Exploring the benefits to flexible working without a shared office

Now that we’re all months into working remotely, the allure of shared offices can seem like ancient history. But for decades,pre-pandemic offices(4:32)were designed to be so full of perks that employees would never want to leave. These shared workspaces were key to how organizations built a company culture that fostered collaboration, boosted morale, and simplified recruiting. Today, most of us can only connect with colleagues through a screen and in-office perks like ping pong tables are only a memory.

However, our organizations still need a strong company culture that drives strong employee engagement. But how do you boost WFH morale and a sharedemployee experiencewhen everyone at your company is apart? This question inspired thelatest episode of the Remote Works podcaston remote work culture featuring AWeber Communications, an email marketing software company near Philadelphia. In this article, we’ll look at how to enhance your remote employee experience by listening, empathizing, and creating an engaging and flexible work environment.

So what does effective listening look like during a global pandemic? One point to remember is that strong leaders actively seek out employee perspectives instead of waiting for feedback to come in. As Chris Voce, a Customer Engagement Strategist at Citrix describes in thepodcast: “Oftentimes people that are struggling might not be filing a support ticket. Those are your silent sufferers, and a lot of it’s invisible unless you ask.” This kind of active listening can happen in one-on-one meetings, in company-wide surveys, and in targeted employee panels, so look for the right way to ask how your remote employees are feeling.

Once you’ve begun with active listening, developing empathy with remote workers is the next step toward a strong remote work culture. Remember all your remote workers are individuals, each of whom have unique needs and challenges. Some have kids with them while they work from home, so they might need to step away from some meetings to attend their children. Others live alone, so they may benefit from extra one-on-ones to avoid feelings of isolation and loneliness. By listening you can get a clear picture of what employees are feeling and how they want to be treated, helping you to then lead these remote workers with effective empathy.

In addition to reactive acts of empathy, it’s vital for company leaders to be proactive in driving employee engagement. According toGallup, the strongest motivators for employee engagement are less about the quality of your office space and more about how employees are treated and valued. One important way to do this is by coaching remote workers to see growth in their work and professional development. As Voce describes: “There’s a reason why you and I go to work every day. Pay is part of it. But the most important thing is somebody’s ability to find personal progress in their work.” Look for ways to show your remote workers how their abilities are improving and the ways their work has positively impacted the organization as a whole.

Creating an engaging environment for flexible working

Build a culture of flexible working and productivity