Working remotely has become the new norm these days. For those of us who work from home daily, we know that it is not as simple as it seems to be. There are many distractions, it can be difficult to keep yourself motivated, human connection is lessened- all of this has an effect on how effective all of us can be. While there are several advantages of working remotely, handling staff who telecommute comes with different challenges. Developing trust, open communication, and the connections needed for collaborative work relationships need certain tools and strategies to achieve success. Whether it is for a flexible working schedule, a better work-life balance, expanding the talent pool, or cutting the expenses of overhead, employees are slowly joining a remote workforce to boost performance even from a far distance. Remote working presents different threats to productivity-main among them is the implication of social isolation and work-life balance. How can employers help their team handle time and manage their productivity? How can they keep them motivated? Here are a few ways to motivate employees who are working remotely.
While managing and encouraging a remote worker needs a proactive approach, its objectives are not surprisingly different from what you would do to support employees in your office. This is because whether you are working from home or from office, you still need the same things to be productive. Strong relationships and a positive culture can be hard to nurture at a distance, but both are still important aspects of retaining a talented team.
Few ways to motivate employees Who are Working Remotely
Communicate in an effective way- Communication is one of the most significant variables to consider while managing a remote workforce. It lays the base for all strategies, success, and collaboration. It makes organizational priorities clear and helps in setting the agenda. Beyond this, it keeps the workers feeling connected rather than making them feel isolated. Team leaders must try to be as clear as possible, to make sure that their employees are aware of what is expected from them. Make sure they understand:
- The objectives for the long and short term
- What are the projects that need to be completed along with the respective deadlines?
At what times they need to be accessible, so that they can take care of other commitments too like family, medical, groceries, etc.
- Whom should they contact for support- At the same point of time, leaders must focus on employees where they stand in the context of wider problems facing the business and convey their significance in this context. While doing so, employees will be more engaged.
- Schedule regular meetings with the team members- One of the important ways to motivate employees who are working remotely is to schedule meetings with your team members. With these meetings, you can keep in touch with everyone and understand up to date progress of the team. Also, these meetings are a great medium to discuss strategies and ideas. Managers may also adopt one-to-one video check-ins to discuss objectives, personal performance, and maintain work-life balance, to make sure that nobody feels left out.
While your employees are working from home, be approachable to them, and stay open. Communicate about the support available to them. This is important because if employees feel that they do not have the right support, then they will feel overwhelmed, which in turn will affect their work negatively.
Keep your employers happy and satisfied- Remote workers are most often happier compared to other employees, and HR experts know that a happy and satisfied employee is more likely to be involved in their work. Keeping remote employees satisfied is not complicated- ask them what they may require, and ensure they feel secured. Sometimes, it can be as simple as providing extra training, or upgraded hardware which will help them perform better.
Make your expectations clear- A flexible schedule is a benefit for remote employees, but if you want your team to be engaged and responsive during specific hours, then you must communicate that to them clearly. Allot your employees a calendar time stating when they should be online. Check periodically to make sure that the schedules align with any constant challenges like differences in time zone or client requirements. If your team has important commitments like a team or department meetings, hold your employees responsible for attending and follow up absences.
Rejoice achievements- Celebrating achievements, even if it is small is one of the important ways to motivate employees who are working remotely. Several studies have proved that positive employees give better performance. It is quite important that the managers and team leaders keep the spirits high. One of the best ways to do this is to celebrate employees for their successes. If hard-working employees are not acknowledged for their work, they feel demotivated, which is bad for your business. By acknowledging a work well done, small victories, or how one member of a team has supported the other member, you give your staff a reason to work harder. There are different ways to show recognition. For example, you could congratulate the person or praise him or her during video conferencing, or send a congratulation email, or you can even publish this news in the company’s HR portal. You can even consider several reward incentives, like learning and development courses, hobby classes, or gifting vouchers.
Develop a visual scoreboard- Even if your team communicates regularly and follows a culture of accountability, they still require a way to obtain shared objectives. Making a visual that shows progress can not only motivate workers but will also make their key performance indicators (KPI’s) and their priorities clear.
Focus on professional development- Training opportunities are one of the top things that employees need to become more productive. Workers who feel they do not have the skills may feel overwhelmed or may suffer from “imposter syndrome”- a huge obstacle to motivation. Working from home, where employees may feel cut off from the needed support can intensify the problem. Companies who take the initiative and ask their employees if they have all the necessary skills to complete their job will face fewer problems. Motivating your staff to continue learning not only gives people a break from regular tasks, but it also shows that the company is committed to the development of its employees and considers them as an asset.
Utilize technology to its best- It has never been simpler to build a virtual community and e in connection with each other. There are many high-quality tools that can be used to support online collaboration. For your team, select tools that are simple to use, with a stress on the basics. Remote workers need video conferencing, email tools, a platform for messaging, and a fast way to download and share files. Ensure that specialized roles like team leaders, project managers, and others have access to all that software that is required for improving their work performance. Each remote role mostly depends on technology and anything that comes in their way will affect your productivity. Also, motivate your team to have a high-speed internet connection. This will ensure a smooth team meeting, video calls, and maximum productivity in less time.
Motivating your remote workers to need the same basic approach as a traditional office environment. However, the strategies and tools you utilize to build connections keep the communication open. To manage your team’s performance, you will require an upgrade to cope up with the challenges associated with work from home.