4 Tips to Help You Create an Engaging Employee Experience for Your Remote Team‍

How we work has changed drastically in recent years, and it will only continue to change. With the rise of remote work, more business leaders are looking for ways to create a positive employee experience for their teams. 

After all, it’s no secret that happy, engaged employees lead to better business outcomes. 

So, how can you create an engaging employee experience for your remote team? Here are tips you can follow:

1. Provide Training for Tools

It is crucial to provide remote employees with the tools and resources they need to be successful in their roles. This may include access to training and development opportunities and regular check-ins with their senior leaders. The right tools and software have a direct impact on your remote team’s productivity and business performance. 

But what do these tools for employee engagement have to do with the employee experience? Well, they can also help your remote team stay connected and allow them to work together more effectively. That can help ensure overall engagement. 

That said, here are some of the most popular virtual software and tools you should provide your remote team:

• Communication tools: These help your team stay in touch. Some examples of these tools include video conferencing software like Zoom and Skype, chat software like LiveAgent, and HubSpot Live Chat and VoIP.
• Project management tools: These can help your team stay organized and be on track. Examples of these tools include Trello, Asana, and Basecamp.
• Productivity tools: These help your team manage time, stay organized, and get more work done more efficiently. Some of the most popular productivity tools include ProofHub, Slack, etc.
• Tracking tools: Tracking tools can help you monitor your team’s progress and identify areas of improvement. There are a variety of tracking tools available, including Jira, Airtable, nTask, etc.
• Collaboration tools: Collaboration is essential for any remote team. There are many collaboration tools available, including Google Docs, Dropbox, and Slack.
• Recruitment tools: These tools can help your organization find the best talent to support business growth. 

You need to provide training for these software solutions to boost employee talent development and productivity. According to TalentLMS’ poll, remote workers who got training rated their performance better than those who didn’t.

So, training for tools and software should be a component of your recruitment marketing plan to provide an engaging experience to your new employees.

Your training plan should include the business goals of the training, the methods you’ll use to achieve those goals, and the timeframe.

Ensure that the training is easily accessible and can be completed without hassle. Use clear and focused language to conduct the training and collect your employee feedback. Creating sessions convenient for your team members is also essential. You should provide high-quality training that can be accessed conveniently by your team members.

Also, choose a suitable training method for your team. You may want to hold one-on-one or group sessions. 

Finally, ensure you evaluate the training results after it’s completed. This will help you determine whether or not the training was successful and identify areas where improvement is needed.

2. Give Work-from-Home Perks

It can be hard to stay motivated when working from home. After all, there are plenty of distractions around the employee journey. It can be tempting for employees to take a break and do something else. 

Providing a special benefits package for remote employees is a great way to create a strong employee experience and improve employee retention. According to Glassdoor, perks are essential to 60% of employees.

That just shows small perks can mean a lot for your employee engagement. 

That said, here are some work-from-home perks you can offer your remote team to make them feel appreciated:

• Send a care package: A care package full of their favorite snacks, drinks, and other goodies is a great way to show your commitment to employees. A personalized note is a nice touch, too.
• Give them a paid day off: Paying for an extra day off now and then is an excellent way for employee engagement and work-life balance.
• Give them a bonus: Everyone loves a bonus. Your remote team is no exception. 
• Offer flexible hours: Flexible hours are a great perk for remote workers since they often have a hard time balancing work and life responsibilities.
• Let them work from wherever they want: If your team is used to working from home, letting them work from wherever they want is a great way to show your trust in them.

With some thought, you can develop plenty of other employee experience strategies to show your remote team how much you value their work.

3. Offer Free Counseling Sessions

One way to support your team is to offer free counseling services. When you ensure their well-being, they’ll perceive you as someone who cares for them. That leads to job satisfaction, and good mental and physical health. The result? Higher morale and engagement.

You can hire a counselor to work with your team or provide resources for your team members to find counselors independently. If you decide to hire a counselor, choose someone who is a good fit for your employee journey and has experience working with people in your industry. Also, the counselors you choose should be qualified in dealing with workplace issues. They should be comfortable working with your team members and have the necessary resources to help them resolve their issues.

If you’re unsure of how to get started, consider partnering with a remote counseling service like Talkspace or BetterHelp. These companies can help you set up and manage your counseling sessions and offer various package options to fit your budget.

Once you’ve found a few counselors you’re comfortable with, start working with them to develop a plan for your workplace. This plan should include how often team members will meet with the counselors, whether via phone, chat or others, what issues they’ll be dealing with, and what resources will help them resolve their issues. 

If you decide to provide resources for your team members to find counselors on their own, provide it as a work perk so they don't have to pay. Also, check in with them regularly to see how they’re doing. You can use engagement surveys and get feedback from employees to learn more about their employee journey.

No matter your approach, offering free counseling services is a great way to show your commitment to employees and that you care about providing a healthy work-life balance environment to support them.

4. Encourage Informal Socializing 

Informal socializing is a great way to build relationships with coworkers and get to know them more personally. It’s essential to find ways to connect with your colleagues to build a strong foundation for a healthy working relationship. This can lead to a strong employee experience and higher engagement.

While some of the more extroverted members of your team might feel comfortable socializing informally with their colleagues online, others might not be. If you want to encourage informal socializing in your remote team, follow these tips:

• Make it optional: Let your team know that socializing is encouraged but not required. This will make it more comfortable for introverts who might feel pressured to participate.
• Create opportunities: Set up regular time slots for socializing.
• Encourage participation: Let your team know that you value socializing, and encourage them to participate. You can do this by leading by example, participating, and giving positive, honest feedback when you see team members socializing.

If you can’t meet up in person, there are plenty of ways to connect. You can host phone calls using a virtual switchboard or organize a weekly virtual happy hour.

You can also play online games together, or just chat on a video call.

As an example, the content strategy and career development company Superpath has a pet-related channel in its Slack community. Members may connect with one another via shared interests in pets.

Set up regular check-ins with your team so you can touch base on what everyone is working on. You can also use pulse surveys or employee engagement tools like ProofHub and Monday to keep in touch throughout the day.

Be flexible and open-minded in communication, so you can always find new ways to boost employee satisfaction. Whatever you do, make sure you take the time to socialize with your team outside work hours. It will help you build relationships, stay connected and ensure an excellent employee experience.

By taking these steps, you can create a more informal and social environment of trust for your remote team, and ensure a healthy work-life balance environment for you and them, of course.

Wrapping up

While creating exceptional employee experiences for your remote teams takes a bit of effort, the benefits are worth it. A positive and engaging employee experience will keep your team happy and productive. 

You learned tips to ensure an engaging employee experience from this article. Provide training for tools for connection and collaboration. Also, offer free counseling sessions. Give work-from-home perks. Finally, encourage informal socializing.

Help your remote employees feel more connected to each other and the company, and you’ll reap the best results. 

David Pagotto is the Founder and Managing Director of SIXGUN, a digital marketing agency based in Melbourne. He has been involved in digital marketing for over 10 years, helping organizations get more customers, more reach, and more impact.