The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused many businesses to make their employees work from home.
A 2020 survey mentioned that 64% of U.S. employees working from home said their workplace was closed or unavailable.
This situation has led many managers and business owners to change how their employees communicate and perform work-related tasks. Aside from ensuring your employees are implementing
IT security measures for cyber threat protection and content filtering, you may also create strategies to keep them motivated at their remote workplaces.
One similarity between remote and on-premise work setups is that employees can still get demotivated. However, the differences in the environment mean the approaches to keep business owners, and employees motivated vary. In a remote setup, some factors that can discourage employees include lack of communication, inflexible work routine, and little room for growth. The following are the ways you can keep you and your employees motivated in a remote work environment.
Maintain Regular Communication
Suppose you are used to seeing your work colleagues in person and talking to them every day. In that case, you may have an idea why frequent communication is essential. In a remote working scenario where your employees
work in their homes far from the main office, you may communicate using written, audio, or video methods. Depending on the work situation, written methods like email or messaging platforms may not be enough. For more urgent matters, audio calls may be more preferred. For high-level discussions, video conferences may be the more appropriate method.
You may also use online communication to
celebrate your workplace successes. From time to time, reaffirming your team’s progress and milestones may serve as motivation for your employees and tell them their efforts are recognized and appreciated.
Provide Employees With the Appropriate Tools
Just like any work-related tool or application you use at work, you also need to have the right tools appropriate for a remote setup. In most cases, these tools include communication, time-tracking, and project management solutions. These tools enable the company to keep track of employees’ progress and provide updates for remote working situations. One crucial tool for many remote workers is a kanban board. This tool allows you to monitor your duties and plan out your workflow. A kanban board visually presents your tasks to help you increase your productivity.
Develop a Growth-Focused Mindset
Having a growth-oriented mindset means you allow yourself to grow in your career rather than get stuck in routine processes that may cause you to stagnate. By being growth-oriented, you open yourself up to new career opportunities. This mindset may also serve as a
motivation for personal growth while at the same time achieving organizational objectives.
Promote Adaptive Performance
Today’s fast-changing business environment has driven many modern businesses to look for flexible employees who can respond and adjust to changing requirements. Additionally, employees should try to be adaptable without compromising the quality of their work. Not all employees can readily accept change or shift their behavior to become more adaptive, and you should acknowledge that. However, many businesses that survived for a long time were able to adapt to their environment. This situation means making your employees more adaptive requires a business culture that promotes flexibility among employees.
Measure Motivation With Survey Tools
Measuring your employees’ performance is considered standard practice in typical work scenarios, whether on-premise or remote. However, it may also help if you also consider measuring motivation. This measurement allows you to know what inspires and drives your employees to work and fits those motivational factors with the company’s culture and goals.
Overall, employees working in a remote setup face new work challenges, including communication, career growth, and motivation. The strategies mentioned in this article may help address these challenges and prevent workers from becoming demotivated. Seek help from a business consultant or human resource personnel for more information on how to keep your employees motivated and productive.