How to bring employees into the new digital age?

Maintaining a positive company culture is essential

A company culture grows out of the daily interaction of people working towards a common goal as employees of the same company. The COVID-19 pandemic has severed these regular personal ties so typical of the traditional office. Over time, HR professionals began to find that many employees who had been high-performing and engaged in earlier times were suddenly joining common conversations less frequently or expressing themselves much less during them. How to restore engagement among employees working remotely? In our experience, there is no one-size-fits-all rule that works for all types of organizations. The key is to carefully monitor the progress of remote meetings and identify areas and modes of communication that lead people to be more engaged and involved.

10 ways to improve remote collaboration

Every employer has had to take a number of measures this year to integrate remote working into working life. The traditional office was one thing we had to forget. Now the agenda is to improve the entire system so that it works at least as efficiently as it did before the pandemic.

Choose a human approach

Think about the ways you can create an emotional connection with your employees. Share your company's successes and failures with your employees, use internal social networks, and don't forget to incorporate humour into your posts. Invite employees to share their own experiences of working remotely.

Communicate more intensely than usual

If your employees work in a home office, they require much more communication than if they work in an office, where they have the advantage of constant interaction with colleagues. Many workers now feel isolated in the home office. The solution is to increase communication, call or text your employees at least once a day, schedule weekly team meetings, and update them on the status of projects. Communicate everything that has happened.

Don't forget the company culture

It is very difficult for HR managers to foster a company culture these days. Try reminding your employees on a regular basis what corporate values your company stands for. Be sure to mention company values and culture in every remote meeting.

Motivate employees

Remote collaboration can be depressing, employees can feel negative which in turn demotivates them. HR managers are tasked with preventing these negative consequences of the home office. The solution is to create incentives, such as bonuses for handing in work before the deadline, incentive pay for new ideas, etc.

Praise often

Employees working from home may feel that their work is taken for granted because there is no one around to notice their hard work and effort. Create a system for thanking your employees on a regular basis. Focus on their skills, actions and the way they approach their work. A little positive praise will do wonders.

Ensure quality projects and tasks

Give all your employees the opportunity to apply their skills in interesting and adequately remunerated tasks. Prepare projects that won't bore your employees while offering them the opportunity to develop their talents and skills. If you forget about the talent you have on your team, they will gradually become bored and leave for better job opportunities.

Offer career progression opportunities

One of the factors that will enable employees to remain productive even when working remotely is the offer of career progression opportunities. Consider which employees you can make this offer to and talk to them about the opportunities your company can offer them. Keep in mind that the career progression offered should be progressive enough to motivate employees.

Beware of employees who do not communicate enough

Managers often kindly assume that if they don't hear from an employee who works in the home office for a few days, all is well. But in the case of remote work, this formula doesn't apply. It's very easy to simply fall off the work pace during home office. The solution is micromanagement. Every day, as managers, make sure the employee has everything they need and discuss with them what you can be of assistance.

Train your managers

Managers who have subordinates in the home office must naturally be held accountable for their work performance. Actively motivate your managers to take a responsible approach to managing employees who work remotely. Encourage them in coaching activities. If they feel weak in coaching, pay for training or an online course.

Use modern software tools

Many tasks that used to have to be done in person can now be replaced by smart software solutions. Consider engaging a quality HR software that will greatly simplify your work with employee data and allow you to convert almost your entire HR agenda into digital form. You'll be able to manage your HR agenda from anywhere, giving you more time to take care of your team.

Try Pinya HR software to take the paperwork out of the way and bring your HR department into the digital age. Experience the capabilities of Pinya HR software simply through a demo.

‍