Labor Day: Impact of rising remote work on employee engagement

Remote work is becoming more popular as it offers numerous benefits to employees as well as organizations. Thanks to technology for allowing people to work from anywhere and anytime across the world. However, this transformation not only comes with benefits but also some challenges too. Employee engagement is one of them. 

Employee engagement is crucial for the success of every business. Hence, companies should keep their employees' engagement high for the best productivity. There are many ways to improve employee engagement in the modern remote work era. 

As Labor Day or International Workers' Day will be here in less than a couple of days, Livemint interacted with the founders or CEOs of some organizations about the impact of increasing remote work on employees' engagement and how they are maintaining a seamless and successful virtual work environment. 

1) Sumit Kumar, Director and Founder of Headsup Corporation

As an HR consultant for MSMEs, the company helps organizations navigate this shift towards remote work by offering guidance on creating a successful virtual work environment, Kumar said, adding that some tips for keeping employees engaged and motivated while working remotely include setting clear expectations and goals, maintaining regular communication and feedback, and encouraging social interaction and team building.

The Headsup Corporation founder said that it is important to consider the unique challenges that remote work can present, such as the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life and the potential for isolation. 

“Strategies such as offering wellness resources, providing training on remote work best practices, and promoting work-life balance can help address these challenges.”

2) Niharika Bhargava, founder and CEO of The Little Farm Co

There has been a rise in work-from-home jobs, and hybrid work systems since Covid-19 hit the country, Bhargava said. 

“Being an FMCG company, a lot of operations aren’t possible in the work-from-home environment. The challenge of productivity always comes in the remote work mode and something that has benefited us is to keep proper SOPs and weekly reporting mechanisms in place. So that the performance can be tracked,” she added. 

3) Navneet Singh, CEO and Founder of Avsar 

The Covid-19 epidemic has exacerbated the trend of remote work, which has become more common in recent years, Singh said, adding that it has advantages including greater flexibility and autonomy.

“It also has drawbacks like isolation and a lack of social interaction. Hence, it's essential to keep employees engaged and motivated to maintain productivity and job satisfaction,” Avsar CEO said.

“Employers may employ a variety of tactics to maintain the interest of their remote workers, including encouraging communication and cooperation, creating chances for professional growth, and allowing flexible work schedules. Organizations may effectively handle the growth of remote work by prioritizing employee engagement and fostering a healthy virtual work environment,” he added.

4) Shashank Sharma, Co-Founder and Director of Scoreme Solutions Pvt Ltd 

Remote workers may find it difficult to establish boundaries between their work and personal life. Moreover, remote work can pose challenges in terms of communication and collaboration, demanding deliberate actions to sustain effective teamwork and engagement, he said.

“Organizations must proactively equip employees with tools and resources to thrive in a virtual environment. This involves training on remote work best practices, providing access to collaboration technology, and encouraging regular check-ins. Creating a thriving virtual culture that instills a sense of shared purpose, cultivates an environment of psychological safety, and champions innovative thinking can foster high levels of employee engagement and motivation, leading to exceptional business outcomes.”

5) Vipin Vindal, CEO, Quarks Technosoft

“The adoption of remote work has upended long-standing workplace conventions and presented both companies and employees with fresh difficulties and opportunities. While working remotely has advantages like greater flexibility, shorter commutes, and a better work-life balance, it can also be difficult to keep employees engaged and motivated," he said. 

“Employers need to embrace new technologies and work practices including employing virtual communication tools, giving frequent feedback and acknowledgment, and establishing a culture of trust and communication if they want to keep remote workers motivated and productive. It takes a change in perspective from typical office-based work to successfully create a virtual work environment, with an emphasis on collaboration, communication, and providing the tools and support that remote employees need to be effective and engaged. By accepting distant employment and advantages to boost creativity, productivity, and success in the new digital era by proactively tackling its obstacles,” he added.