5 tips to boost the productivity of remote workers

Alternately, recognizing some employees are more suited to remote work, organizations may choose to be ‘hybrid’. A ‘hybrid’ working environment will require more diligence to ensure all employees, no matter where they work, are treated the same.

There are many benefits to working from home, and many choose this working environment for its productivity, but HR departments need to rethink talent strategies to include those working from home, so their employee experience isn’t affected.

Generally, it’s harder to gauge engagement or satisfaction rates from those who work remotely. This means that data tools are particularly valuable not just to gather accurate information about remote employees, but also for those with hybrid working, to ensure all employees are treated the same.

In this blog, we will propose 5 tips to use employee data to inspire and engage remote employees – learn more below.

Employee data is vital to reduce employee churn

Employee data is a key factor in measuring, and also comparing, the satisfaction and engagement rates of remote employees.

In a recent report by UNLEASH, they found the main way most organizations gather employee data is during an exit interview (63%).

HR managers need succinct data throughout the employee lifecycle to ensure they get the attention they need, and so they can proactively enact retention strategies before it’s too late.

Without clear data-gathering methods, remote employees don’t get the visibility they need and lack the understanding of the relevant HR factors that affect their satisfaction and loyalty, while managers lack the data to act at the right time.

A continuous feedback loop can build lasting relationships

How we monitor employees through data may help with engagement strategies, but many organizations also need honest and transparent feedback from remote employees to understand what they need.

When remote employees have regular opportunities to provide feedback to their managers, the latter can turn feedback into action and make sure the remote employee feels heard and valued, even when in a hybrid working environment.

UNLEASH also notes that a continuous feedback loop provides “the chance to strengthen employee-manager relationships and align management practices with the wider mission of the organization.” Yet only 31% of organizations report maintenance of a feedback loop or perhaps lack the tools to optimize this process.

Click to read Unit4 HCM product brochure

Provide ownership of performance documentation

Performance meetings should be regular to ensure that all employees have a greater understanding of what they need to improve, what should change, and where they can grow.

Moreover, using a common data model in the Cloud, performance documents can be recorded and accessed easily, and employees and managers can be sure they have the latest information and numbers to encourage honest conversations.

HR can transform these year-end box-ticking exercises into a regular occurrence where honest and valuable discussions can be had with people managers. An employee then has a regular place to bring up potential career developments they would like to see, leading to longevity rather than pushing them to look elsewhere.

Create clear compensation packages

Compensation strategies can have a large effect on employee retention and satisfaction. A survey by HRRI found that compensation packages not being understood (62%) and poor competitive displacement of current compensation packages (42%) were reported by employees as the biggest issues with compensation.

This said, 42% of organizations report that their compensation and total rewards strategies remain ‘underdeveloped’, highlighting the need for data to inform intelligent compensation strategies.

Remote employees will likely be more motivated, engaged, and likely to stay around when they understand their compensation packages better, and this starts with a clear view of data. When managers and employees have this data, they can have better discussions about pay, rather than simply moving jobs for more money.

Create clear avenues for communication

Remote employees could feel atrophied from an organization, especially in a hybrid workplace, and can require clear avenues to communicate with others in the organization.

Digital HR solutions often provide platforms where employees can provide internal praise, request feedback from specific colleagues, and even dashboards and forum-style media where they can interact and build relationships with those they work with.

This not only creates a better working culture, and will likely improve performance and satisfaction, but makes an employee feel valued and involved in discussions, even if they don’t regularly make it to the office.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear that remote employees and their managers need clear data to ensure transparency in their relations with HR. This provides clear actions for managers to improve the remote employee experience.

HR leaders should refocus on a data-led employee experience as, a study from Harvard Business Review reported that, an improved employee experience increased revenue by more than 50%, and profits by nearly as much.

Data is a two-way street which means that managers and employees can utilize the same information for more honest conversations about pay, and development, and ensures remote employees have clear avenues to give and request feedback, discuss performance, as well interact with fellow employees.

Unit4’s HCM and Talent Management solutions provide a single source of truth for your entire employee experience helping you collect employee data, improve engagement, accommodate different working environments, and empower teams with development tools.

To see for yourself what Unit4’s HCM solution can do for you book a demo, today!