Strategies to Involve Remote Workers

The digital workplace is fast becoming as robust as the physical office space. Involving remote workers in presentations, roundtable discussions, and company gatherings is not just beneficial, it’s essential. Distance is no longer a barrier to collaboration and inclusion, but can be part of the company culture when you learn to fully involve remote workers.

Our Top 5 Remote Worker Involvement Strategies

Following are practical strategies to help you re-imagine virtual interactions in your workplace to ensure every team member, irrespective of their location, is actively engaged and integrated:

Facilitate Dynamic Round Table Discussions

Virtual round table discussions can be made more dynamic by using breakout rooms for small group deliberations, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Employing collaborative documents where attendees can note down points in real time promotes active participation from all corners of the world.

Encourage Cross-Participation

Encourage in-office employees to interact with remote workers by setting up ‘digital tables’ where in-office workers connect via a laptop during meetings. This can equalize the playing field, ensuring remote workers are seen and heard just as clearly as those in the room. Encourage on-site and remote employees to present together in live meetings to spice things up!

Create Inclusive Company Gatherings

Adopt virtual event platforms that offer a sense of presence for remote workers, simulating a shared space for more personal interaction and engagement. Simulate a shared space by using virtual event platforms that allow remote workers to ‘sit’ at tables, ‘walk’ to different presentation rooms, and even engage in networking lounges. This gives remote workers the autonomy to navigate the event as if they were there in person.

Enhance Presentations with Interactivity

When presenting information, utilize tools that allow real-time reactions and contributions, such as digital hand-raising or live Q&A sessions to involve remote workers. Always include the remote participants in the meeting. Avoid having a seemingly separate meeting for remotes led by a moderator and a meeting for-on-site participants led by the actual leader. Let everyone have an opportunity to be heard.

Inspire a Sense of Belonging

Host regular virtual social events like online game nights, virtual team lunches, or coffee breaks where the conversation isn’t centered around work tasks. These casual meet-ups can help remote employees forge personal connections with their in-office counterparts, bridging the gap between professional and social interactions.

Encourage the sharing of personal stories, celebrate milestones, and create virtual traditions that remote workers can look forward to. By nurturing these relationships, companies can cultivate a workplace where every employee, regardless of their physical location, feels valued and an integral part of the team culture.

Final Thoughts

By embedding these strategies into your company culture, organizations can ensure that remote workers are not only present but actively involved in all aspects of company life. It’s about reimagining the boundaries of our workplaces and creating a cohesive community that thrives on the collective energy of its members, regardless of their physical location to ensure every member of your team feels connected, engaged, and valued.

Are you ready to elevate your remote team’s involvement? Connect with us and explore our comprehensive trainings and resources to build a thriving and inclusive remote workplace. Join us in shaping the future of work.

Sign up for our Remote Professional Certification. In this certification track, your employees will learn strategies to help them engage fully with work and company culture to co-create the future of work with their organizations.