Smart Ways to Motivate Remote Employees
Currently, millions of companies are facing an unusual challenge: motivating their remote employees.
Even the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon fall under this bracket. Remote work is an entirely new concept that the human race hasn’t faced before, so it’s hardly surprising that even the biggest companies are still adapting to it.
Motivation is key. If remote employees aren’t motivated, they will fall behind. This is made even more likely due to the fact that they’re in their homes, meaning you can’t manage them as efficiently as you would if they were in the office.
What Are the Best Ways to Motivate Remote Employees?
If you’re struggling to motivate your remote employees – or are thinking about switching to a hybrid work model in the future – then here are some strategies for you to try. These strategies are universal, meaning they will work for any business.
Start with Virtual Team Building
A lot of remote workers report struggling with the lack of face-to-face contact with their peers. This ultimately leads to demotivation and the feeling of disconnection from company culture – which is something you don’t want your employees to feel!
The solution is pretty simple: do some virtual team building.
Virtual team building is the process of using the internet to strengthen the bond your employees have with each other. Apps like Zoom are perfect for this, as they enable video conferences at the click of a button.
To learn about the different virtual team building activities you can do, check out BreakoutIQ.
Team building activities are particularly important for new employees, as it enables the ice to get broken quickly.
Remember, the sooner you start to focus on team building, the more motivated your employees will be.
Make Flexible Schedules a Possibility
One of the main reasons remote working has become so popular is because it allows employees to have flexible schedules. People have been demanding flexible work for a long time – and that moment has finally arrived.
So, when it comes to your remote employees, you should keep an open dialogue with them. Through in-depth conversation, you will be able to gain a clear understanding of the types of schedules individual employees want to have.
For example, certain employees might want to work remotely on a full-time basis, while others will want to work part-time.
Through offering flexible schedules, you will also be able to attract more remote employees to join your business in the future.
Provide a Career Progression Pathway
Another downside to the concept of remote work is that it leads to many employees feeling like there’s no career progression available to them now that the standard office environment has been removed. However, this shouldn’t be the case.
You should make it clear to your employees and teams that they can progress through your company just as easily as in-house employees. This should be mapped out to them in detail, showcasing the specific management roles they can move into.
Give Detailed Feedback
Remote work enables tons of different types of employees to work from home. This can range from sales agents to social media marketing teams.
Across all your remote employees should be a common theme: feedback.
By giving productive feedback to employees, you will raise their motivation levels and steer them in the right direction for your company.