Remote work: How can leaders improve their communication?

A recent study in Singapore found a clear link between good leadership and employee loyalty and engagement.

And strong leaders have led to an increase in both amidst the pandemic. Across all generations of workers, employees became more likely to promote their company following their experience through COVID – 33% versus 24% previously.

Good leadership also meant employees were less likely to be detractors, or those who would actively not recommend the company – 25% versus 40% pre-COVID.

Read more: Why strong leadership is crucial to manage a crisis

What’s more, EngageRocket’s latest report found that engaged employees are five times more likely to be resilient and twice as likely to not feel overwhelmed by the changes happening around them.

One way to become better leaders in a crisis is to improve communication.

“In our own studies, we’ve found that manager support and communication plays an essential role in employee engagement and resilience,” said Chee Tung Leong, CEO and co-founder at EngageRocket.

HRD spoke to the CEO to get tips on improving your communication skills while working remotely.

• Limit communication to only one or two platforms.

Continually switching between multiple platforms only serves to add additional layers of distractions, he said.

• Set clear expectations and goals.

“Remote work requires a great deal of self-motivation,” he told HRD. “Clarity provides a clear direction and framework to help leaders and remote employees to achieve goals.”

Setting clear and achievable milestones, such as deadlines or targets, gives remote staff the information they need to manage their time effectively. Make sure the goals are specific, measurable, realistic, time-bound and mutually agreed, he said.

Read more: How to engage remote employees

The CEO believes that COVID-19 will change workplaces permanently. Leadership will need to leverage the new habits formed and investments made to optimise new ways of working and succeed in the post-pandemic world.

“Leaders and managers have evolved their leadership styles with more understanding and flexibility for greater authenticity and a more human-centric approach to work,” he said. “More than ever, employees’ expectations, aspirations and performance are synchronised with company goals.”