This is a guest post by David Hassell, the founder and CEO of 15Five
It’s no secret that remote work arrangements have become more prevalent in the last decade. In fact, remote work has increased by 50% over the last five years. With this rise, companies are facing new communication challenges, along with keeping relationships strong, and aligning objectives.
In a survey 15Five conducted this year, we found that the top reasons managers are allowing remote work include ‘better quality of life for employees,’ and ‘improved productivity or performance’. In business, we are often so focused on productivity and results, that we can discourage the disruptive thinking that leads to success. But curiosity is vital for building companies and healthy relationships between remote managers and employees.
Technology is making it easier than ever for people to work from anywhere and build healthy work cultures. We’ve had tens of thousands of managers ask questions inside our employee engagement app to solicit quality feedback, spark innovation, improve their culture, and help employees grow.
Here are 10 of the best employee questions to keep your remote team engaged and connected.
1. What can help us improve daily communication?
Based on research and our own internal surveys, we know that communication is a major challenge for remote teams. And employees can be a great resource for ideas to make improvements.
2. How have you improved your remote working skills this month? Have you identified any challenges?
Remote work absolutely comes with its own set of skills. Time management, prioritization, consolidation, collaboration and a whole slew of others “-ations”. Offer people a platform to suggest a new technology or a system that helped them stay organized and productive from a distance.
3. What are your primary goals this quarter?
People can be extremely busy and still contribute very little to overall company goals. Asking this question lets you know how effective your internal communications really are and how aligned people stay when they work from home.
4. What are you listening to while working?
Some people stay in flow by putting on some of their favorite tunes. Music choice can help to connect people on the team on a more personal level. “Oh, you like Adele too?”
5. Genius Question: Ryan Holiday, The Author of The Obstacle Is The Way
Is there anything you need from me?
The job of the boss is to help and support their employees so they can do what they’re supposed to do.
6. Who would you want to get to know better in the company?
When your team is remote, it can be difficult to get to know each employee on a personal level and build camaraderie. Ask this question with your team and encourage them to grab coffee together (if they are in the same area) or do a virtual lunch/happy hour for those that are distributed across time zones.
7. Are you crystal clear on your role and what you should be working on? If not, what aspects aren’t clear?
Working hard and being busy doesn’t impress anyone. When your team is remote, it’s critical that your employees are very clear on what they need to be focused on. For any given task an employee should be able to answer what exactly they are doing and why.
8. Genius Question: Renee Warren, Founder of Onboardly
How are you feeling about your workload today?
I want to find out if they feel overwhelmed. ‘Busy’ is an ok word, but as soon as they indicate that they are overwhelmed it throws up a red flag. Anxiety equals a loss of focus and generally really crappy work, so we want to make sure that they are confident in their daily tasks.
9. What challenges are you facing and how can I help?
Every employee from entry level up through the C-suite needs challenge. Growth keeps your job and your life interesting. Sometimes there is too much challenge which leads to frustration and eventually disengagement. Great leaders are aware of each employee’s sweet spot for challenges and they can step in with advice and coaching when needed.
10. Of your accomplishments this week, which one are you most proud of and why?
Taking pride in one’s work used to be far more ubiquitous than it is today. A faster paced world means that we often optimize for quantity over quality. This question reminds us of that great feeling of pride in a job well done.
A well-crafted question can inspire and illuminate, and often brings co-workers closer together. Poorly worded questions can create confusion and disconnection.
The Great eBook of Employee Questions
I have curated 70 of the best questions from entrepreneurs, coaches, leaders, and our customers, and compiled them in The Great eBook of Employee Questions. It is broken down by categories, such as culture, progress, productivity, morale, growth, and remote teams, and accompanied by explanations of why you should ask them.
Also included are top questions from experts – Simon Sinek, Jonathan Raymond, Anese Cavanaugh, Shawn Murphy, Rand Fishkin and others. Click here to download the eBook for free.
About The Author
David Hassell is the founder and CEO of 15Five, a web-based employee feedback and engagement app that allows managers to ask the right questions at the right cadence to build team cohesion, even on remote teams. David has been named “The Most Connected Man You Don’t Know In Silicon Valley” by Forbes Magazine, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, Wired, and Fast Company. You can follow him on Twitter at @dhassell.
