According to a Pew Research Poll, about 35% of all U.S. workers now work hybrid jobs—up from 7% in years past. This flexible blend of in-office and remote work seems to fit the ‘go big or (work at home)’ attitude of many Americans, who find physical distance from the office to be—if not a little restorative—equally productive, particularly with today’s technology.
But not every bright idea completes its journey to a bright reality. Many business owners tell of growing pains while transitioning from in-person to hybrid; and one of the most gnawing is, specifically, how can they measure the employee engagement of such a far-stretched workforce?
Thankfully, by brainstorming some clear success strategies and continuously checking them, it’s easier now than ever to have a buzzing hybrid work model.
Why is it important to measure employee engagement—particularly in hybrid workspaces?
In a situation where face-to-face communication, on-site help, and team building is kaput for swaths of the week, employers must make the extra effort to ensure their remote workers are happy, productive, and in the loop.
Here’s what a successful hybrid work environment could look like:
- Team members regularly checking in, either one-on-one or in group Zoom calls
- Higher-ups providing equitable access of online and in-person opportunities, information, and resources
- Feedback available for all remote employees, using accessible channels
- Employees open to sharing their honest opinions, whether they have a physical place at the company or not
Ignoring your hybrid and remote employees can be costly, leading to a group of unappreciated team members who feel second-rate to their in-office counterparts. By measuring engagement, you can develop metrics showing just how tuned-in your employees are.
How to measure the employee engagement of your hybrid workforce?
Employee-employer relations have changed over the past decade, and so too have the strategies we use to track it. Thankfully, it’s easier now than ever to implement these strategies and, thus, create meaningful metrics.
Issue regular surveys
While typically underused in the business scene, surveys have been, and continue to be effective engagement tracking tools. A typical employee engagement survey might include a set of questions sent to homebound team members with a scale of answers (e.g., likeliest vs unlikeliest, or 1-5). Each survey should drill to a specific metric you’re looking to target, like employee morale or specific pain points a remote worker might labor under. You can then settle on an average survey score your company deems acceptable—that is to say, requiring no action.
Leverage communication tools
While communication faces many hardships in the digital workspace, overcoming these challenges becomes simpler through fostering a sense of community. Namely, tools like Slack prioritize company culture through use of specialized chats—some for recognizing birthdays and anniversaries, acknowledging and rewarding employees, and even encouraging remote team members to know each other beyond their daily tasks. Probably the only thing these tools can’t do is avoid the natural cluttering of one-too-many chats, which can be helped by prioritizing certain discussions.
Host feedback sessions
Thousands of employer-employee check-ins are taking place, not in offices, where most face-to-face discussions are had, but in remote workplaces or at home. Since remote workers can sometimes feel like a world away, these remote check-ins gift both sides a fuller understanding of any challenges, concerns, or feelings not immediately apparent through just surveys or basic communication. Asking questions like “What do you like most about your hybrid work arrangement” or, quite the opposite, “what don’t you like about it?” can open up the floor to discussing future goals.
Track virtual attendance rates
With the remote/hybrid work experience often ticking to a different clock, it’s not so surprising to see absenteeism as a common complaint amongst businesses. Attendance tracking software—of which there are many—can help monitor the number of hybrid team members who frequent regular meetings, webinars, and exercises compared to the total number of expected attendees. High attendance rates will relay that employees are actively engaged in their work, whereas weaker rates would likely indicate technical issues, poor communication, or simply a lack of interest.
Gauge work productivity
We gauge work productivity in many ways. Hours worked, goal achievement, and feedback—these are all vectors of productivity for hybrid employees. Progress tracking software can log the minutes spent on certain tasks and projects, monitoring, by-and-large, an employees’ progress towards their goals or OKRs (objectives and key results).
To be clear: these tools may not fit every worker’s scenario, as some might construe the software’s watchful eye as overbearing and snooping; others may see it as a lack of trust. Therefore, combining progress tracking software with several of the tips above—and even trying other methods like “focus hours,” where employers encourage their employees to dial in for a designated amount of time, ensuring productivity—can provide a well-rounded plan for meeting agreed upon goals.
Above all, focus on providing equal opportunities to your hybrid team
Whether at a standard office desk or in the comfort of a bedroom, an employee’s work experience shouldn’t feel any different—aside from the obvious decor. That means each team member should be given the same access to supervisors, equipment (again, arrangements will differ), and overall, opportunities.
Hybrid employee engagement used to be an enigma to track. But thanks to the fine-tuning of strategies that small and large businesses alike use in monitoring their hybrid teams, those days of fast becoming over.