*This blog post was last updated by our HR experts on August 21, 2026, to reflect our latest free downloads and webinar resources.
What is remote employee engagement?
Employee engagement refers to how committed employees are to the business and its success. It is about how motivated they are to complete their work, how closely they align with company values, and their willingness to collaborate as a team. Remote employee engagement can be trickier than in-office or hybrid employee engagement. It poses a whole new set of challenges when working remotely. Let us help you!
Employee engagement: Trust is the key, whether in person or remote
Most organizational leaders say they fully understand the importance of employee engagement, not only regarding retention rates but also the company’s bottom line. Yet according to a report by the Canada Human Resource Centre, 60 percent of employees feel they are not engaged in the workplace, and the Management Journal’s semi-annual Employee Engagement Index reports that a mere 25 percent say they’re actively engaged.
Why do businesses fall behind on employee engagement?
Why are companies falling behind in one of the most apparent areas of importance for employee and company growth? It may be poor management, poor communication, lack of transparency, or a combination of issues. One common denominator that’s missing is trust in the process, in management, and, most significantly, in the company.
Successful remote employee engagement
Trust is the currency of success. It defines a business’s character. If you lack it, there is no foundation to grow, and credibility is lost. According to an Edelman Trust Barometer survey, one in three employees doesn’t trust their employer. While the survey finds 64 percent of executives trust the company, as you slide down the corporate ladder, the numbers fall to 51 percent for managers and 48 percent for other staff.
Build remote employee engagement through empowerment
To build on employee engagement and truly empower staff to take ownership of the company’s success, trust must be the foundation. Seems straightforward, but how do you go about it? First, leaders and managers need to talk with their employees. That’s with them, not just to them. Sharing information, even negative information (perhaps especially negative information), shows integrity on management’s part and extends trust.
A lack of trust only sets rumour mills in motion, hurting morale and productivity as employees begin filling in the blanks themselves—and rarely in a good way.
Building trust with employees
But while building trust may need to start with leaders, it must be a two-way street. Trust must be reciprocated. Trust begets trust. Nothing builds a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility than empowering employees to act, make the big decisions, and take ownership of their work. Trust leads to empowerment, which leads to engagement, which leads to one big happy family—the best kind of domino effect.
Trusting your employees
Employees will still seek guidance from time to time, but by trusting them to become their own leaders, which allows mutual respect to flourish across the organization, the gold medal of success awaits at the finish line.
Are you at the starting block now, all psyched up to start the race to build trust and improve employee engagement? On your mark, get set, let’s go! Start by reviewing our six-episode animated training series, Mastering Remote HR Management.
Looking for better engagement data from your team?
See what our specialists recommend in our employee engagement guide for Canadian employers!
And check out these other comprehensive HR blogposts from this series:
- Employee Onboarding – Mastering Remote HR Management
- Offboarding an Employee – Mastering Remote HR Management
- Talent Acquisition – Mastering Remote HR Management
- Learning and Development – Mastering Remote HR Management
Leveraging employee engagement and feedback is key to building resilient, productive teams.
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