The popularity of remote work has skyrocketed over the past decade or so. Between 2005 and 2017, there was a 159% increase in the number of remote workers in the U.S. alone. Nowadays, as much as 3.4% of the American population works from home. And this growing trend isn’t only widespread in America. Namely, people from all over the world are finding remote work opportunities. This upward trend of telecommuting has led to some people estimating that, by 2028, 73% of all departments will have remote workers!
However, despite the fantastic results of remote work arrangements, they are not without challenges. Although people who work from home are generally more satisfied with their jobs, things like onboarding remote workers and nourishing employee satisfaction are some of the biggest obstacles remote work poses for employers.
That’s why we decided to help out by giving you some tips on how to improve employee satisfaction for remote workers!
8 Tips on How to Improve Employee Satisfaction for Remote Workers
Here are our tips:
- Encourage Communication
- Pay Them Benefits
- Don’t Micromanage
- Organize Regular Video Meetings
- Delegate Tasks Well in Advance
- Show Appreciation for Their Work
- Don’t Expect Them to be Available 24/7
- Organize Team Building Events
Now let’s get into them in more detail!
Encourage Communication
Communication fosters understanding, and understanding at the workplace is a recipe for success. Or, in the words of Nat Turner:
“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.”
Nat Turner
There are many benefits to communicating with your employees regularly:
- You will be on the same page regarding their job tasks.
- It helps build trust.
- You will get to know their strengths and weaknesses.
However, when we’re talking about encouraging communication, we don’t necessarily mean it’s all up to you, the employer. But what do we mean by that? It’s quite simple — humans are social creatures, and working from home can get lonely.
The lack of the hustle and bustle of an office environment can take a toll on one’s psyche. That is why you should incentivize your workers to communicate between themselves. We know that can be challenging with fully remote teams, but creating a healthy work environment when working with telecommuters is as crucial as when working from the office.
Pay Them Benefits
Although there are numerous benefits of working remotely for employers, such as cutting costs, you should not neglect to offer your employees benefits, such as health insurance and pension funds. But why is that so important? There are a few reasons:
- It gives your workers an incentive to stay with your company longer.
- It will help your business stand out from the crowd (many remote-based companies don’t cover benefits).
- Your employees will appreciate it.
Offering your benefits is an excellent way of showing appreciation and an even better way to improve employee satisfaction for remote workers. And if you decide to take your efforts to the next level, you could even include something extra like annual performance bonuses and paid vacation (yes, few remote businesses offer these).
Don’t Micromanage
The most appealing benefit of working remotely is flexibility, so don’t sail against the wind and try to micromanage everything. That would be counterproductive and could even ruin your employees’ performance.
The truth is, nobody likes control freaks and micromanagers, not in-person, not remotely. Let’s not even begin to talk about how impractical it would be to micromanage someone when they’re god-knows-how-many miles away. That’s right — it’s impossible. So do yourself a favor and don’t do it. Everybody will appreciate it; you’ll see!
But if you need additional incentive, let’s check out a few reasons you shouldn’t micromanage your team:
- It will show them that you trust them.
- They will be more productive at their own pace.
- They will like you more.
So if you like to micromanage your workers and are looking for an easy way to improve their satisfaction, change your habits!
Organize Regular Video Meetings
Staying up to date with their tasks and the team’s goals is essential for your employees. One of the best ways to do that would be to hold regular video meetings. During those, you can do multiple things:
- Update your team on their performance, progress, and plans.
- Engage in a conversation with your workers.
- Answer any questions they might have for you.
Yes, you can do all of these things in writing, but that lacks any personality. When you jump in a video call with your team, you remove that barrier of estrangement — you stop being an avatar on a computer screen and become human. And that goes both ways!
Many people appreciate knowing and seeing who they work with, which is why organizing regular video conferences like these could prove an easy way to improve employee satisfaction for remote workers.
Delegate Tasks Well in Advance
It’s no secret that efficient organization is one of the key success factors for any business, but you’d be surprised how much poor organization can impact employee satisfaction. If your company suffers from disorganization, that will frustrate not only you but your workers as well.
Although organizing a remote team is more challenging than an office-based one, it’s not impossible! Luckily, there are plenty of management tools that can help you in that endeavor. These tools will allow you to delegate multiple tasks ahead of time, which means your employees will always have something to do. That will minimize unnecessary downtime of trying to get a hold of each other.
Overall, by using project management tools and communicating with your team, you can improve their work efficiency and satisfaction. What a way to kill two birds with one stone!
Show Appreciation for Their Work
This tip might seem obvious to some, but believe us — many neglect it, especially regarding remote workers. One of the textbook examples of boosting employee satisfaction is to show appreciation for their contribution to the company.
In an office environment, that is easier to do since you’re around them all the time and have many indirect ways to show appreciation. However, when it comes to remote teams, you don’t have that luxury.
So here are some of the easiest ways you can show appreciation for your remote team:
- Provide them regular feedback
- Get in a one-on-one video call with them
- Commend them on a job well done or a met deadline
So remember — a kind word goes a long way!
Don’t Expect Them to be Available 24/7
Many business owners who hire remote teams keep forgetting that just because their workers may have flexible working hours doesn’t mean they’re available 24/7 (nor that they should). Even a one-time late-night request from one’s boss can frustrate them to no end.
Just because your employees feel obliged to say yes to your request at 11 p.m. doesn’t mean they won’t resent you for it. After all, few people would say no to their boss. That’s why it’s up to you to respect your remote employees’ working hours. Such a small act can change their experience at work dramatically.
Organize Team-Building Events
Yes, we know your team might be scattered all over the world, but team-building events are crucial to making a healthy work environment! Holding company events is an easy way to improve employee satisfaction, even for remote workers. And don’t worry — there are ways to circumvent the obstacle of distance. Here are two types of events you could organize alongside a few concrete ideas:
- Remote Events — If your team is scattered across the world, you should arrange a remote event. Your entire team could pour themselves a drink of choice, jump in a group video call, and chat away! But if your employees prefer activities to talking, why not play a game together? You could hop into an online Cards Against Humanity game, play a round of associations or two, or even classics like Yahtzee. The possibilities are endless!
- In-Person Meetups — These are the real deal and are the better option if you have an opportunity and the means to organize them! You can go out for coffee, to a restaurant, a nightclub, or participate in a group activity such as hiking, rock climbing, or anything else that comes to mind. Either way, all of these are excellent options for an entertaining team-building event.
Annual team-building events are an easy way to improve employee satisfaction for remote workers, so why not introduce them? Your workers are sure to love them!
A Happy Worker Is a Productive Worker
We hope that you found our tips on how to improve employee satisfaction for remote workers helpful! And who knows — you might need this guide even if you don’t have any remote employees currently. Experts predict that the future of work is likely to be online. So, if you ask us, it’s never too early to prepare for remote work! You never know when you might need it.
Until next time!
