Articles

How to develop a loyalty program with remote employees

by Emma L. Business consultant


A company’s workforce consists of many different types of employees. There are full-time personnel, part-time staff, and those who do their job through a remote position. Each and every one of those team members is valuable to your enterprise’s needs and output. However, remote employees are often neglected by their employers who don’t see them regularly, focusing more on those who they do see every day.

Globally, 18 percent of workers work remotely full time. Full-time remote employees are twice as likely to be individual contributors versus personnel managers. Developing a loyalty program with your remote workers is as crucial as showing appreciation for your full-time in-house employees. Here are five key elements of an efficient loyalty program for remote workers, one that makes your external staff feel like they are a part of the team.

Intangible versus tangible

The usual reasons for not doing an employee loyalty program are about costs. This is why you will need intangible benefits – like communicating with your remote employees and asking them about their lives or writing them positive feedback through emails.

There is a big debate going on about the types of intangible benefits. Some say that these benefits impact motivation and performance even more than high salaries. You can consider two different stances here, as with anything. The first is that getting a personalized email from your boss about how efficiently you do your work is pretty cool, and most of us would feel this way, whether we’re in operations or marketing. The second takes everything with a grain of salt. Good company culture matters, but so do competitive salaries. In our current system, that dictates the kind of life you can live. If you still want to build a loyalty program and do it cheaply, consider some intangible rewards.

Not so remote

Most businesses report improved productivity when they allow their staff to work remotely, yet those workers might feel out of the loop when it comes to the socializing aspect of work. Missing the small talks or the sudden post-work pint might not seem like much, but it can make your workers feel left out.

Offering your remote workers a coworking space can let them have a place where they can go and work if they want and socialize, talk and network. Co-working spaces can maximize their productivity and facilitate the connections between them and your company, all while letting them have a flexible way of working that fits into their life and schedule. 

You can even go further than this. For example, you can create a little benign competition between people in your office by organizing a bowling tournament with a team consisting of a mix of regular office staff and remote workers – or any other sport activity for that matter. Even mini golf is able to facilitate socializing between individuals.



Choosing the right employee incentive

The right kind of employee incentive will determine the success of your employee loyalty program. You can view it as a frame for your overall strategy. First off, the language you use is integral for instilling values to your company objectives:

  • What is the purpose of your employee loyalty program?

  • Training?

  • Team building?

A clear and concise message will do wonders. Define your rewards program. Then, start listening to your workers. What do they want their rewards and recognition to look like? Their emotions and stances can and will shape the success of your program. Ensure that it is transparent with your intended objectives and make sure that you are also giving your workers what they want. Don’t assume that you know what will motivate them, and don’t create your loyalty program in a vacuum. 

Celebrating success as a part of the team

When your employees go above and beyond at work, they want to feel your gratitude for it. An organization-wide email is fine, but its effects are somewhat trivial. Isn’t it better to take this opportunity to celebrate and have a team get-together that showcases everyone’s successes?

When everyone can enjoy the company's success, they can be more inclined to force themselves toward future successes. A party is a nice way of thanking the staff for their contributions towards achieving the company's milestones. A win-win situation for them to enjoy themselves and feel appreciated for all their hard work.

Events like these don’t have to be big– from a light-hearted team bonding event to a flashy business award ceremony with trophies, red carpet, etc., any kind of event will do. All workers, not just those work remotely, will value this kind of recognition – and HR agrees.


Little things can go a long way. Basing your employee loyalty program on elements that aren’t as tangible, like a co-working space, celebrations, and incentives your employees will actually enjoy will ensure maximum productivity and talent retention. Employee loyalty programs are all about providing psychological rewards to your people, ultimately showing them your gratitude for all their hard work.



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About Emma L. Advanced Pro  Business consultant

3 connections, 0 recommendations, 158 honor points.
Joined APSense since, February 18th, 2016, From Sydney, Australia.

Created on Jun 28th 2019 06:54. Viewed 587 times.

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