People want to know that they matter—and this doesn’t change when they work outside the office. But working remotely can make it easy for employee contributions to go unnoticed. Working from home can blur the lines between personal life and work life.

• So even if you’ve suffered from burnout or loneliness, make yourself the harbinger of good things to come.
• Yet those organizations that figure out how to engage remote employees stand to reap significant rewards.
• Consider the following strategies to help you pull it off successfully.
• For many of us, all we need is a computer and a decent Internet connection in order to get things done at work.
• If employees see you prioritizing open communication, they’ll follow suit.
• And fortunately, there are tons of options and solutions to help remote teams stay connected and productive from anywhere.

Professional development is a key driver of employee engagement—whether they’re in the office or remote. Professional development helps employees feel a greater sense of purpose and direction, increased motivation and sets employees up for successful long-term careers with your company. Of course, the dynamics of a remote team are different from an in-house team. When people aren’t sharing an office space, they don’t have the same opportunities for connection, communication, or collaboration. Just like your in-house employees, remote workers want to feel part of the company culture and team. They want to know their work is valued and that their contributions matter.

Remote worker wellbeing.

Remote work is essentially any work done away from a physical office location. Remote work gives employees the flexibility to do their work and stay productive and connected to their team and office from anywhere—whether on the road or at home. According to a Gallup poll, 56% of U.S. workers are working remotely all https://remotemode.net/blog/tips-on-how-to-make-friends-when-you-work-from-home/ or part of the time. And while some may start returning to work full-time or in a more hybrid capacity, the trend towards remote work seems here to stay. That’s hard to recreate in a video chat, but making those connections isn’t impossible. Set your view to gallery mode, and watch your fellow team members.

The latest numbers show that only 23 percent of workers worldwide are engaged. It takes effort—and not just on your part, but from colleagues, managers and leaders, too. And because working virtually is different from office work in so many ways, it https://remotemode.net/ also means rethinking how and why we make friends at work in the first place. But interacting doesn’t always have to mean hopping on a video call. Fill in the gaps by joining conversations in Slack, sharing emoji reactions, and liking social posts.

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Try playing some great online games or ask each other questions to get to know them better. Whatever it is, make sure you plan the event in advance so that everyone gets a chance to mingle. These days, the best way to take a peek into someone’s life is through their social media. So take your remote and formal relationship to a much more casual zone by befriending them on social media and even dropping them a nice message to get the conversation going. Just drop in a nice, familiar greeting that doesn’t make them uncomfortable and also helps break the ice in the meantime. Making friends in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond isn’t an easy task, but as long as you don’t expect any miracles and stick to these tips, you should find a person with common interests.

• By
  creating routines for a virtual team, you won’t feel disconnected, and you’ll
  have something to look forward to social wise.
• You don’t need to be a sports fanatic to get some exercise and meet new people at sporting events.
• Think there may be other folks in your organization looking for outdoor volunteer opportunities?
• Try playing some great online games or ask each other questions to get to know them better.