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Introduction: Engaging Remote Employees
Remote work surged by over 150% during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing significant engagement challenges for distributed teams. A 2022 MIT study found that remote employees are 20-30% less engaged on average. Low engagement leads to burnout, performance issues, and talent retention struggles that compound over time.
Strong employee engagement has proven benefits for offshore partnerships, with Gallup reporting engaged teams see 21% greater profitability. Highly engaged employees also have 41% lower absenteeism and are 59% less likely to look for another job in the next year.
This article will cover key strategies to effectively engage offshore employees working remotely in different time zones. We’ll compare top tools and techniques specifically suited for global virtual teams. Alignment enabled through Floowi's talent matching process facilitates offshore employee engagement by promoting cultural fit from the start.
Defining Employee Engagement
Employee engagement refers to the emotional commitment, involvement, and passion that individuals feel towards their work and organization. Engaged offshore employees exhibit higher levels of energy, effort, and persistence for their roles.
Gallup finds only 15% of employees worldwide feel actively engaged. This low engagement costs businesses over $7 trillion per year through lost productivity. Common pitfalls for offshore teams like cultural/language barriers and feelings of detachment exacerbate these issues.
Through Floowi’s high-touch matching process and dedicated account management, your offshore team is carefully selected to share cultural values and team fit — the foundation for higher engagement.
Lack of engagement causes burnout, churn, and billions in losses
Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $483 billion to $605 billion per year in lost productivity. Building engagement, starting from the hiring process, is key for offshore team success.
Engaged teams drive better performance, retention, and wellbeing
Gallup finds that highly engaged business units see 21% greater profitability. They also retain talent better, with up to 65% lower turnover among engaged offshore staff.
Cultural and language barriers pose offshore engagement challenges
Geographic separation can inhibit connectivity and comfort working across different cultures. Floowi’s matching process bridges these gaps for seamless collaboration.
Communication Strategies
Consistent, clear communication is vital when working with offshore teams. Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom enable persistent connectivity through flexible channels.
Emphasizing video calls builds rapport and relationships despite distance barriers. On video, facial expressions and body language also improve understanding.
Provide ample context during meetings and clarify reasoning behind requests to reduce confusion. With distributed teams, don’t assume knowledge of internal business activities and plans.
Persistent chat apps facilitate constant contact
Tools like Slack allow seamless discussions across time zones, with chat history bringing remote teams up to speed.
Video calls are crucial to interpret verbal and nonverbal cues
Faces and emotions get lost in voice-only meetings. cam-velascoeras foster better personal connections with offshore teams.
Give context to reduce ambiguity about priorities and timing
Explain business goals tied to requests, along with any cultural nuances, to prevent misaligned expectations.
Setting Aligned OKRs
Well-defined goals give teams purpose and direction while enabling performance measurement. The Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework sets outcomes-focused goals and ties them to specific metrics for consistency.
Cascading company OKRs down through department, team, and individual levels also builds engagement. This connects higher-level goals to day-to-day work for offshore employees.
Automated OKR software platforms help track real-time progress towards targets at each level. They facilitate updates and transparency across organizations.
As part of Floowi’s onboarding, offshore talent OKRs are collaboratively designed alongside client managers to ensure complete alignment.
Objectives set qualitative goals and Key Results define quantitative metrics
OKRs create alignment on the desired outcomes, while key results measure progress through numeric thresholds.
Cascading OKRs connects company goals to individual’s roles
Tiered objectives align priorities leading to greater job clarity and purpose-driven offshore teams.
Automated tracking brings visibility into goal progress
OKR software enables leaders to monitor achievement towards targets and see where teams are falling behind.
Gathering Feedback and Recognition
Continuous feedback allows offshore teams to regularly self-correct and develop skills. Anonymous pulse surveys provide insight into current employee sentiment and unbiased responses to important questions. AI chatbots make gathering feedback simple through natural conversations.
Public recognition of wins motivates distributed teams and makes them feel valued. Highlighting achievements through monetary rewards, social celebrations, and peer bonuses reinforces positive contributions.
As part of Floowi’s high-touch approach, we facilitate detailed client feedback sharing with matched offshore talent to foster growth.
Anonymous pulses check engagement and satisfaction
Regular pulse surveys help leaders understand employee perspectives without pressure for positive responses.
Public recognition for good work incentivizes engagement
Celebrating wins and thanking top contributors motivates through positive reinforcement.
Floowi spotlights offshore talent achievements with clients
We share standout examples of innovation, progress, and impact to showcase our network’s talents.
Promoting Collaboration
Collaborative activities build connectivity, relationships, and trust despite geographic barriers. Informal gatherings like virtual watercoolers, peer groups, and social events enable casual bonding beyond daily work.
Teambuilding challenges introduce friendly competition while games and activities bring some fun into remote work. These help distributed staff strengthen relationships under relaxed contexts.
Interactive digital whiteboards (Miro) and graphic workspaces (Mural) drive highly engaging workshops and working sessions. Their full-featured collaboration capabilities keep teams energized and focused.
As part of its high-touch approach, Floowi facilitates introductions and partnerships between clients and offshore employees for impactful long-term collaborations.
Peer communities enable informal gatherings and conversations
Chat channels, forums, roundtables centered around hobbies, advice foster connections.
Games, trivia and friendly contests encourage team bonding
Voluntary activities with scoring mechanics harness our competitive spirit to bring teams together.
Visual work tools build highly interactive workshops
Real-time graphic collaboration maximizes participation regardless of language fluency.
Best Engagement Practices
Sustaining offshore employee engagement requires dedicated 1-on-1s for understanding individual needs, promoting work-life balance through schedule flexibility, showing interest in cultural diversity, and site visits to build personal connections.
As a boutique firm, Floowi’s white-glove service and dedicated account management provide the high-touch foundation for these best practices between clients and matched offshore talent.
Consistent 1-on-1s uncover needs and hampering issues
Regular check-ins provide forums for personalized guidance from leadership.
Flexible schedules support work-life harmony
Empower employees to adjust schedules around family while upholding core business hour overlap.
Learn about cultural traditions
Respectfully asking about important traditions shows inclusion and appreciation.
In-person site visits strengthen bonds immensely
When possible, on-site trips enable engaging face-to-face interactions and deeper context.
Key Communication Tools
Leading communication platforms like Slack, Zoom, and WhatsApp paired with translation tools such as Google Translate enable clear messaging across language barriers. Floowi’s bilingual team provides additional assistance interpreting cultural nuances during early talent onboarding.
Slack centralizes conversations and access to knowledge
Instant messaging and chat history keep global teams aligned.
Zoom builds visual engagement and personal connections
Reliable video meetings are vital for interpreting nonverbal cues.
WhatsApp enables informal rapport building
Casual chat helps relationships grow beyond task focus.
Google Translate bridges language gaps
AI translation allows seamless communication in native languages.
Floowi deciphers cultural nuances
Our bilingual team helps interpret ambiguous phrasing for misunderstanding prevention.
Key Takeaways
To wrap up, the most critical strategies for engaging offshore teams include:
- Consistent, clear communication with context about priorities and goals
- Aligning on objectives and measurable key results (OKRs)
- Continuous feedback gathering through anonymous pulses and conversations
- Public recognition of achievements through monetary and social rewards
- Promoting informal collaboration and teambuilding activities
- Dedicated 1-on-1s, work-life balance, and site visits
With its high-touch, boutique approach to talent matching and management, Floowi builds deep alignment between clients and offshore talent for optimized engagement.
