How to create a great remote worker employee experience

“If you want to create a great experience for remote workers, then you need to customize those experiences for a remote setting. For example, a successful virtual happy hour isn’t just a happy hour that takes place online. If you focus on drinks and conversation, a video call can fall flat. Instead, you need to plan more structured icebreakers, games, and activities. 

The same goes for all-hands meetings, team building, holiday parties, and more. The virtual version can and should have some similarities with in-person counterparts — but in general, needs to be more structured to be successful. On the plus side, if you put in the work, you can build a thriving remote team culture that is just as good or better than what you can create at the office.”

“Two of the most important ways to create a perfect remote employee experience are understanding how to effectively communicate and listening to employees. Although every person is different, it’s never helpful for an employee to feel left in the dark. While it can be impossible to know what is going on with everyone you manage especially in a remote environment, making time for check-ins, opening up a conversation to answer questions they may have, and even asking something simple like how their week is going makes a huge difference in employee engagement and creates a better understanding of expectations and responsibilities from both sides. One thing to be mindful of however is the timeframe in which this communication happens, for example, it may not be effective to send emails really late at night. 

Lastly, mastering the skill of listening is just as important in an employee’s experience. Not only listening, but taking action based on the employee’s needs, wants, questions, and/or concerns is a critical factor in making employees feel heard and understood. These two things go hand in hand and when done well, employees will notice, be more loyal, and feel appreciated in their role.” 

“My #1 tip for creating a great employee experience for remote workers is to go out of your way to communicate. Take the time each week to schedule a meeting or discussion with your remote employees, be it on Skype, Google Hangout, Google Drive — whatever works for you. This is important as it allows employees to ask questions and voice any concerns they may have in order to ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.” 

“It is also important to use the same communication tools for all employees, regardless of whether they are based in an office or remote. 

This ensures that everyone is on the same playing field and that you are treating everyone equally.”

“Don’t just communicate about work either, but make sure to take the time out of your day to ask how an employee’s family is or about their weekend. Small talk can go a long way in building rapport with your team!”

“The best way to create a great employee experience for remote workers is to offer several options for them to connect. Don’t assume that everyone communicates or collaborates the best via Zoom. Collaboration platforms such as Trello and Pumble, or even the old-fashioned phone call or email, can also do the trick. These alternatives also spare employees from “Zoom fatigue” and feeling like they always have to be on and camera-ready.”

“My #1 tip is to create inclusion at the level desired by your employees.

For outgoing, people-oriented employees, creating community and connection is essential. Group texts, Pumble channels, and social Zoom calls are the oxygen these employees need to thrive.

For employees who engage in deep thought and analysis, minimizing meetings and team-building activities helps them thrive. These employees often prefer to build connections by partnering together on a work project rather than interacting in social situations. Creating a customized experience for the employees you have is crucial for creating a healthy and engaging remote workplace environment.”

“Remote work, flexible working hours, and other flexible work arrangements have communicated to employees that their employers listen to, understand and accommodate what they desire out of their personal and work lives. What “balance” looks like to one person is not likely to match others’ views and what “flexibility” means to one person is very likely different than if you asked others. Individualized approaches are the cornerstone to a great remote work experience; individuals are heard and help craft the story of what they want their remote experience to be and feel like.”

“Building and upholding a strong company culture can be challenging when working remotely, however, it is a crucial part of an employee’s experience.

One of the biggest obstacles to maintaining company culture is communication. Make sure to establish regular communication with employees, keeping them updated on new shared goals and initiatives, hold regular team meetings, and maintain two-way feedback so employees feel in the loop and heard. Provide ways for employees to connect outside of work that reflect how people interact socially in an office environment, which can help foster a sense of belonging in the company. For example, at our company, we hold regular “watercooler” Zoom chats to help build connections among employees and ensure they feel engaged and included, rather than isolated.”

“Embrace our new world of remote culture and schedule regular check-ins with staff: Providing a remote workplace has been invaluable to many employees who covet the flexibility, but in order to make sure team members feel involved, communication — and even overcommunication — is crucial. Let employees know you always have an open virtual door for a quick check-in or a longer collaborative discussion. Creating that open-door culture in a remote environment is tough, but continual reminders will resonate with staff and help them feel as though they are a major part of the team.”

“Bring fun and joy to remote meetings, and smile — in order to thwart screen fatigue, incorporate lightheartedness into at least a small part of each employee interaction. Spending a few minutes on chitchat and connecting on a personal level will go a long way with staff members, and will also provide them with a place to share virtual water-cooler chat about whatever is on their mind. To take that even further, schedule time for fun and games — literally. 

The simplest virtual activity, such as a candy-cane-in-a-jar guessing game, can provide multiple touchpoints for staff to interact, connect and smile. Providing small prizes really boosts morale, something that’s essential for productivity and cohesiveness during this time of new working conditions.”

• “Create a flow of information that signals to the newcomer that the company is in control so they don’t need to be. Set up a series of emails, Loom videos, and a Notion-board that creates a flow of information for the newcomer imitating the guidance of an in-office reception. And make sure you’re very deliberate in the hierarchy of communication.    
• Experiment, test, get feedback and improve. Not every action is going to suit everyone, so constant testing and monitoring will help improve your remote culture, everything from communication, to leadership values, relationships, and collaboration. 
• Be deliberate in recreating the informal encounters that require extra effort, but give valuable informal information. Test new ways of creating the culture of a company remotely. Create a buddy system — so newcomers can create bonds with people outside of their immediate team. Recreating social bonds and imitating social traditions is one of the big differentiators of remote-first and office-first organizations.  
• Pay attention to the messages that you feel are not coming across. Make an effort to translate core values and principles into easily recognizable actions. Culture is a series of messages you send to people: The policies you have, the way you think about the work that you do, the people you employ, the values, and ethics. Losing the office should be an invitation to realize what your culture actually is and figure out how to communicate more deliberately. This is an invitation to get into the practice of doing your culture.”

“It’s important to always have opportunities for engagement. You have to make sure you’re regularly checking in with your employees, and staying in communication. This not only helps with their professional development, but also ensures that the work they’re doing is what’s best for your organization.”

“Benefits are also a key factor for creating a good experience for remote employees. Employers must offer workers improved mental and physical health offerings, such as free or discounted access to therapists and to mental health apps that are part of a broader workplace health program. This helps enhance their experience given that they’re not given the day-to-day communication that may usually happen in an office setting.”

“My #1 tip for creating a great employee experience for remote workers is to foster relationships, not only with one’s direct manager but across the organization. Even though employees are not traveling to an office every day, people need to feel connected to the work they’re doing and the people they’re working with. Having relationships across the company provides team members with more of a sense of community which is critical for remote workers.”

“One way to create a positive employee experience for remote workers is to schedule daily meetups to promote socialization for teams.

The standup meeting routine directly addresses the greatest danger for remote workers — the weakening of team social cohesion.

Having short daily standup meetings allows individuals to feel part of a team, fostering psychological safety and dependability, creating structure and clarity of role, and providing meaning and impact of their work. These are all foundational components, re-emphasized in Google’s research, necessary to create, sustain and improve not only the employee experience but the effectiveness of the team.

This social aspect creates meaningful relationships, builds trust among co-workers within the organization, and strengthens empathy. Creating this opportunity for remote workers nurtures a sense of inclusion and value in the workplace, which may increase innovation and boost performance.” 

“The #1 thing I recommend to leaders to build a strong remote team and ensure employees are engaged is to spend 1:1 time with each employee and create virtual meetings that engage the whole team.

The 1:1 is important because it helps leaders hear directly from an employee what they need and helps them feel like they are genuinely heard and cared about. Also, focus on that person’s unique growth plans for their career. Employees often leave when they feel like they aren’t heard or they feel they don’t have a clear growth opportunity at the organization.

The virtual team meetings need to engage all members of the team and help them all feel connected. There are lots of exercises and activities to help accomplish this. Leaders should develop their facilitation skills and find ways to engage each employee during meetings. Each employee has a unique engagement style (which you can explore during the 1:1 meetings). Then leverage that knowledge of each team member to create a truly fun, engaging meeting for the whole team.

These activities require more time than a simple perk or blanket engagement policy. But in the time of the Great Resignation, this type of engagement will help strengthen teams.” 

“My top tip for creating a great employee experience for remote workers is to prioritize listening to the needs of current employees, including optimizing employees’ mental health and well-being. At Betts, we’re noticing a lot more attrition with our partner companies looking to hire and maintain top talent. Employers should take accountability for helping employees manage the division between home and work environments as it’s essential to business productivity and employee well-being.

At Betts, we do this in a variety of ways that can be emulated at other companies. We encourage our team to take breaks throughout the day and hold “no Zoom” meeting days so they don’t get fatigued. We prioritize Wellness Wednesday, the opportunity for employees to go out and exercise to take care of their physical health, as well as offering a flexible time-off policy and health and wellness and vacation stipends that encourage people to recharge and create that separation from work and home. Overall, employees need to hear from their companies that it’s ok to take breaks and disconnect in order to take care of themselves.” 

“My number one tip for creating a great employee experience for remote workers is to increase recognition. Employees are happiest when they feel appreciated at work, and recognition is free, so be generous with your praise. We also believe in using dollars instead of points within our reward and recognition platform. Positive psychology shows that a dollar doesn’t involve a mental exchange rate, you know exactly what you’re getting and exactly what the value is. 

We believe that currency outperforms points, gold stars, and Schrute bucks, which is why we created the ThanksMatters card that gives employees the freedom to choose how they’re rewarded.”

“The most important thing that every company should be doing to create a great experience for remote workers is hosting a variety of virtual social events. Not only do virtual social events help employees feel more connected to their colleagues, but they help 60% of employees feel more engaged and productive at work. These events can scale to serve specific needs across the company — from monthly video coffee 1:1’s to team or department trivia competitions or step challenges, to mixology classes or comedy shows that the entire company can enjoy. Additionally, because employee wellness is more needed and necessary than ever before, I also recommend companies host a series of wellness activities that include fitness, yoga, meditation, and healthy cooking classes.”