5 Things to Consider When Recognizing Remote Employees

The average person spends more than a third of their life at their workplace, whether that be in person or online. Hard workers put their heart and soul into what they do and recognizing employees’ efforts is crucial to show appreciation for their commitment. 

As the world continues to move online, more and more jobs can be completely remote, allowing people to work full time for full pay while being hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Even though your remote employees are not in the physical workplace, the same rules apply for recognizing their presence and ensuring that they feel their effort is important and appreciated. 

Finding ways to recognize your remote employees in a meaningful and practical way can be a little difficult with them being far from their home base, and you want it to be more personal than a quick email or phone call. 

Thankfully there are some simple and effective tips to consider when recognizing your remote employees to ensure that your message of appreciation gets across in a thoughtful and meaningful way!

Goals  

One of the best and simplest ways to increase morale and productivity among the workforce is rewarding top-notch work and good behavior. Hardworking staff want to know that their work and can-do attitude are important and appreciated, especially when working remotely since there is an unavoidable disconnect from the in-person environment. 

Sit down and think carefully about what you want to get from your remote employees. High productivity, creativity, and teamwork are important to the growth of a business and are great areas to recognize your employees for achieving success in!

With goals in mind, it is much easier to spot exceptional work and effort among the workforce! You can also lay out your goals and expectations to your staff so they know exactly where they should look to improve and thrive. 

Taking the time to make goals and show your employees what you are looking for is a great way to easily spot team players going above and beyond for the business and help recognize your remote employees for their effort online!

Participation

A crucial aspect of any business is workplace collaboration, and when recognizing remote employees it is important to involve the entire department in showing appreciation for their job well done, including their managers and higher-ups. 

Employees who have a strong and healthy relationship with their boss and managers tend to feel more at home in the workplace and encourage collaboration and productivity. Praise from superiors is more meaningful when it comes straight from them and it shows your remote employees that their work and dedication matter. 

When recognizing and rewarding your remote employees, be sure to keep their manager or closest supervisor involved in the process, so they know it’s more heartfelt and meaningful. 

Not only does involving their superiors make the recognition more meaningful, managers and team leaders work closely with their immediate team, and have more insight as to who is putting out the best work and going above and beyond for their department!

Involving the heads of the department in recognizing remote employees helps close the gap between boss and staff and makes the appreciation feel much more meaningful and heartfelt to everyone involved!

Personalization

With the emphasis on breeding a culture of good morale and employee appreciation becoming more and more important and popular in the workplace, it is important to take the time to personalize the message so it doesn’t get stale. Taking the extra time and effort in making the message a little more personal holds much more value than the ordinary quick email or phone call. 

Your employees want to feel like they are known and cared about as an individual instead of another ID in the system. Keeping tabs on your remote employees on a more personal basis helps bridge the gap between the real world and the online realm. 

To make your recognition feel personal, reach out and show your appreciation for the specifics. Congratulate them for increasing productivity, pulling off a tough project, or just making the online workspace more enjoyable and less stressful for everyone involved. 

Getting up close and personal when recognizing your employees for their hard work shows them that you really care about them as well as what they bring to the company!

Effort

Anyone can send a quick text, email, or pick up the phone for a short call. Taking the extra time and effort in making your employees feel that their hard work is really appreciated is a great tactic for encouraging them to make more progress. 

Monetary gestures of appreciation are always appreciated. Whether they be a small cash bonus, monthly raise, or something like a gift card or voucher, your employees will appreciate that you value their work enough to pick out a gift for them. 

However, you don’t have to spend a cent to show that you put some real effort into recognizing your remote employees for their work. Reach out for a video call where you can talk to them personally and thank them for the hard work, or handwrite a thank you card with much love from you and their supervisors. 

Putting in the extra time and effort to make sure your remote employees know they are a valued member of your team is crucial to recognizing their commitment!

Consistency

Consistency is the key to success in business, and when recognizing your remote employees for their efforts it is crucial to making sure they know their hard work and dedication are appreciated and important. 

Maintaining a constant effort to recognize and reward good behavior encourages remote employees to work harder and be more involved while being physically away from the workspace. 

It also helps close the gap between the real world and online departments by keeping lines of communication for feedback and praise open and flowing!

Making sure to keep consistent communication and rewarding hard work and good morale is another simple and effective way to recognize your remote employees for their part in helping the business thrive!

Results

The workplace thrives on high productivity and good morale. Taking time to recognize achievement and success in all aspects of the business is vital to maintaining a healthy, happy, and stable work environment where everyone and the company can grow and thrive together!

Reaching out to your remote employees and showing your appreciation for them in a meaningful and personal way is one of the keys to growing a thriving and successful online branch filled with hardworking and high-achieving employees! 

Chung Nguyen
 

Chung is a seasoned business journalist with a focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility. With over 15 years of experience covering the world of finance and economics, Rachel has established herself as a respected authority on responsible business practices. Throughout her career, Chung has interviewed some of the most influential leaders in the corporate world and has covered major business events such as the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Climate Change Conference. She is also a regular contributor to leading business publications and has won several awards for her work. Chung's passion for promoting sustainable business practices has also led her to author a book on the topic.