Traditional engagement surveys weren’t built for remote work, this framework was.

If you’re still using the same engagement surveys you used before the world went remote, it’s time to pause. Most of those tools were designed for traditional, office-based teams. They focus mainly on 2 broad categories; personal and organisational factors like job satisfaction, communication, leadership, and recognition.

But remote work changed the game. The context is different. The drivers are different. And the solution needs to be different too.

That realisation came into full focus during my doctoral research on remote work engagement in Nigeria. I began to uncover how much was missing from the way we measure and manage engagement in distributed teams.

Traditional surveys weren’t capturing the full picture. While they measured how people felt about their roles, managers, or teams, they ignored the very things shaping the daily realities of remote work; technology, infrastructure, and the physical work environment.

This critical gap would be too detrimental to remote teams if ignored.

Remote employees were trying to stay productive while facing power outages, poor internet, inadequate workspaces, outdated tools, and blurred work-life boundaries. These aren’t small challenges. They deeply influence how engaged someone can be, and yet, they were invisible in most engagement data sets.

That’s why I developed the Strategic Framework for Enhancing Remote Work Engagement.

Unlike traditional models, this framework reflects the nuances of remote work by including technological and environmental factors as key engagement drivers. It’s built to reflect the actual conditions people are working in, not just how they feel about their manager or workload.

Think of two remote employees. One has access to high-speed internet, a private home office, and up-to-date digital tools. The other works from a shared room with unstable power and limited connectivity.

Traditional surveys may give them both the same “engagement score.” But only one is set up to succeed.

We need better tools for better decisions.

If you lead a remote or hybrid team and want to understand what truly drives performance and engagement, I invite you to explore my research and use the Remote Work Engagement Survey: www.adoraikwuemesi.com/research

It’s time we measured what really matters, so we can build hybrid and remote teams that are not just connected, but truly empowered to thrive.

Your thoughts?

Ps: If you need help implementing the tool, feel free to reach out.