Remote work has transitioned from an experiment to a standard practice in many industries. As of March, about one in four paid workdays in the U.S. is now done from home.
With this shift come new opportunities and, undoubtedly, new challenges.
In a virtual setting, leaders cannot rely on casual office interactions or physical presence to keep teams motivated, so they must be more intentional in nurturing connections.
In this article, we examine the unique challenges associated with remote work and explore advanced engagement techniques that help teams stay connected, motivated, and productive.
The rise of remote work has fundamentally changed how teams operate.
Instead of colleagues interacting in person, communication is now mainly virtual, relying on tools such as Slack messaging or Zoom meetings. While this new dynamic provides many benefits for companies, like flexibility and access to wider talent pools, it also has unique challenges.
Isolation and loneliness are among the most commonly reported problems with remote work. In one survey by Buffer, 23% of remote employees cited “loneliness” as a top struggle.
Without the casual social interactions that are commonplace in an office, it’s easy for remote staff to feel less connected with their coworkers.
Then, there are also logistical and cultural obstacles.
Communication amongst dispersed teams can suffer from cultural gaps, time-zone misalignments, and misunderstandings, especially when employees come from different locations and backgrounds.
Despite the many digital tools at our disposal, the Buffer survey also shows that about 15% of remote workers still report difficulties with communication and teamwork.
Additionally, remote employees often worry about visibility, essentially being “out of sight, out of mind,” which can impact their access to projects and recognition.
Altogether, these challenges can quickly add up and make employees feel “checked out” and disconnected from their work.
So, why should businesses care about employee engagement?
Countless studies have linked higher engagement to greater productivity, customer satisfaction, and retention.
Gallup data shows that teams with top-quartile engagement achieve better outcomes: they have 23% higher profitability on average and significantly lower turnover (up to 43% reduction in attrition in low-turnover organizations).
On the other hand, widespread disengagement can be disastrous for business results.
Engagement statistics show that employees who are not engaged or actively disengaged cost the global economy around $8.9 trillion in lost productivity.
To make matters worse, disengagement is a widespread problem.
Only about one-third of North American employees feel engaged at work, while 16% are actively disengaged.
In fact, employee engagement in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest point in over a decade over the last year.
Given those numbers, it’s easy to assume that remote work might worsen the problem.
However, recent surveys suggest remote employees can be just as engaged, if not more so when supported properly.
In 2024, U.S. employees with fully remote or hybrid schedules actually reported the highest engagement levels (36% and 35% engaged, respectively) compared to those on-site.
Virtual teams can thrive with the proper support, but it takes intentional effort and the use of advanced engagement techniques to get them there.
In traditional offices, information often flows organically through conversations. On the other hand, dispersed teams need intentional structures to share knowledge and stay aligned.
For these reasons, establishing clear communication norms is a vital first step for any remote workplace.
Many successful virtual teams draft guidelines for when to use each channel – for example, email for formal updates and messaging apps for quick questions – and define reasonable response times.
Next, regular check-ins, such as a brief daily stand-up or a weekly team huddle, combat the “out of sight, out of mind” effect and keep remote staff connected to the big picture.
Equally important is the use of asynchronous communication. Using recorded video messages or detailed written updates allows colleagues in different time zones to absorb information on their schedules.
In fact, experts note that asynchronous communication lets employees plan their day and concentrate better without constant interruptions.
As companies adopt better remote communication practices, fewer employees report collaboration or communication as a significant challenge.
Today, video meetings are the norm for remote collaboration, yet keeping employees energized and focused is still an ongoing challenge.
Many workers confess to multitasking during virtual calls.
One survey found that 85% of people admit to doing other work or checking emails while in meetings.
As a result, this type of disengagement can lead to “Zoom fatigue,” which 37% of remote workers reportedly suffer from.
To counteract this, many organizations are adopting advanced engagement techniques to make virtual meetings fun, interactive, and inclusive:
The best engagement activities for remote teams replicate the camaraderie of an office. It essentially means giving colleagues a chance to bond beyond their daily tasks.
For these reasons, many forward-thinking companies now organize social events and actively encourage informal interactions online.
Here are a few effective remote team engagement ideas:
Schedule casual video calls where teammates can chat about non-work topics over coffee or lunch. Some organizations even use a Slack or Teams plugin to randomly pair employees for a brief coffee chat each week, recreating “watercooler talks”.
Pairing employees for one-on-one connection can help ease isolation and encourage knowledge sharing across the organization. For example, new hires might be assigned a buddy from another department for regular check-ins, or cross-functional mentoring pairs could be set up.
Organize fun group activities on video to bring laughter and team spirit. Examples include an online trivia contest or a virtual escape room that colleagues solve together. These events let team members relax and get to know each other in a low-pressure setting outside of regular work duties.
Teams should hold a monthly “shout-out” video call to celebrate successes, use a dedicated chat channel for kudos, or organize virtual gatherings for birthdays and work anniversaries. Working in a remote environment means leaders must be more intentional about public recognition and celebrating employees.
Without technology, the remote workplace would be nonexistent.
Although video calls and email are a must for remote teams, companies are also using more specialized tools to support communication and connection.
For example, many organizations use dedicated employee engagement software to regularly check sentiment through pulse surveys, collect feedback, and track engagement metrics. These platforms help management identify issues in real-time and respond quickly.
Chat and collaboration platforms also double as social spaces.
Channels on Slack or Microsoft Teams are often used as “coffee break catch-ups”, interest-based groups, or even casual photo sharing. Some are even exploring virtual reality meeting spaces and 3D avatars to make remote interactions more immersive.
Importantly, technology is being used not just for communication but for listening.
Anonymous survey tools and AI-driven analytics can reveal employee concerns or morale dips that might go unnoticed in a distributed team. With these insights, leaders and HR can take proactive steps before small problems are amplified.
Overall, the rise of data-driven “employee check-ins” means engagement is increasingly measurable and manageable.
When managers are disengaged, their teams usually follow.
Gallup has found that managers account for about 70% of the variance in employee engagement, meaning that engagement still largely depends on how people are led.
For remote teams especially, leaders must be deliberate about building trust and offering support to make everyone feel connected to the company’s goals.
While achieving 100% engagement is unrealistic, leaders can use many strategies to improve these metrics.
It starts with reinforcing a clear vision and sense of purpose. Remote staff can feel disconnected from the company’s direction, so leaders should continuously reinforce how each person’s work contributes to broader goals.
One example of a fully remote company doing so is GitLab, which maintains a 12,000+ page digital handbook that documents every process and policy. Their leadership also regularly hosts informal “coffee chats” and “ask me anything” sessions to maintain transparency and connection to company goals.
Equally important is showing empathy and flexibility.
Effective remote managers understand the challenges their team members face, such as time zone gaps or home-life demands and accommodate where possible.
Finally, there is a thin line between regular check-ins and micromanaging employees.
Managers need to be aware that frequent communication should feel like support, not surveillance. Instead of overseeing every detail, effective leaders focus on outcomes and trust their team to manage their work.
Shopify’s CEO has innovated in this area with their “trust battery” concept, where managers visualize trust as a battery that charges or depletes based on interactions. When the trust battery is charged through consistent delivery of results, employees receive more autonomy and fewer check-ins.
Looking ahead, it’s clear that remote work is not a passing phase but a permanent evolution of the modern workplace.
As teams continue to operate across cities, countries, and time zones, the organizations that succeed will be the ones who embrace connection as a deliberate practice.
Advanced engagement techniques – from smarter communication frameworks to creative virtual activities – will play an even greater role in making sure employees feel seen, valued, and connected no matter where they log in from.
Ultimately, the specifics can vary, but the goal of these ideas is the same: humanize the remote work experience.
Senior Content Writer at Shortlister
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