With most of us under the “Stay at Home” order, residents are required to stay at home except for essential activities such as grocery shopping or seeking medical help. This means many employees have transitioned their workstation from their traditional office/desk to their homes. While working from home can be a walk in the park for some, others might find it more challenging to be motivated. This can offer a great opportunity for organizations to motivate their employees in making sure their work is being completed in a timely manner.
Motivating employees can seem difficult, however, it can be as easy as providing a platform for effective communication. Here are 5 simple tips on keeping employees motivated while working remotely:
One of the biggest downfalls of working remotely is not having the face to face communication they are used to having. Providing an effective communication platform, like Microsoft Teams, can boost communication and motivation for both employees and managers.
Keeping your remote workers informed and “in the loop” will remind them that they are part of the team no matter where they may be working from. It also reminds them that they are part of an organization that truly cares about their relationship.
This might come off as an obvious, but a happy employee is more likely to be engaged in their work. Keeping remote workers should not be overly-complicated. Asking them if they need anything and making them feel included should help tremendously. If they don’t seem to need anything, checking in on remote employees can also make them feel included and happy.
It is important to make recognition highly visible because this allows the remote workers to feel accomplished. Making it a point to recognize remote workers for the many contributions they are making towards the organization will keep them motivated in doing so. Giving employees “shout out’s” during this time, and empowering the rest of the team to do the same, will keep their motivation up!
Having a different work environment can interfere with time management. Being home can add more distractions than being in the office and knowing what needs to get done and when. Helping with time management can help remote workers manage their time effectively. Providing tools and tips can help employees working from home manage their time better. Not only does it give them resources to play off of, but it shows that management cares enough to give them that little nudge they might be looking for.
Video conference calls don’t have to just be about business. Finding time during the week that workers can join in and have some fun with their coworkers can help relieve some of the stress they may be carrying. Not only can it be fun, but it gives your remote workers something to look forward to, almost as an incentive! Taking some time to talk about anything other than work can give everyone a quick break and allow them to regroup when it comes time to get back into gear!