodation? Do you have any common interests? Asking questions like these will help you build rapport and show your employees that you care about them as people, and not just as cogs in the machine of your company.

A smart system implementing compassion

With all that being said, I know that demonstrating compassion isn’t always as clear-cut and easy to do as it seems. That’s what Dignify is for. Dignify bridges the gap between feeling compassion and applying it in a way that your employees are guaranteed to feel.

Through the Dignify system, you can understand those you lead on a new level. You have constant access to the tools you need to build a strong connection, like the Check-In. The Check-In is a guided conversation that allows you to regularly touch base with your employees, gain clarity on who they are, and learn how you are doing as a leader to support their dignity!

Engaging remote workers is a tough task facing leaders across the world right now, and it doesn’t have to be as complicated as it’s made out to be. By demonstrating compassion, understanding your people, and accommodating their wants and needs, you can make a significant difference. It’s time to celebrate and inspire your remote workers, then watch them take ownership of what they do.

JOE KIEDINGER

ACTION PLAN: Do you have remote workers? If you haven’t already, create a steady cadence of one-on-one meetings with them, and use those meetings as an opportunity to get to know them as a person. Figure out what they have going on and what you can do as their leader to support them along the way.