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Three ways to promote a connected culture for remote workers

4/15/20 7:42 PM

The world and workplace are always changing, and remote work has quickly become a modern-day work preference.

Many employers believe their workforce would be too easily distracted at home, where their managers couldn't keep an eye on their direct reports. However, as long as you are promoting a connected culture for your remote employees, you shouldn’t have to worry about their productivity at home.

Remote workplace culture

In recent years, remote work has been gaining popularity. In fact, in their 2018 Global State of Remote Work, Owl Labs reports that 52% of employees around the world worked remotely at least once per week, and 68% worked remotely at least once per month.

While working from home is not a new concept, it can be an adjustment for some, and as a leader, you may be concerned about the culture of your workplace as employees leave the office to work remotely.   

The truth is, working from home can get boring and lonely. It adds an additional layer of complexity to the dynamic of the workplace, making it hard to find ways to stay connected and motivated throughout the day. However, a well-thought-through communication strategy and the right set of digital tools can help you promote a more collaborative and motivated culture that boosts employee engagement and productivity.

Even under normal working conditions, promoting a positive culture can be both a challenge and a priority. As a digital workplace, we’re always looking for new ways to stay connected from anywhere. To make remote work a bit easier, we’ve rounded up our tips for how you can promote a more positive, connected and motivated work culture while your employees are working from home.   

Three ways to promote a connected culture for remote workers

Best ways to promote a connected remote work culture

There are some practical ways to build and grow company culture, especially during a crisis.

Monster states that employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from working from home; a company can benefit just as greatly from a remote employee. Here are three ways you can promote a more connected remote work culture for your employees right now.  

  1. Reconsider company values

Your company values lay the foundation for your work culture. Considering this dramatic shift in the workplace to working at home, it might be worth taking another look at your company values to see how they reflect a new reality. You could also even consider redefining them all together in order to promote a more connected work culture for everyone.

  1. Set clear expectations

When your employees are at home, it can be difficult for them to know exactly what is expected of them, which can cause them to work less efficiently. Make sure you agree on clear goals so they can stay productive and on task. For example, setting expectations on which communication channels to use helps set the tone and encourages communication.

Pro Tip: Encourage employees to use your digital workplace to collaborate with colleagues instead of sending emails. It can be a great way to share ideas and suggestions, particularly for a global workforce. Video conferencing is another great tool, making it easy to stay connected, see a familiar face, and make sure everyone can contribute.

  1. Communicate often and openly

While you are reconsidering your values and setting expectations, it’s also a good idea to establish “rules of engagement” for communication.

Don’t just leave the watercooler conversations for the office. Find a community online where your employees can gather and facilitate similar conversations. Most communication tools can be left open all day either as a desktop app or browser tab, with notifications to keep you updated, opening the door for a collaborative workspace. Just be sure that your employees know how often and which communication channels to use so they can check-in while working from home.              

Pro Tip: Depending on the size of your team, the more you role-model the behaviors you would like your team to adopt, the more engaged, open and transparent employees become.

Digital tools support remote work

It can be hard to stay up-to-date on tasks, projects, and information when you’re not sharing a physical office. Give your workforce the confidence to use digital tools so they can stay on track and up-to-date while working from home and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

Use tools for time tracking, video conferencing, messaging, and perhaps a digital workplace for a connected workplace.    

Digital workplaces

Digital workplaces centralize all employee information in one singular location, making it easy to work and stay connected from anywhere. By implementing a digital workplace for your remote workers, you can align your employees, technology, and business practices all in one place.

Beezy is an easy-to-use and Intelligent Workplace solution for Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint that unifies and empowers users to efficiently communicate, share and collaborate better.

Encourage employees to stay motivated at home

Working from home can get boring, distracting and lonely. A lack of motivation can lead to a decrease in productivity. Here are some tips to help your employees stay on track. 

  • Remind them that they still need a work-life balance
  • Actively listen and openly communicate
  • Offer them support when needed
  • Celebrate successes no matter how small  

Although remote work might not be ideal all the time, make the most of it and offer a sense of normalcy for your employees. Continue operations as usual (but with a few tweaks and tools for remote work) and set your employees up for success so they feel motivated to work every day, even if it's from their home office or couch.  

Continue working from home

 Working from home can an adjustment for your employees. While it allows more freedom in the day-to-day, it can still get surprisingly boring and lonely. That’s why it’s important to promote a positive and connected work culture so employees can stay motivated and maintain strong relationships with colleagues while they are out of the office.            

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