| 4 Ways to Increase Telecommuter Morale |
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| Written by Jade Harris | ||
| Thursday, 27 July 2006 | ||
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Extract from E-Book Doing Business Remotely Because home or remote-office based employees have, to a degree, achieved one of the chief desires of many professional workers—a more flexible schedule for greater work/life balance—they are generally likely to report greater intrinsic job satisfaction than their office-based colleagues. At the same time, teleworkers will lack frequent opportunities to connect with their colleagues, and may as a result be less inclined to identify with a corporate identity or culture than their traditional “on-site” employee counterparts. As a result, teleworkers may often search for a social identity outside the workplace to gratify their need to belong to a group. The chief problem with this “extrinsic” dissatisfaction, for employers, is that workers who do not form close relationships at work are not easily retained. This isolation of the employee also makes him less likely to “buy into” the company mission or philosophy, stunting their ability to grow professionally, lowering morale, and affecting job performance. Here are four ways to maintain and/or build the morale of your telecommuting staff: 1. Maintain Frequent Communication: Organizations employing telecommuters can boost the strength of their relationships with remote staff by maintaining frequent communication via a variety of available telecommunication technologies, such as email, IM, VoIP, webcasts, blogs, e-newsletters, and online shared workspaces. 2. Encourage Participation in Group Events: They can also extend routine invitations to face-to-face events that will benefit both employee and employer while providing teleworkers with the occasion to mingle with colleagues and other professionals. The events may be internally or externally derived. Appropriate work-sanctioned events might include:
3. Acknowledge Interests and Skills: Company-sponsored certifications and memberships in job or industry-related associations and groups also heighten employee morale while enhancing the overall company image. 4. Reward and Engage with Fun Activities: Finally, arrange to meet in-person regularly in order to connect with tele-staff on a more meaningful level, and to celebrate the organization’s culture. Collaboration, fun, and satisfaction (not work!) should be the emphasis in these gatherings.
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