As a business owner, you know that your employees are your most important asset. They hold the knowledge in the company, and they can drive both productivity and creativity. Therefore, looking after your employees is a non-negotiable strategy. You can’t afford to ignore their needs and concerns.
In a previous article, we’ve reviewed the importance of:
- setting a maximum number of work hours to prevent burnout
- providing quality management
- offering an open door policy for them to talk about their concerns
- showing compassion
- boosting their confidence levels with training and career management
- bonding with the team
But, entrepreneurs can do a lot more to show their employees how much they care. At an age where remote work arrangements are growing in popularity, many employers struggle to reach out to their teams. How can you look after your employees when you are not in the same place, sometimes not even the same time zone with international teams? It is not easy, but there are some tips to create a caring relationship with your staff.
Help them get the home office of their dreams
Ok, perhaps not exactly of their dreams. But you can certainly contribute to their home office setting by suggesting to purchase an item of furniture of their choice within a set budget from a place such as online office furniture. Everyone has different needs. An employee may already have a desk so they only need a chair. Someone else is transforming a spare bedroom into a study room, and they may need every item of office furniture. So, to keep things fair, it’s best to:
- Set a fair budget you are willing to spend to help every team member
- Offer to make orders on their behalf from selected suppliers and partners
- Offer to pay back a specific amount on office purchases they have made outside of your list of suppliers (when there is no partner near them or no other option available)
Have a treat day
Can you guess what the common point between pizza and office is? According to studies, pizza days in the office make employees more productive. Indeed, productivity increased by over 6% for employees who got an email about getting a free pizza at work.
Can you do something similar with a remote team? You could arrange to have a few slices of pizza delivered to each employee’s home, for example. It can be a great solution when many of your team live in the same city. You can schedule the delivery with a pizza partner, ensuring a fair share, such as a quarter pizza per person. It is a great way of saving costs and making sure everyone is happy. You can’t justify purchasing a whole pizza for each staff member. So, it makes sense to share based on their locations.
For employees in rural locations, you can consider a food voucher they can use in their local shops or for an online order, for example.
When the pizza day is not an option or if you are concerned about health, you can opt for work-friendly alternatives:
- Coffee delivery
- Vouchers for local coffee shops
- Premium tea or coffee bag delivery
- Fresh fruit baskets or vouchers
Celebratory events still matter
Did the business achieve a meaningful milestone? In the office days, people would have gathered in the largest meeting room for a drink and an update from the CEO. But as the good old office days are a memory from the past, you need to improvise. Celebrating milestones as a team remains a priority as it is an excellent way to:
- Show your appreciation for your employees’ hard work
- Say thank you
- Build connections between team members
- Update everyone on the next steps
- Congratulate each other
Yet, in a remote environment, it is unfair to arrange for a celebratory event in the office, as only local employees can attend. Instead, you need to consider options that are valuable to remote teams. This could come in the form of an unexpected bonus for everyone. Alternatively, you could also consider giving the entire team half a day or a day off where they can relax. How to best communicate about a milestone remotely:
- You can plan a short online meeting to keep everyone in the loop and pay your thanks
- You can use the collaborative communication platform to share an update that everyone will see
- You can pen a quick and simple email
- You can record a short video message that will be shared with all the staff
Remote teams can feel isolated from the business. But, you can still show you care with strategic activities that fit within the lifestyle of your non-office-based employees. Distance should not come between you and your team. So, it is up to you to prove it to them!
Disclosure: collaborative post
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