5 Tips to Keep Remote Workers Motivated

Managing a team of remote workers is quickly becoming the "new normal" for companies across the U.S., and many leaders are wondering how to keep their teams engaged and motivated at a distance. Here are five recommendations which you can put in place to get the most out of managing a team of remote workers.

1. Implementation

Setting up a new way of working can take time, but when working remotely, you need to be quick to adapt. It’s essential that your team understands from the start what their objectives and missions are during these unprecedented times. Is it business as usual? Do you need to adapt your business model to suit the evolving situation? Regardless of what the changes may be, objectives should be clear and understood by everyone in the team.

This is an opportunity for you to really put those soft skills to work and help your team develop theirs too. Clear and concise goals will boost productivity, keep everyone organized, and help you manage your projects remotely.

Make sure that a timeline or a schedule is established so that everyone can refer to it in order for tasks to be completed on time.

2. Trust and autonomy are key

It is almost inconceivable to manage a remote team without trust. Some people have to juggle multiple meetings or tend to their children and family at different hours, and many of these responsibilities overlap. It's essential to give your team of remote workers the autonomy needed to adjust to a new way of working. Empower your team members with the tools and resources to get the job done. The more you distrust or try to micromanage your employees, the less they’ll be motivated to work for you and morale within your team could ultimately plummet.

3. Team spirit

Managing remotely also means your team will be also be interacting remotely, so team spirit and a sense of closeness are essential to achieve common objectives and maintain the well-being of employees. Try to recreate the atmosphere of the office, whether it be coffee breaks, lunch breaks or quick check-ins just to see how people are doing.

If possible, try to squeeze in time for everyone to meet virtually to talk about what's on their mind besides work. What movies have they seen recently? What are they binge-watching? Any good music recommendations?

While team communication is vital, one-on-one communication with your team members is equally important. Everyone needs to feel that you are personally involved, that you are available, and that you are invested in their progress and well-being.

4. Use shared tools to facilitate collaboration

Collaborating means being able to work together on projects using whichever tool best meets your business needs. There are so many ways you can do this virtually via tools like Microsoft Teams, Jira, Trello, Zoho, or Monday. You can also facilitate communication thanks to instant chat functions such as Slack, Teams or WhatsApp.

Make the distance only physical, and encourage a cohesive team spirit.

5. Recognize a job well done

Remember that recognition is a key factor in the motivation and commitment of a team. Make sure to publicly congratulate and recognize the hard work of your employees. Incentives are great, but sometimes kind words are enough to motivate.

 

Keeping a team of remote workers engaged and motivated can be challenging. Hopefully these tips will better prepare for managing remote teams. If you need any advice from our expert consultants, please get in contact with us.