Improving your remote employees’ job satisfaction isn’t just a turnover booster—it’s like turbocharging your team’s productivity.
But the question is, how exactly do you pull off this?
Figuring out ways to boost job satisfaction among your remote squad is similar to a puzzle.
The distance between you and your remote employees may seem like a roadblock, too, but this blog debunks that myth.
We’re breaking down six simple and actionable ways experts swear by to improve employee job satisfaction.
Before diving in, let’s learn what employee satisfaction means.
What is employee job satisfaction?
Employee satisfaction measures the employee’s contentment with their job, work environment, and overall company culture.
Salaries, non-monetary incentives, and growth opportunities (to name a few) affect employee satisfaction levels.
Employee happiness at work helps prevent burnout and motivates employees to perform at their best.
Employee satisfaction is a concept that most companies understand, but many struggle to understand why it’s so important.
Why is improving remote employee job satisfaction important?
It’s simple. Employee satisfaction results in higher productivity and higher output quality at work.
A lot goes into improving remote work employees’ job satisfaction – even requiring special attention.
Having satisfied employees directly affects your company’s bottom line. When your employees are satisfied, you’re more likely to reduce employee turnover because they’re more likely to stay.
When your employees are happy at work, they feel more loyal to your company and take pride in their work.
Let’s look at examples of companies with high employee productivity and satisfaction.
Examples of companies with high employee productivity and satisfaction
The following examples of companies with high employee job satisfaction rates will motivate you to take action to improve your employee satisfaction.
Let’s look at them and their company culture.
1. Netflix
Unlike other startups, Netflix doesn’t offer its employees gym memberships or communal lunches.
Instead, Netflix’s company culture focuses on equipping team members with the tools they need to become successful professionals.
The result? More employee satisfaction and productivity.
Additionally, Netflix’s company culture encourages feedback. The company’s executives encourage their employees to voice their opinions.
Our favourite aspect of Netflix’s company culture manifesto is its increased employee freedom.
It is natural for any company to create more rules and procedures as it grows. But you must resist it, learn from Netflix’s bold decision, and offer your employees more freedom.
2. InVision
InVision, which provides screen design tools, has over 1000 employees working remotely in 20 countries.
As a remote team, InVision shows how to build (and sustain) culture and employee experience.
As part of its company culture, InVision values trusting its distributed teams. The process begins on day one of their onboarding.
Their remote employees are motivated from day one, which leads to greater job satisfaction in the long run.
Moreover, they have certain norms to ensure collaboration and connection between colleagues, such as thanking a colleague who goes above and beyond.
InVision also offers employee recognition and rewards programs.
You can also use InVision’s company culture to improve job satisfaction among remote employees.
How can employee satisfaction and productivity be improved?
A well-known saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
This is true because when people are overloaded with mental tasks and don’t find time for play, rest, and recreation – they eventually become dull and lazy.
The result? Work dissatisfaction and unproductivity.
So, look into your company culture and see if you are making the same mistake.
And if you find yourself mistaken, don’t worry. We have your back, bringing actionable ways to improve remote employee job satisfaction.
Here are the 6 ways to improve your remote employee job satisfaction all year round.
1. Prioritize employee health and wellness
As you immerse yourself in your professional life, your personal well-being tends to fade away.
Keeping job satisfaction levels high requires prioritising your own and your employees’ wellness.
We get it; you have deadlines and need your remote employees to meet them.
But guess what? You can handle this the right way.
Brett Fox says you should push your employees towards a deadline while prioritising their wellness.
Brett adds that you need to consider how your team is feeling when you’re running your company.
Here’s a practical way to do it, in Brett’s words. “When you’re pushing towards a deadline, introducing a new product, and you have a customer meeting coming up, whatever it might be, and you’ve got to meet that goal, push. Push hard,” Brett says.
“However, once you get there, slow things down slightly. Think of it this way. It’s like driving a car. You need to know when to put on the gas while pushing for that goal,” Brett adds.
“You need to slow things down and allow your team to breathe. That’s how you get the most out of your team for the long run and prevent employee burnout,” Brett recommends.
2. Foster a culture of continuous learning
The best way to retain your remote workforce and keep them happy is to develop a culture of continuous learning.
If you don’t know how to create a culture of continuous learning in your organisation, don’t worry. We have an expert’s advice on that as well.
According to Tim Berry, Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Software, fostering a learning culture at work is a key component of employee-centric workplaces, so employees feel they aren’t becoming stagnant.
Tim further shares a practical way to foster a culture of continuous learning.
According to Tim, continuous learning can take the form of helping employees earn a professional certificate, a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or even work towards in-house mentoring.
The plan can also include a student loan repayment program.
3. Recognise great work and recommend areas for growth
The dedication level of your remote employee can make or break their job satisfaction, so pay attention to it.
Ensure your team consistently appreciates their hard work by rewarding them or implementing employee appreciation days.
Tim Berry believes how you communicate with your team significantly impacts their motivation and morale.
Tim says the best way to help your remote employees is to develop a growth mindset or assist them in building one. It motivates people to conquer their everyday challenges at work and drives them into action.
4. Compensate them properly
Everything we do is technically related to money.
So why not use it properly?
Idowu Koyenikan, an internationally acclaimed organisational consultant and author, says, “Money is always eager and ready to work for anyone ready to employ it.”
Brett Fox shares the formula for maintaining employee job satisfaction: “To keep your great talent from leaving isn’t complicated. All you need to do is compensate them well, give them a great environment and company, and surround them with great people.”
5. Encourage flexibility and offer choices
It is still common for companies to adopt a 9-to-5 job mindset while also fully embracing remote work.
When you can successfully provide flexibility to remote workers, you can retain and thrive your workforce.
Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, supports this idea.
Ben says, “Having tasted the freedom of working in their pyjamas, employees now have different expectations of how, when, and where they can work. Instead of trying to stifle this trend, companies should embrace it.”
6. Take advantage of online communication platforms
It is a no-brainer that online communication is the new way to humanise communication. Your remote employees rely on online communication tools.
A simple and effective tool will enable you to send and receive vital messages to motivate your remote workers.
So, pick the best team communication app for your enterprise to ensure your employees remain satisfied while working with your company.
According to Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, technology plays an important role in employee retention.
Therefore, a simple online communication app like Talk Magnet can take your internal communication to the next level.
Talk Magnet is an easy-to-use team chat app for startups. It lets your team communicate and collaborate via chat, voice, video, and file sharing.
Boost your remote team’s satisfaction with Talk Magnet
Armed with a solid grasp of employee satisfaction, you can implement these expert-backed ideas to improve your remote employees’ satisfaction and productivity.
But without seamless communication among your remote staff, improving employee satisfaction is just wishful thinking.
The key is to use a collaboration tool.
Talk Magnet is the best choice for your business. It’s a simple, easy-to-use app that enables your teams to communicate and collaborate via chat, voice, video, and file sharing through one platform.
So download Talk Magnet now to use for free, or book a demo to learn how to leverage team communication.