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Motivate remote employees

How to Motivate Remote Employees and Keep Them Engaged

How to Motivate Remote Employees and Keep Them Engaged

For many companies, it’s not just about bringing in the best talent. It’s also about making sure that they keep their employees engaged and motivated. As an employer, you know how important this is to your company’s success. A recent study found that unhappy employees could cost your organization $ 3,400 for every $ 10,000 of salary.

Successful remote employees are an essential part of any company. Yet, it can be difficult for a business to motivate remote employees and keep them engaged without being physically present in the office. In this blog post, we will discuss how you can motivate your remote employees so they stay on board with your company’s mission!

Why is remote employee motivation crucial?

employee motivation

There are many benefits to having remote employees. They allow companies to hire the best talent no matter where they’re located, which can give them a competitive edge in their industry. Hiring remotely or outsourcing also results in lower costs, since you don’t have to provide physical office space or transportation.

There’s also more freedom for workers who want flexible hours or don’t like commuting into an office every day. The goal is to make remote employment more attractive than onsite work, but even the most motivated employee can become disengaged without proper motivation.

Remote employee engagement is crucial to the success of your business. Ignoring this aspect can be very detrimental to the company since employee satisfaction is directly related to the quality of work.

Here are some benefits of having your remote staff happy and engaged:

  • Engaged employees deliver higher quality work – it’s simple math. Happy employees are more productive, which is also related to the quality of work produced.
  • They stick around longer – happy workers stay with their current employer for longer periods of time. Increased employee retention will save you time and costs related to hiring and training.
  • Happier employees are more creative – employees who feel valued and appreciated tend to be more creative. This will ultimately allow your business to come up with better solutions for the problems you face every day.

Now that we understand why employee engagement is crucial, let’s find out how you can motivate your remote staff.

Communicate with your team frequently

It’s important to make sure your remote employees feel like a part of the company culture. This is why it’s essential for managers and supervisors to stay in touch with their staff on a regular basis.

Such communications should not only be work-related. It’s equally important to ask how an employee is doing at work and how they feel about the company. Asking for feedback will give you a better idea of what your team needs in order to be productive.

You should have regular meetings or calls with each member of your staff to discuss their progress, upcoming projects, and any other questions they may have. The more frequent these meetings are, the better it is for your employees.

Give your employees the autonomy to work how they want

Remote employees should be able to work in the most productive way for them. This means you don’t have to micromanage their tasks or daily activities.

If an employee feels like they aren’t trusted, it will cause unnecessary tensions and stress levels (which is never good). Instead of telling your team what needs to get done, give them the opportunity to come up with their own ideas and solutions.

You should provide clear guidelines about what needs to be done, but you shouldn’t try to micromanage every aspect of your team’s workday. If they are struggling or have any questions, it would be helpful for them to reach out so that you can help resolve the problem.

Give feedback on a regular basis

Remote employees should know that their work is appreciated and noticed. This means it’s important to provide regular feedback on projects, tasks, or any other work-related activities your team completes throughout the day.

Make sure you are specific about what was done well and how each employee can improve next time around. Employees who feel like they’re treated fairly and their work is valued tend to perform better.

Invest in their home office setup

Remote employees will feel more engaged and be happier with their work if they have an organized, comfortable workspace.

Since your staff will be spending a considerable amount of time at home, you need to ensure that your office furniture and equipment are efficient and make them feel comfortable.

For instance, if an employee feels like they can’t work because their chair isn’t supportive enough or the desk space isn’t large enough to accommodate all of their materials, this should also concern you. You should provide employees with ergonomic office furniture that will give them the opportunity to be productive but also ensure their health and safety.

Allow them to take breaks when needed 

Take break

Remote work creates extra pressure for employees to maintain their productivity levels throughout the day. Your employees might want to take a walk and relax but stressed to do so.

This is why it’s essential for managers to allow employees to take breaks when they feel the need. Whether it’s a 15-minute coffee break or an hour lunch, remote workers should be able to switch off their computer screens and do something else if necessary.

Short breaks are helpful in relieving stress and this should be your priority as a manager. Research showed that work-related stress can lead to depression, emotional exhaustion, and even physical injury.

As a manager, it’s important to respect your employees and understand that everyone needs time away from work every now and then. Make sure you set clear boundaries so that your team knows how much work is expected of them each day or week.

Create a special channel where they can express themselves

Remote employees should feel like they have a creative outlet where they can share their ideas and thoughts. You need to set up this type of environment so that your team feels heard and respected.

Create a special channel on any communication platform you use, where your staff can discuss their favorite music, movies, recent news, or anything that interests them.

Giving them the freedom to express themselves and discuss not only work-related subjects but also personal interests will make your staff feel like they’re a part of something bigger and more significant.

Make sure to engage with these posts; it’ll show your team that their ideas matter to you as well, which is always beneficial for both parties.

Organize virtual games or activities

This is one of the best ways to bond with your remote employees and keep them engaged. You should organize virtual games or activities that will allow you and your team to get in touch with each other outside of work hours.

Just because their team is remote doesn’t mean they don’t like fun activities – by organizing entertaining, informal events through any communication platform you use, you’ll get to know your employees on a more personal level which is always beneficial for both parties.

It is recommended to conduct such activities during the working hours so your staff does not have to cancel their own plans or sacrifice their personal time.

Send them some physical gifts

Just because your team is working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t interact with them in the physical world at all. You can send your remote employees gifts from time to time, such as sweets or souvenirs, even if it’s not their birthday!

By sending small and personalized presents you’ll remind your team that they’re important for the company and deserve all of the support they need in order to feel appreciated and motivated at work each day. You can send them some physical, tangible presents on any occasion or holiday to show your appreciation and stay connected.

For instance, if it’s someone’s birthday and they’re located in another country like India, make sure to celebrate by sending them gifts and cards. The same applies to when an employee has their children around or is going through a tough time. You should always be there for your team and show that you care about them as people, not just workers!

Organize physical meetups

So what that your team is distributed all around the world? You can still organize physical meetups and get everyone together in one room to work on a special project, attend an event or just have fun.

This might be associated with higher costs but is definitely worth it if you want to make your remote workers feel like they’re a part of something bigger and more significant.

If you have the budget, organize physical meetups at least once or twice per year with all your employees coming together in one place for work-related reasons and more. Make sure that everyone is comfortable, relaxed and having fun while also being productive.

After all, having met each other personally creates a stronger and more trusting bond between all of you and makes it easier to communicate, which is so important for remote companies.

Conclusion

By applying these simple, yet effective methods you can motivate your remote employees to stay engaged and love the workplace even if they’re not there. By creating an environment that is open for creativity, fun activities or gifts on any occasion, you’ll create a special connection with every member of your team.

As always, remember that company culture plays one of the most important roles when it comes to company productivity. Make sure that you’re constantly working on your team’s engagement and connection with each other, in order to achieve long-term success.

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© 2021 - MaxinAI | All Rights Reserved
© 2021 - MaxinAI | All Rights Reserved