Until now, there are approximately 70 companies in Indonesia that have implemented the Work From Anywhere (WFA) system. This indicates that WFA has become a new working pattern after the COVID-19 pandemic. These companies believe that their productivity and work quality will remain optimal with remote or WFA systems.

According to a Harvard Business Review survey, WFA helps employees to be more flexible in terms of location, minimizes stress when traveling to the office, and achieves better work-life balance. However, managing remote workers is not always easy. So, how can we ensure that remote employees remain productive? The answer is to keep employees engaged, wherever they work.

There are many ways to increase remote employee engagement. In this article, we will discuss how remote work affects employee engagement, and 5 research-supported strategies that can be used to increase remote employee engagement.

The Relationship Between Remote Work and Employee Engagement

According to the Harvard Business Review, 62% of employees believe that working remotely has a positive impact on employee engagement, but only 5% are likely to stay in their company for the long term.

This gap presents an opportunity for companies to be proactive and improve their engagement initiatives. In other words, HR or managers need more than just perks and remote happy hours to keep employees engaged. Engaging remote employees requires a strategic approach and long-term commitment.

When organizations invest in the long-term success and engagement of remote employees, they will create happier and more productive employees. Use the following employee engagement activities for remote workers to keep them engaged from day one.

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How to Increase Employee Engagement in Remote Work?‍

1. Facilitate their professional and personal development

Team members can feel disappointed and lose confidence if they don't see how they can grow within the company. They may even start looking for better opportunities elsewhere. To prevent this, talk to team members about their goals and show them how they can develop and succeed in the workplace.

Team members can also lose motivation if they feel unable to perform their job well. You can address this by providing opportunities for professional and personal development such as coaching, opportunities to work on new projects, course programs, and counseling.

The easiest way to do this is to facilitate comprehensive coaching and counseling programs regularly. Coaching programs don't always have to include hard skills but can also involve soft skills related to employees' professional and personal lives. As we know, soft skills can make it easier for us to improve our overall quality of life.

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2. Increase employee engagement by listening to employee feedback

Many companies forget that their number one customers are their employees. Collect, listen, and act on employee feedback as a step towards developing the company. This can not only show employees that the company really listens to them in improving employee engagement, but it can also increase morale, job satisfaction, and overall employee retention.

3. Invest more in team members' health

Start by paying more attention to team members and see if they feel burnout or stress. Individual well-being is a vulnerable issue for many employees, especially in the process of readjusting to post-COVID-19 life. The implications for companies that fail to address burnout issues in employees can be significant. In the end, there will be a decrease in performance and engagement levels, which will become a problem in recruiting and retaining the best employees.

4. Appreciate employee contributions

Remote employees tend to spend more time than their colleagues in the office but often do not feel like they are part of the team. One solution is to make employee appreciation a priority. Regular appreciation from colleagues and managers helps employees feel connected, appreciated, and valued.

In a Society for Human Resource Management survey, 68% of HR professionals stated that recognition/appreciation is important for retention, yet many organizations lack a formal recognition program. Therefore, from now on, companies should encourage HR or managers to begin recognizing the work of their team members.

5. Increase employee engagement by staying connected through technology

Keeping employee motivation and engagement high is an ongoing process. As a good leader, you need to be aware of the condition of each team member.

Through the platform Employee Assistance, HR or managers can monitor, measure the condition, and performance of each employee more easily without spending too much time and energy. Managers can proactively invite team members to check-in regularly about their condition, emotions, or current well-being level. Regular check-ins make it easier for managers to measure the level of motivation in each individual and address any issues that hinder their productivity.

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Involve Employees Wherever They Work

Wherever they work, make sure HR and managers pay attention to them the same as employees who work in the office. On the other hand, managers must also continue to manage, measure, and monitor their performance regularly to ensure that remote employees can work well.

"An organization with low employee engagement tends to experience a 50 percent increase in turnover and a 37 percent higher absence rate." -Bayu Bhaskoro, Co-Founder Mindtera.

That is why facilitating a comprehensive Employee Assistance platform can now increase employee engagement. Besides meeting professional and personal needs, the Employee Assistance platform can help employees manage stress, challenges, and problems. The Employee Assistance platform can be a significant investment, so make sure the company chooses a program that is truly used by the team and supports business performance in the company.

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