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How to Keep Your Remote Employees Engaged When Distractions are Everywhere
Don’t fear your inability to measure remote worker outputs in terms of hours worked. Instead, keep them engaged and focus on positive outcomes.
I’ve done remote work on and off since the early 2000s and have been full-time remote for the past five years.
This began when I launched and subsequently sold my first eCommerce startup. Since then, I’ve been a digital marketing and operations consultant for over 200 businesses.
My remote lifestyle was a personal choice, unlike the circumstances under which most people found themselves since lockdowns began at the beginning of 2020. As a result, I’ve learned to balance my freedom and flexibility with the focus required to do a good job.
Most people are still newbies to #WorkFromHomeLife and are easily distracted. However, my experience leading remote teams of 5 to 50 people — and more, reporting to clients and employers, and surviving burnout gives me a unique perspective on remote work. So pay attention, use what makes sense, and supercharge your small team.
Reality Check: Remote Employees Are Human
I dabble in code because I love providing a set of inputs that have an expected output.
If I write a few lines of code to calculate the square root of a number, it works predictably every time — I input the number 4, producing the output, 2. Unfortunately, humans do not function in the same way. Between receiving your input and producing their output, any number of things may happen. For example, they may not have the right training or experience, or they could get distracted.
As an entrepreneur or team leader, you may have fantasies about distraction-free workers and completely dedicated to their jobs and your company. Stop it. They’re human, and it’s your job to find ways to inspire them to stay engaged and to prioritize the work they do with you.
