How to Recognize an Employee in a Remote Team

Remote teams are growing at a remarkable rate all over the world. Here’s how to keep them motivated & engaged.
How to Recognize an Employee in a Remote Team
By
Allen Cranston

Organizations offer remote work to attract top talent in their industry. This not only makes employees happy and motivates them, but also warranties the success of a business.

Remote teams are growing at a remarkable rate all over the world.

But, attracting the most talented employees is one of the challenges that most organizations face. Additionally, retaining them is another hurdle that most companies struggle to deal with. So, how can you recognize an employee in a remote team? Below are some efficient tips and techniques that you can use to recognize remote employees in your organization.

Appreciate the employee by name

Before recognizing your employees, you first need to understand what it is and its importance. The simplest employee recognition definition is the formal or informal and apt acknowledgment of the effort, behavior, commitment, and hard work that employees put in, as well as their dedication to accomplish the objectives of a company. As a business owner or manager, you can recognize your employees in various ways such as appreciating them by name.

When a particular employee devotes themselves towards achieving the company goals, learn to appreciate them by name. It may either be a team effort or an individual task. Call them by name and praise them for their hard work.

Develop informal communication opportunities

Remote employees may lack the opportunity to bump into one another in the company or catch up on something such as a game or TV show. In such a situation, you can consider creating a week-to-week virtual ‘water-cooler’ session to enhance communication among friends in the company.

It can either be a time you dedicate for chit chats or an informal video chat. Practicing this week-to-week habit in your company can enable your remote employees to look forward to chatting or interacting with their colleagues more about themselves and not often about matters relating to work.

Establish in-person meetings

Formal in-person meetings are also an efficient technique you can use to recognize your employees. Despite the advancement of technology that permits seamless meetings, face-to-face meetings are fundamental when it comes to employee recognition and engagement.

Remote employees who do not reside too far from the company will be glad to meet you and other business owners once in a while. Of course, this is not possible at the moment with the COVID-19 situation and many countries in lockdown for the foreseeable future, so a one-to-one video call will need to suffice for the time being! Your employee will appreciate a personal call as much as a face-to-face meeting.

With such an opportunity, you can brainstorm new ideas, instigate or execute team-building exercises, or converse about your expectations, thereby building mutual trust between you and your employees.

Recognized employees are working hard

As aforementioned, it is crucial to recognize employees who dedicate themselves to accomplishing the company goals. Apart from appreciating them by name, you can consider using employee recognition awards such as promotions or incentives.

Doing so helps to motivate and inspire the employees and other employees to work hard. Additionally, it makes these employees feel happy and content with the work they are doing.

Submit a workspace allowance

When the furniture your remote team is using at home or elsewhere breaks or malfunctions, consider getting them a new one. This will help them to continue with their jobs in a comfortable manner and therefore enable them to keep meeting their deadlines. Additionally, it will show them that you view and value your remote team as much as you would in an office environment.

Bring some kind of celebration to them

Inclusivity is an integral aspect in the success of any organization. How you celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of your company matters to the employees. Hence, when your company accomplishes a particular goal or win, remember to celebrate with your employees 🥳 They play a significant role in the achievement of this success.

When you have remote employees in different parts of the world, embrace ingenuity and send them digital rewards so that they feel appreciated. Using a cloud-based noticeboard is a great idea for keeping a distributed team in the loop with the company’s achievements.

Perform recognition all-year-round

Positive reinforcement is vital in engaging and motivating employees. Employees work best when their hiring managers recognize their competence. Thus, it is crucial that you conduct employee recognition programs all year round. So, keep a record of how often you recognize your in-office employees and execute the same techniques when recognizing those in the remote team. Hi5 makes this particularly easy with their Recognition Dashboard.

In the same way you would want to reward over-accomplishing employees in time by going over to their desks, send a personal message to your remote employees as soon as you notice great work being done. Consistency with your reward programs irrespective of where your employees are, motivates and engages them. You should never forget to reward the hard work and effort of your remote employees.

Conclusion

Employee recognition is a fundamental aspect of the success and flourishment of any company. This is because it shows them that you value and appreciate the effort and determination they put in towards accomplishing the objectives of the company.

Additionally, it inspires and motivates other employees to work hard and enjoy these rewards. So, consider practicing employee recognition in your company to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. If you don’t know how to go about it, fret not as the tips above come in handy when recognizing employees in remote areas 😉👍

About the Author

Allen Cranston is an analyst and resume writer. Allen committed to helping talented professionals show the world what he is truly capable of. Since launching in 2012, Allen has helped over 4,000 job applicants land their dream jobs for ResumeThatWorks. He is constantly looking for new ways to help people achieve their career goals. You can reach him on Facebook or Twitter.