Managers know there are specific signs to look out for, such as discontent, a lack of enthusiasm, behavioral shifts, or even questionable behavior. However, it gets harder to recognize these signs when employees are working remotely.
According to Global Workforce Analytics, the workplace has grown larger than ever, as 25% of employees now work remotely. These employees often have different motivations and standards compared to their office-based colleagues. Furthermore, because office environments foster collaboration and social interactions, working remotely can result in a marked decline in participation and interaction.
So, how do you ensure that your remote employees stay just as engaged as the ones you walk past daily in your office hallways? Communication and body language are critical for remote and office workers. Therefore, we'll briefly discuss a few "virtual body language" patterns that could point to a disgruntled employee who needs some help.
How to read the body language of remote workers
1. Monitoring Absence from Meetings
Keep an eye on team members who consistently miss or are late for company meetings, whether routine or one-on-one. This is often an early sign that an employee is starting to disengage. It's easier to recognize these signs when you see someone in the room, but don't take this less seriously when an employee misses a voice call or video conference. Fortunately, there are easy steps you can take to address absenteeism from meetings.
Setting up meetings can be difficult for remote teams in different time zones. When setting up meetings, always remember to take into account the time zones of all participants. Also, adjust your schedule appropriately to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunications.
If you have frequent calls with the team, try to change start times occasionally to ensure you're not always speaking to team members early or late. Additionally, make sure that the timing of meeting requests doesn't interfere with their schedules by checking them regularly. However, if everyone agrees on the date and time, the remote team is responsible for respecting the schedule.
It may seem obvious, but don't wait until the next one-on-one meeting to follow up with an employee you notice is consistently missing meetings, virtual or otherwise. Send them a quick message or, even better, make a voice call to understand the reason for their absence accurately.
2. Carefully Monitoring Employees Even When They Are Silent
Employees may be completing their assigned tasks, clocking in on time, and attending all the meetings on their calendar; however, they may not be actively and effectively participating. Take note of the employee who becomes uncharacteristically silent and does not contribute to team calls and collaborative projects.
This issue becomes even more crucial when working with remote employees, who typically need more effort to participate from a distance. Spend some time getting to know each member of your remote team's preferred communication style; what suits one worker well might not suit another. While some workers might prefer email communication, others might not like the casual feel of group messaging apps.
Also, context is extremely important. Therefore, you should distinguish between the kinds of conversations that work best in real or virtual one-on-one meetings, like giving sensitive feedback, and the ones that can be easily communicated via a brief email, like turning in work before the deadline.
Suppose you don't know your employee's preferred method of receiving feedback or their willingness to engage in one-on-one meetings. Just ask. A shy employee may just need more structured and organized communication.
3. Organizing Key Events
Productivity is much easier to observe and track when your employees are present in the office. However, when employees work remotely, you can't physically check in on their progress or casually meet them in the hallway to assess your project's status. Also, it may be challenging for your virtual team members to ask questions and share their ideas comfortably, as employees need to develop and grow in their roles and form perspectives about ongoing projects.
As a manager, you cannot afford to neglect important events and deadlines but do not want to engage in remote micromanagement. Therefore, consider setting up a team communication and operating agreement, providing general guidelines for managing the project across your teams. These plans should include important information such as when to provide status reports, preferred communication channels, what needs to be conveyed, to whom, and how information should be presented. Such an agreement can guarantee that important deadlines are met and foster a stronger sense of accountability among team members.
Managers should assist in fostering engagement within the remote team by consistently assuring the virtual employee that they are an integral part of the team, just like those who work in the office, in order to reestablish the virtual employee's "presence" as with an office-based employee.
Make yourself as present and available to provide support and feedback even when you're not in the same physical location by using chat apps and scheduling virtual working hours in your calendar.
4. Conducting Preemptive and Frequent Check-Ins
Since each employee is different, there are no universally accepted guidelines for handling employee unhappiness. However, ensure you assess your virtual team's engagement levels frequently and address individual team members' concerns early on.
Disconnects happen frequently. According to a recent study, only 55% of employees agree that their managers are transparent, despite 80% of managers thinking they are in their interactions with their subordinates. Therefore, use the available tools wisely, and then you can move forward with a happy and engaged workforce, whether virtual or otherwise.
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