Though we appear to be just about at the other end of the pandemic, millions of workers have no plans to return to the office having found that remote work is beneficial for both the employer and employee. Members of staff no longer need to worry about commuting backwards and forwards to work, saving money while doing so, while many businesses have found that they can reduce operational costs as they can size down their workspace.
Before Covid-19 hit, while working from home wasn’t a complete unknown it certainly wasn’t anywhere near as regular as it is now in 2022. Many managers would have probably been apprehensive at the thought of having members of their team, never mind the entirety of the team, operating outside of the office. The worry was that they wouldn’t be able to manage their staff, with communication taking a hit.
As it turned out, at least for the majority of businesses, there was no need to worry and it turns out that more than half of workers have reported being more productive working from home than in the office. However, it can be easy for remote workers to feel less engaged with their team as general office chatter and spur of the moment brainstorming sessions are lost, so employers must ensure their teams are engaged and motivated.
Recognising your employees, whether office or home-based, is a vital aspect of keeping engagement and motivation high. While you can’t physically pat your remote staff on the back, there are plenty of ways and means to ensure they feel valued and as much a part of the team as anyone.
Daily/Weekly Catch-Up
Make time for a quick morning catch-up with your remote employees, which can be put into the calendar either as a daily or weekly event. This works well as, for some, this may be the only time of the day that they speak ‘face-to-face’ with someone (if they live alone) and provides a platform to recognise the efforts of the team.
On a video call, a manager (or whoever is chairing the meeting) can say a quick well done to the staff who deserve it just as they would in an actual face-to-face meeting. This ticks the boxes for informal recognition and sets your worker(s) up for the day on a positive note.
Private Messages
Your company likely makes use of online workspaces such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, where teams can collaborate remotely. These programmes also provide the capability to engage in private and group chats with colleagues.
Sending a private message, recognising an employee’s work, can have a great effect as not only do they feel valued, but they can also read back the praise they have received. This is also less time-consuming as neither the manager nor employee must come away from their workstation, lending itself nicely to productivity.
Public Shoutout
Keeping with online workspaces such as Slack and Teams, recognising staff with a shoutout or simple name drop on a public (company-wide) post also makes for great recognition. Just as with a private message, the remote employee can go and read back the praise and it will always be there for all to see. It also lends itself nicely to peer-to-peer recognition, with colleagues able to leave their comments on a post where they can offer their congratulations and well dones.
This type of recognition should be given carefully, as teams may begin to suspect favouritism if the same member of staff is routinely praised in a public forum while others aren’t. A public shoutout of this kind will work well for recognising the team’s collective efforts, as well as singling out one or two names.
Personalised Gifts
Every remote worker needs something to brighten up their home office space and, if there are one of the many that never considered remote employment until the pandemic, they may need a little something for their workstation. Sending personalised gifts will make for a nice surprise when they unbox their delivery.
Gifts, such as these personalised engraved glass gifts, can be given either as an extra special something in recognition of a job well done, as a way of marking long service or simply as a thank you for being part of the team. This is something that they can keep and proudly show off to their friends and family and, perhaps, share on their social media accounts – so including your company’s branding/logo may just get you a little bit of exposure, too.
Online Awards
If there is one thing that office workers look forward to it is the end of year awards and party that follows. Remote workers, though, often miss out on this for obvious reasons but with what is possible in 2022, there is no reason for employees not based in the office to be absent.
Assuming it isn’t possible for them to attend in person then dialling them in on a video call is the next best option. Make sure to include them as nominees in your award categories, ensuring they feel part of the team, and be willing to send awards and prizes to them should they be voted as the winner.
These are just some of the ways that you can recognise your remote employees, ensuring that they feel values as every bit as important as any office-based worker. If you would like some more information on our range of personalised gifts and awards, please get in contact with a member of our team today.