Are employees less loyal to companies where they’ve never met in-person?

A vast move to remote working, in part due to the Coronavirus pandemic, has seen many companies adding employees to their team that have never met their coworkers in person. While that may not seem like an issue, this factor may result in new hires not being loyal or committed to the organization. 

Virtual working makes it difficult to get to know your colleagues and build relationships, and even friendships. If these connections are not formed, new employees will see their work as purely a job and may not be very invested in the success of the company or their teammates. 

It can also be challenging to come into a team that has a history and strong relationships from working in person. The new employees may feel like they are on the outside and don’t fit in, resulting in a lack of trust and little loyalty. 

In this article, we will delve into this topic more to determine if employees are less loyal to companies where they’ve never met in person.

What is Employee Loyalty

Employee loyalty relates to how committed to a company an employee is. Loyal employees will try their hardest on every task and put in the effort to be as productive as possible. They’ll always have the needs and success of the company in mind and will work to help the organization grow and exceed the competition.

Loyal employees are also unlikely to choose to leave the company to work for another organization. Therefore, employee loyalty doesn’t only help with productivity, but it also helps lower turnover.

Looking to boost your remote management strategy? Try these 12 ways to successfully manage remote employees.

New remote hires that feel they don’t fit in will lack trust and have little loyalty to the company.

Why Employees May Be Less Loyal to Companies They’ve Never Met In-Person

Starting a new job and fitting in at a new company is challenging enough. This issue can be even more difficult when starting at a new job remotely, where you haven’t met, and may never meet, your colleagues in person. While issues can arise with co-workers that worked together in an office and then transitioned to remote, these challenges are less pronounced than they are for new team members.

The following are some of the primary issues relating to starting a new job remotely that can lead to decreased loyalty.

Challenges with Relationship Building and Fitting In

It can be difficult to read people, foster relationships, and know where you fit in when you work remotely and have never met your coworkers face to face.

All of these issues can greatly affect productivity, collaboration, and confidence. When relationships aren’t built, the new employee may also not trust the company or their coworkers. Ultimately, if the new employee feels they don’t fit in and aren't part of a “work family,” their loyalty to the company will be low.

Although video-based communication does help with relationship building among new hires and the existing team, it’s not as natural as face-to-face communication. Remote models often also result in the loss of spontaneous office conversations and water cooler chatting that, although seemingly insignificant, helps to build relationships.

Lack of at Work Friendships

The importance of workplace friendships shouldn't be overlooked. Friendships and personal connections are beneficial to work environments as they make the workday more enjoyable.

These types of close relationships also allow for better teamwork, collaboration, communication, and workflow productivity. Employees are more likely to give genuine opinions and speak up with their ideas if they feel they have friendships with coworkers.

Unfortunately, building these types of close relationships can be challenging when your team works remotely, especially for team members who have never met anyone else face to face. As discussed, building any type of relationship can be tricky when new employees work remotely, so the chance of close friendships forming is unlikely.

Virtual team building can help build relationships but nothing replaces face-to-face communication.

Feelings of Being Underappreciated

When working remotely, it can be more challenging for managers to give feedback and praise. It may also be difficult for new employees to know if they are performing as they should. These factors can lead to new hires feeling underappreciated and even burning out. 

If employees put in a high amount of effort but feel underappreciated, loyalty and commitment to the organization fall drastically. To avoid this issue occurring, offer praise when employees reach goals and targets and have frequent check-ins and reviews. 

Worried about your remote team burning out? Check out these top tips to prevent employee burnout when working from home.

Onboarding Difficulties

Onboarding new employees remotely can be much more complicated than onboarding employees when in-office. Teaching new hires how to complete tasks can be time-consuming and less efficient via virtual channels. Keeping track of employee success and checking tasks are completed correctly is additionally challenging, and there’s a risk of micromanaging. 

If new employees feel they aren’t being trained effectively, they may resent the company, and these negative feelings result in a lack of loyalty. To fix this issue, be sure to create a successful remote onboarding strategy instead of implementing your previous in-office techniques.

New remote employees may feel underappreciated, which will affect loyalty negatively.

How Remote Work Can Increase Loyalty

It’s important to note that some benefits offered by remote work can increase loyalty and commitment, even among new hires. Many employees have preferred working remotely and are happier and more productive. These positive feelings help with loyalty. 

The following are some remote work perks that employees appreciate and contribute to loyalty.

Increased Flexibility

Working remotely allows for more flexibility in terms of hours worked and what each employee can accomplish in the day. Being able to work at their most productive times, for example, is a major benefit to employees, and being allowed to do this can increase company loyalty.

Better Work-Life Balance

Increased flexibility and time savings, for example, from not having to commute anymore, allow for a better work-life balance. These factors allow employees to pursue their hobbies and spend more time with their families and friends. A healthy work-life balance makes for happier employees, and satisfied employees are definitely more loyal.

The benefits of remote work, like more flexibility, lead to increased employee satisfaction and loyalty.

Are Employees Less Loyal and Committed to Companies They’ve Never Met in Person?

Ultimately, the relationship between decreased loyalty and having not met co-workers in person will vary for each employee. Factors to consider include the personality of each individual and what they look for in a job and work environment.

For example, some employees may enjoy what they do, and satisfaction and loyalty will be determined by the tasks assigned and the challenge they get from performing their job. These individuals may not mind that they don’t form personal relationships with other staff members.

In addition, being given more flexibility and freedom via a remote work model may add to workplace satisfaction enough to generate a high level of loyalty.

Other employees, however, may feel that having weak relationships with colleagues and not fitting in makes their workday less enjoyable. Those that don’t enjoy their job due to factors, like lack of connection with other staff, will be less loyal and committed to the organization they work for.

How Management Can Assist New Remote Hires

No matter what the personality of your new remote hires, as a manager, you should work hard to create an engaging and friendly remote team environment.

Make an effort to introduce new staff to the team and set up team-building events when they begin the role, whether in person or virtually. As discussed earlier, updating your onboarding process for a remote model is also crucial, and be sure to show these new employees that their efforts are appreciated.

New employees that have never met your team in person can be incredibly loyal, committed, and engaged. However, achieving this outcome may take more effort from the managerial team and a change in team bonding and onboarding strategies.