Teams from the same office are finding themselves divided in time and space. Due to the urgent need for flexible work plans, axing the office costs, and the need to draw from a distant talent pool, telecommuting has very much increased.
Nevertheless, working from home comes with a fresh challenge of motivating remote employees. Though scientific studies show that employees working from home are happy, their output is not that certain. So, where’s the challenge of motivating them? You would ask.
The physical office, unlike the remote workplace, offers a shared atmosphere among employees. Such teamwork boosts productivity. However, without that closeness among remote employees, the output can still be assured in the following ways.
1. Timely Communication and Proper Guidance
Remote employees could be confused by a job task or even remain unsure of what their boss thinks about the work they do.
This tight-rope scenario invites doubt and anxiety among employees. Timely discourse lays bare critical pieces of information regarding a project, and it’s so central in motivating remote employees.
But where’s the catch?
Employees would feel encouraged to complete tasks with precise details. Straightening out the mistake when it’s too late hurts their ego. It dents their vigor also.
2. Prompt Remuneration
Consider a company where the remote staff comes last in payroll processing.
The late payment would tell them that they are less valued.
If a company faces some challenges in meeting its financial obligations, then the burden should be shared among all the employees. Timely payments create a sense of belonging and are vital in motivating remote employees.
3. Technology Leveraging Strategy for Motivating Remote Employees
Communication technology has grown fast in the 21st century. Nevertheless, not all employers have taken full advantage of the growth to change their businesses.
A technology leverage plan is a way to go!
The tools of communication the employer provides for his team should be easy to use and reliable. The email platform should come first. State-of-the-art technologies like video conferencing complement it so well.
Moreover, we are living in the mobile phone era!
As an employer, go for mobile-enabled direct messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams. Such messaging tools are ideal for motivating remote employees. Less formal discourse like a simple clarification fits well here.
Finally, the employer needs to invest in high-speed internet. With a slow link, the staff working from far will not be able to connect with the office server with ease.
4. Employee Rewards
Employees are human. They are not robots. Recognizing them for their input to your business boosts their morale.
Flag the positive values you would wish to recognize. After that, come up with a criterion of awarding them. If you fail to lay out a clear basis of picking out the award winner, then bias may creep into the program.
The best approach for rolling out this program is by first calling them to a team exercise. Team-building or a night out would work! Spell out the plan you’re rolling out and the reward rules. However, in motivating remote employees, never forget that praise sinks deep when prompt, precise, and made in public!
5. Using Top of the Range Monitoring Tools
A monitoring tool could prove harsh. One would imagine.
But, hey, without a project monitoring tool, how would you check the output of employees far from the office? What about their discipline in meeting deadlines?
So how is it of use in motivating remote employees? You would wonder.
If remote workers receive fair wages based on what they’ve achieved, then that makes it useful. Higher pay should match higher output. The workers will develop the urge to be more resourceful in their work.
Nonetheless, these tools deserve caution. Why? If workers realize you’re stalking them, they feel untrusted.
6. The Flexibility of Work Time
As observed by California’s Stanford University, the flexibility of working hours is the way to go for staff working from home.
Does the employee choose the most favorable working hours?
Sure! The study found out that if employees get that privilege, they work for longer and find pleasure from their work. However, in further motivating remote employees, the employer would need to equip the remote workers with the right project management tools. Such tools enable them to track due dates with ease.
7. Trusting Your Employees
After you have provided the necessary tools and support to your remote team, then there’s one more item left. Trust!
If you realize your team is talented enough, then you need to motivate them and get out of their way. The team’s human nature would prefer a boss who doesn’t check in on them every hour.
They would feel respected. And guess what? They will perform!
Summing Up
The motivation of any employee has for long remained crucial regardless of the task at hand. A manager can never go wrong if he always uses these styles to motivate remote employees.
However, motivation doesn’t happen overnight.
Some plans are achievable in the short term, whereas others in the long-term. Proper communication, clear guidelines, and apt, appropriate remuneration may need rolling out in the short run. Employee recognition, trust, and modern communication tools may fit in the long term.