Everybody is talking engagement at the moment, and it’s no wonder. For many companies, 2020 has accelerated the move to remote working for their office staff, leaving the ‘hands-on’ employees such as factory and tradespeople to carry on with business as (almost) usual.
The introduction of remote meeting technology has allowed the most agile companies to include their field staff and working-from-home staff in meetings, enabling them to have their say, however many smaller companies have been reluctant to embrace technology.
So how do I engage my staff?
Interestingly the ‘work from home’ response is clearly in two camps. There are those who love it, and those who struggle with it.
Those who love it tend to be strongly technology-based roles, who normally work in isolation for a big part of their role, or managers enjoying a break from meetings to concentrate on completing that outstanding report.
Those who struggle with remote working tend to enjoy the social aspect of work, such as sales meetings or working collaboratively on a project.
No matter the type of person, the risk posed by continuous remote working is a breakdown in communication; issues go unresolved due to a lack of collaboration for solutions.
This is where remote working groups can help. Try forming a team to address a known problem in the organisation. Allocate roles for collecting data, defining the problem, and facilitating the process. Have regular online meetings where team members can contribute to finding and implementing a solution.
Being part of this working group increases staff commitment to resolving the issue, and inherently engagement in the wider company success.