Small business CEOs are finding ways to keep remote employees engaged, according to Vistage Survey

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Small business owners reveal importance of employee engagement when accommodating a remote workforce, according to a quarterly survey by Vistage Worldwide.

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Vistage, a global organization which assembles and facilitates private advisory boards for CEOs and Key executives, conducts a quarterly survey covering a variety of small business topics. Nearly 70 percent of the 1,350 respondents report workforces where some portion of their staff is working remotely. A challenge that comes from a remote workforce is maintaining high levels of employee engagement. More than 50 percent of small business CEOs cite consistent communication via staff meetings, emails, webinars and training programs as the key to an engaged workforce, while nearly 25 percent choose to offer attractive benefits packages to positively impact employee engagement. 57% of companies surveyed do not have a way of measuring employee engagement in their workforce.

"Investing in your team is fundamental to company growth," said Joe Galvin, Chief Research Officer of Vistage Worldwide. "Adopting new technology and social media plays a role in fostering positive employee engagement, with the added benefit of building a strong company brand. Focusing energy internally inherently eases the process of attracting new business and prospective talent."

With more than half of respondents planning to increase the number of employees in the next year, other notable findings include:

• Nearly half of small business CEOs expect the overtime pay rule change on December 1 to impact the pay structure of their employees. One-third of respondents are still planning how they will communicate the changes.
• LinkedIn is the most important social media platform for small business CEOs, according to 43 percent of respondents. More than half find social media to be effective for networking and making connections with potential clients.
• Staffing remains a top concern for small business owners with 33 percent citing finding, hiring, retaining and training staff as the most significant business issue they are currently facing.
• Small business CEOs are optimistic about the next 12 months: 69 percent anticipate their firm's sales revenues will increase and 54 percent expect their firm's profitability to improve.
• Wage increases are common in small business, with two-thirds of respondents increasing wages on an annual basis.

To review more survey results visit: http://www.vistage.com/press-center/vistage-ceo-survey/.

About Vistage Worldwide, Inc.
Vistage Worldwide assembles and facilitates peer advisory groups for CEOs and Key Executives. 
An exclusive community of more than 21,000 business leaders across a broad array of industries in 16 countries, Vistage helps business leaders refine their instincts, improve their judgment, expand their perspectives and optimize decision making to drive better personal and professional results. In fact, CEOs who joined Vistage grew their companies at three times the rate of average U.S. companies.

Vistage groups are facilitated by successful independent leaders who provide valuable professional insight, executive coaching and corporate training based on their own extraordinary achievements. Learn more at vistage.com.

About the Vistage CEO Confidence Index
The Vistage CEO Confidence Index, established in 2003, is a quarterly survey of small- to mid-sized business CEOs about the U.S. economy. The Q3 2016 Vistage CEO Confidence Index includes responses from 1,356 U.S. CEOs, surveyed between September 12 and September 21, 2016 with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Since its establishment in 2003, the Index has proven to be a reliable indicator for changes in GDP and employment, two to three quarters hence.

SOURCE Vistage