Check in before employees check out: 4 ways to keep workers engaged

June 14, 2023 2:47 PM

Feeling disconnected from work is not a new concept for employees, but the change from an in-person office environment to working from home can exacerbate their sense of unfulfillment.

Remote work has been life-changing for people in terms of work-life balance and flexibility, but it can leave employees feeling unsupported and detached from a lack of engagement and collaboration they would get from being in the office. This missed personal time with leaders and peers has contributed to a quarter of the workplace feeling that they don't belong in their organization, according to recent data from BetterUp.

"Employee engagement is great for the bottom line," says Jessica Reeder, director of remote organizational effectiveness at work marketplace Upwork. "Leadership has to model this through social moments. Coffee chats, asking, 'How was everybody's weekend?' or 'Can we record this presentation and watch it asynchronously so we can have this moment to talk to each other?'"

In addition to promoting camaraderie through activities, goals, and acknowledgement, employers can make sure employees feel valued by providing the technology and any other tools they need to get their work done. Through these combined efforts, workers feel a greater connection and belonging to their organization, which can lead to a 56% increase in productivity, according to Deloitte. Further, BetterUp's data shows that when a worker feels like they belong in their company, it reduces risk of turnover by half and increases engagement levels.

"We have the behavior-based ways that people work, but even if you're treating your people really well, they will get frustrated and check out without the systems that connect them to efficiency and performance," says Reeder. "You have to make sure you are empowering them to do a great job and to shine."

By incorporating simple connection strategies, Reeder explains how employers can sew together any engagement gaps stemming from a spread-out workforce.

Make recognition part of the routine

Reeder emphasizes that there is a need for both bigger shout-outs, such as employee milestones, but the value of day-to-day drops of encouragement and acknowledgment should not be overlooked.

"Milestone's are the employee life cycle moments that connect to employer experience," she says. "Your onboarding is part of it, but also your anniversary, promotion days, growth opportunities — all the way through to when the employee leaves the company. Those are important moments to celebrate and connect, but also to ask people how they are doing."

"Rituals are where this can fall apart, especially with remote and hybrid work," she adds. "Little bits of surprise and delight, social occasions, little nudges or getting people to share what's going on with them — how do we connect with them? This is really difficult for a lot of employers."

Empower independence

Beginning at the onboarding stage and continuing throughout an employee's tenure, leaders should give them access to buddies, mentors, and the technology support they need to work unencumbered and ask questions as they arise.

"Avoid having a bunch of micro-management or old-fashioned ways of working, and you really empower people to work flexibly, efficiently and effectively. That is awesome for productivity," Reeder says. "Once leaders grasp that and start modeling it, the whole tone of the company changes to, 'This is important, not just because I want everyone to feel happy, but because I know that when you're happy you're engaged and you work better."

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Respect employees’ time

Once remote employees are set up with what they need to work successfully, don't pile on meetings, and instead allow workers to be autonomous and encourage them to unplug. Because work-life balance is still top of mind for workers, they will not stay with an organization that has too many obligations outside of their job description.

"Allowing people to organize their calendars and their days in a way that works for them is powerful," says Reeder. "Meeting reduction is a huge trend right now for a reason — they are hugely disruptive to our day. People are taking jobs somewhat on a trial basis, and they're using those first 90 days to evaluate the company. You really want to make people feel like they have made the right choice."

Promote a culture of inclusivity

Operational transparency, inclusion, flexibility and trust are all important factors in helping employees feel connected to their organization. Remembering that a culture is stronger for its diversity versus expecting employees to conform is key to its overall success, Reeder says.

"They joined your company, hopefully, because the values of the company resonated with something that is their own personal value, but they're bringing something new and we need to make space for that," she says. "Allowing more flexibility in personality and personal expression, and also in the ways that people work creates a stronger and more vibrant culture."