How To Maximize Editor Engagement on Your Remote Team

Since you probably don’t get much face-to-face time with your remote team, it’s vital that you provide ways for your editors to ask questions and raise concerns. Editors simply cannot produce high-quality content if they’re confused.

 There are many ways you can improve communication within your remote team, and you’ll probably need to experiment to see what works best for you. The most important thing, though, is giving your team some way to communicate. We understand that you probably can’t drop everything every time an editor has a question, so you’ll need to find a compromise. Try holding a weekly video meeting to address editors’ questions and concerns, or an online office hour where editors can drop in as needed. Anything you can do to help your editors feel more connected will benefit your business.

When working with remote teams, technology can be both your best friend and your worst enemy. Technology is great when it works, but when it doesn’t, it can create delays and cause massive frustration. But when your team is remote, the only (reasonable) way you can communicate is by using technology. That being said, you might need to have several ways to communicate with your team.

Email is an option, but you might not always get to your emails as quickly as you’d like. We’ve already suggested holding video calls with your team, but too many meetings can be time-consuming. For everyday communications, try using one of the many instant messaging apps, such as Slack, Google Chat, or Microsoft Teams. If you set up a group chat for your editors in one of these apps, they can support each other if they run into an issue or need clarification, which will increase engagement while taking some of the strain off you.

If you’ve managed to build a successful editorial team (you can read our article here on how to do this), you’ll already know what each of your editors’ strengths are. Some editors prefer or are better at creating certain types of content; some are particularly good at proofreading or editing. Ask your editors what types of work they enjoy or feel confident doing, and try to give them that type of work more often. 

Working to each of your editors’ strengths won’t always be possible, especially if you need a certain type of content, but when you can do it, it’s a great idea. Not only will this show your editors that you care about them, but it will also help them produce great content.

We’ve talked a lot about how to troubleshoot issues and concerns with your remote team, but it’s equally important to acknowledge and celebrate your successes. Employees don’t just want to hear about the issues – they want to feel appreciated, too. In fact, Forbes reports that employees’ desire for recognition increases by approximately 30% during challenging times. Perhaps you could hold a monthly meeting with your team to discuss their wins and what has worked well for them (this second point is particularly important if you’re reorganizing your workflows). This will make your team feel more appreciated and significantly increase editor engagement.

We mean two things when we say this. First, try allowing your employees to choose when they work. While you may need to set times for important meetings, giving your editors some freedom will allow them to be more productive. For instance, some people might prefer to get started early in the morning, while other people don’t function well before midday. 

Second, consider allowing your editors to choose where they work. Some people excel at remote working, while others struggle with it. Offering hybrid working options to your employees will help them find what works best. Gallup found that having employees spend 60% to 80% of their time working remotely and 10% to 20% of their time in the office creates optimal engagement. Therefore, offering flexible working arrangements can help increase engagement within your team.

We understand that you have responsibilities and deadlines, but it’s important that you find time to have fun. There are many advantages to remote working, but one drawback is that it reduces your opportunities to socialize. When you’re conducting meetings, try leaving some time aside for general conversation that’s not work-related.

You can even go further and organize events for your team. We’re not talking about corporate team-building events – let’s be honest, very few people actually enjoy those – but you could do something more casual, like Friday night drinks. If your editors live too far away to meet in-person, perhaps you could find a way to socialize online through quizzes or games. Whatever you decide, just make sure your editors have some balance in their lives.