“Engagement” is a buzzword in every company, and maintaining a connection with employees is especially important for people managing flexible workers.
It’s exactly that challenge that has led some high-profile companies to scale back their flexible work options in recent years.
However, it is possible to engage employees who work flexible schedules or from remote locations. It requires creativity and effort, but if you succeed, you’ll likely improve the engagement ratings for your whole company.
To help in these efforts, here are five ways to keep flexible workers engaged and connected to their bosses, to their co-workers, and to the company’s mission and culture.
Here are five ways to engage employees in a flexible workplace:
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Communication is obviously the first and most important step in guaranteeing an engaged workforce, and it’s of vital importance when some of your workers have alternate schedules or operate from distant locations.
In a blog post, the Volaris Group recommends that managers communicate constantly and creatively while using technology to stay in touch. Personalizing communication is also important.
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“Personal touch does not mean touchy-feely instead of focused,” the Volaris post says. “It means that each person’s working environment is different, and the management relationship should reflect the working arrangement. There cannot be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. … A strong manager already uses specific techniques to connect with individuals and motivate them to perform their best. In an environment where people feel connected, they should also feel like part of a team, even if they may be working remotely.”
2. Create and maintain routines.
Even when workers aren’t all grouped in a few cubicles in the same room, they can benefit from routines and touch points that bring them together. The camaraderie of being part of a team is vital to engagement, and employees will tell you they’re happier and more productive when they have that feeling of working with others toward a common goal.
The Volaris post suggests holding regular team meetings to help with this, inviting remote workers to participate via Skype or similar technology to ensure a “live, interactive experience.”
Other regularly scheduled check-ins can help, too. “People working remotely may prefer to conduct their work at 3 p.m., and that’s fine, but a scheduled weekly check-in is still important to keep the communication open, get a status update on progress, and keep things from falling through the cracks,” the Volaris article says.
3. Recognize and reward achievement.
This matters in all companies, but when some of your employees have alternate schedules or work remotely, they may suffer from “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome.
Make sure you’ve established methods for tracking the performance of flexible workers, and provide recognition when they hit milestones.
“Achievement and recognition are high motivators for employees,” says Charley Polachi, managing partner at Polachi Access Executive Search, in a Business News Daily article. “If they take risks, reward them. Give them a coupon to go out for dinner, an extra day off, tickets to a show, etc. The small stuff adds up.”
4. Create career growth and development plans with flexible workers in mind.
While you may offer skills classes at your headquarters and talk to the workers in neighboring cubicles about promotion opportunities, it can be more challenging to make sure flex workers have those same options and conversations.
Consider recording classes given at headquarters and posting them online for use by people who work alternative schedules or from remote locations. Create other online development opportunities. And provide a clear career path for all employees, regardless of where or when they work.
In a Miami Herald article, columnist Cindy Krischer Goodman talks about a power plant worker who was highly engaged in her work after returning from maternity leave, partially due to development opportunities.
“She enjoys having her girls at the on-site daycare and uses the flexible work schedule that allows every other Friday off. … But mostly, she stays engaged because her supervisor has worked with her to create a career path that allows growth while providing her work-life balance,” the article says. “She recently changed departments to a quality assurance position that doesn’t require her to deal with middle-of-the-night emergencies.”
5. Empower employees and show them they are trusted.
The Volaris article points out that empowering workers means allowing them to “take ownership of their roles and drive productivity.” For a flexible workforce, managers should focus on managing goals and outcomes instead of tasks and giving people some freedom regarding decision-making.
“Each of your people is working on his or her own schedule,” the Volaris article says. “However, if their hearts and minds remain connected to the overall goals, then success is much more achievable.”
By creating a corporate culture of engagement that works for both 9-to-5 in-office workers and flexible or remote employees, you can improve retention, boost productivity, and create a workforce of happy, motivated people. Achieving that goal is definitely worth the effort.
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What other suggestions would you provide to engage employees? What is the biggest threat to engagement for remote workers? Please share your ideas in the comments section.
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