One of the main challenges posed by having a remote workforce for managers is combating decreased employee motivation. After all, a dip in motivation will result in a dip in productivity which no manager or business owner wants. Here are four quick tips to maintain and even increase remote team productivity and motivation.
1. Prioritize Project Management
This means making sure goals are clear cut, so all parties are on the same page. It’s easy for remote workers to feel adrift, so keeping objectives clear and projects well organized will keep employees engaged and on-task.
2. Employee Recognition
Whether or not your business has an employee rewards program in place or not, there are still ways to reward your staff for a job well done. This can be a simple as sending an email copying senior leadership praising their efforts, or allowing them to log off early one Friday.
3. Keep in Touch
Water cooler talk and cubicle pop-ins aren’t an option, so you’ll need to make sure you’re communicating with your remote staff frequently. Studies have shown that work-from-home motivation among employees is directly linked to effective and consistent communication via instant messaging, conference calls and email. However, be careful not to inundate your staff constant communication. You want to give them the time and freedom to do their jobs well without coming off as a micromanager.
4. Don’t Forget About Team Building
Advances in technology have made team building feasible for all workforces no matter where your employees are located. Many companies use Zoom, Google Meet and other video conferencing technology for not only work-related meetings, but virtual happy hours, trivia games and more. Team building encourages creativity, builds trust and improves morale which is essential to increasing team productivity.
Knowing how to motivate staff when remote is a key component when managing a business. Maintaining motivation is one of the most common work from home challenges, but these four tips are guaranteed to increase employee engagement, satisfaction, motivation and productivity.
