Meanwhile, OPM has provided a list of suggestions to help managers stay engaged with teleworking employees, which it said “can seem more challenging” than with those who are in the office.
“As more and more of our colleagues telework or work remotely, it’s even more important that we find ways to make them fully included partners in the work we do every day,” OPM acting director Beth Cobert said in a blog post.
OPM recently added a session on engaging a remote workforce as part of its webinar series on employee engagement. Advice from OPM includes:
* “Go beyond the phone and email to get and stay connected with your employees. Not all IT tools are as useful to some of us as others. But it is important to analyze your team of teleworkers to see if there is any technology that would help your team communicate more–or more effectively. If you see a tool that you think would benefit their communication in the telework environment, try creating a business case to get permission to use it.”
* “At team meetings, talk about more than just work. This helps the team to get to know each other better, even though they are not sitting in the same office. Anything we can do increase that personal connection helps make our remote workforce feel even more a part of the team and even more effective.”