Let’s look at that title for a second. Could remote employees be your most-engaged workers? Aren’t they just scattered across the globe doing who knows what?
Well, we beg to differ. Remote employees can be your most engaged and productive workers when you’ve got the right collection of tech in the toolbox. A recent study found that 77 percent of remote workers get more done in fewer hours thanks to fewer distractions like meetings, conversations and noisy coworkers. Sure, you may not have believed that sentiment 10 years ago, but we’ve come a long way since then. If we can now have pet food delivered by drone via the tiny computer in our pocket, we can take the “remote feeling” out of remote work.
Another study found that 95 percent of employers say telework has a high impact on employee retention. Telecommuting is a great way to ensure you have the best team members in place for your team – regardless of location. And with the right tools in place, your remote workers will feel connected, engaged and productive, regardless of their location. Additionally, the best part, contrary to popular belief, remote workers don’t come with heavy costs. In fact, according to PGi’s annual Global Telework survey, employers, on average, save around $10K in commuting and equipment costs when their employees elect to work remotely full-time instead.
Even with technology, you can’t always ensure employees are working. However, technology helps them be more efficient and connected. Without using collaboration tools to engage with your remote workers, you could have a team of far-flung employees who rarely connect. To avoid this – and to make sure your remote workers are performing – there are three technologies you should take advantage of:
Hosted Voice
Long gone are the days of employees having to use the same company-issued phone and computer. When the cloud rolled in, it also brought with it hosted voice, a business phone service that enables unified communication, no matter the device people are using or the location they’re calling from.
Hosted voice services give users full control over their phone system by making it easy to reset a voicemail password or turning on holiday hours. You can even do it remotely, away from the office. Furthermore, when properly architected, the sound quality on hosted voice improves greatly and gives IT the ability to monitor quality and make adjustments when necessary.
Video Conferencing
Don’t just think of remote workers as sepia-toned versions of their Gmail profile pics. Instead, engage with remote workers just as dynamically as you would with in-office employees with high-quality video conferencing.
Studies show that up to 93 percent of communication is non-verbal. Body language is extremely important in having an effective conversation. Companies can improve meeting efficiency and prevent miscommunications by enabling teams to actually see one another.
Webcasts
When done the right way, webcasts are a great way to relay information and track user engagement. Webcasts keep telecommuters in the loop through live-streamed meetings, conferences and events. Furthermore, recording a webcast makes it easy for disparate teams to connect at any time and watch events as if they were live.
These tools can help you help you improve your remote worker’s engagement and see productivity and collaboration skyrocket for your telecommuting talent. Learn more about our telecommunications-enabling solutions today.
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