EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR YOUR REMOTE WORKFORCE

Presented by

Click the “tweet” button above to tweet the information on each slide

As the workforce continues to evolve, so does the work environment. Gone are the days of workers commuting to a main o�ce for 8 hours. Instead, more and more employees are working remotely.

ACCORDING TO GLOBALWORKPLACEANALYTICS.COM:

• Work-from-home work has grown by 103% since 2005.

• 3.7 million employees now work from home at least half the time.

With this change, it’s important for organizations to design an employee development strategy that can be adapted for remote workers, ensuring they continue to feel connected and engaged.

SOURCE

4 EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR YOUR REMOTE WORKFORCE

• Equip managers with training and tools

• Create engaging, intuitive development programs

• Find ways to collaborate and connect

• Measure effectiveness and gather feedback

EQUIP MANAGERSWITH TRAINING AND TOOLS

In order for your employee development strategies to be effective, your managers need training and tools on the the best ways to engage and develop team members that work remotely.

1

It’s one thing to manage someone who sits in the same building. It’s another thing entirely to manage someone who wakes up on the other side of the world, just as you’re leaving the o�ce for the day…Managers in these situations need training and resources to help them set expectations and effectively manage people, regardless of when or where employees are doing their job.

-Liz Sheffield

SOURCE

Furthermore, development plans will not work unless managers establish a trusted working relationship with their employees. LEADERS SHOULD:

• Model a high-trust environment.

• Set clear expectations and deadlines.

• Encourage both formal and informal touch points.

• Schedule regular 1:1 check-ins and conference calls to keep all parties up-to-date.

CREATE ENGAGING, INTUITIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Trust and communication are the first step in engaging remote workers to participate in development programs. But if your tools and offerings are not intuitive and user-friendly, and don’t make sense for your workforce needs, they will be a hard sell to remote and in-office employees alike.

2

Create employee development programs and tools that align with employee needs and are mobile-friendly. Sarah Lecuna, benefits manager at Intuit, says programs are embraced by employees when they focus around the question: “How do we make our employees’ lives easier, or better, or both?” Create a development suite that aligns with your company culture and employee needs. And invest in mobile-friendly applications to make your offerings accessible to all employees, regardless of generation or location.

Also, consider incorporating gamification in your suite of development tools to encourage some friendly competition between employees. Research shows that apps with gamification boast higher employee participation and more positive feedback.

SOURCE

FIND WAYS TOCOLLABORATE AND CONNECT Remote work is also changing workplace culture—specifically meetings. No longer are meetings just face-to-face. Now collaboration is online and trainings are off-site. Leverage all types of tech options (teleconferences, texting groups, central project camps, instant messaging) to build an interconnected team free from working isolation.

Remember: it’s crucial to connect often and keep lines of communication open, regardless of where employees are located. Don’t forget to encourage informal touch ways for your teams to communicate to further build rapport and team trust.

3

Recognition is a great development tool and strengthens work connections. Here are a few suggestions on how organizations can recognize remote workers:

• Send hand-written notes, delivered to their remote location

• Once a month do a profile on a remote team member and give a shout out of the great work they’ve accomplished

• Hold recognition moments during conference calls/meetings

• Say quick thank you’s with fun eButtons or other socially shared appreciation tools

SOURCE

MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS AND GATHER FEEDBACK

Lastly, in order to effectively create employee development

strategies for your remote workforce, track what’s working

(and what’s not) along the way. Gather feedback from

employees and leverage surveys. You can also leverage

employee knowledge by empowering mentors to train

other employees on skills they’ve developed.

4

JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON

MAGAZINEa

O.C. TANNER AND THE O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE

O.C. Tanner, number 40 on the 2015 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies

to Work For® list, helps organizations create great work environments

by inspiring and appreciating great work. Thousands of clients

globally use the company’s cloud-based technology, tools, awards,

and education services to engage talent, increase performance,

drive goals, and create experiences that fuel the human spirit. Learn

more at octanner.com.

The O.C. Tanner Institute regularly commissions research and provides

a global forum for exchanging ideas about recognition, engagement,

leadership, culture, human values, and sound business principles.

7KEY INSIGHTS FROM

HR TECH 2015THE MILLENNIAL EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

5 Everyday Objects that are the Result

of Great Work

MYTHS ABOUT GREAT WORK:AND the Reality of What to Do to

Make it Happen

6

? How to Master the Artof a Great Meeting

MORE PRESENTATIONS BY O.C. TANNER