Remote employees are feeling the slump of 2020. It’s hard to feel motivated to work when you’re not in your typical office environment, with your routine, connecting with your co-workers. Everything feels different these days. Even if you and your team are normally working remotely, the ability to meet up for all staff meetings is something of the past.
If you’re a business leader and you’re managing a remote team, you’re not alone. Here are five ways that you can help your team feel more motivated starting this week:
1. Create clear tasks and be communicative
When you’re working as a remote team, it’s important to set clear goals and team priorities. Even though no one is in an office together, there are still tasks to get done and deadlines to meet. Employees will look to you as a leader to set those tasks and be communicative about what needs to get done when. Your remote employees will respect you for setting clear expectations and will respond to you for being communicative without being overbearing.
2. Trust your employees to set their working hours
Working from home can be difficult. Remote employees might not be able to be at a desk for eight hours straight. With families and other things happening at home, remote employees might need more leniency with their working hours. If remote employees can complete their assigned tasks and meet their deadlines, allow them to set their working hours for when they are most productive.
3. Promote growth, mindfulness, and wellbeing
Managing a remote team isn’t just about making sure the work gets done; it’s also about looking out for your employees’ wellbeing. Working from home can be isolating and stressful, so it’s crucial to maintain a positive team environment - even if it’s online. Allow your remote employees to take mental health days, create a support group, suggest accountability partners, or recommend mindfulness apps. There are plenty of ways to foster a positive work culture.
4. Schedule team events and happy hours
To boost team morale, make sure to schedule team events like you would if you were all in-person. Remote employees may be experiencing video call fatigue, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t jump on a call for a social happy hour. Talk to them and take into account what they need and then make sure it happens.
5. Reward employee accomplishments
It can feel monotonous working from home, and it can become demotivating. That doesn’t have to be the case if you make sure to reward remote employees for their accomplishments. Did someone on your team complete a big task or get in a project before the deadline? Celebrate these wins with your team, and it will keep them motivated to keep going.
Are you ready to motivate your remote team and take them to the next level? We can help.