5 Ways to Keep Your Remote Team Motivated and Productive

Let’s face it, WFH can be a curse and blessing at the same time!

After the dynamic change of work from an onsite to an offsite/remote environment, things have been a bit difficult for managers and supervisors in terms of maintaining overall efficiency and profitability. The most common problems teams face are miscommunication, isolation, and lack of motivation. It is known for a fact that when employees are disconnected from the team, they are more prone to lose motivation.

Considering the intensity of this situation here explained are some of the success-proven strategies for boosting remote teams’ morale and keeping them motivated.

Stick to these strategies and see how things turn out to be in your favor.

1. Engage in Regular Meetings

The concept of face-to-face meetings is just primitive as the main factor that drives team motivation is innovation.

The best practice that many companies have implemented is hosting virtual meet-ups on a regular basis. To hold virtual meetings many software are available such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meets. These are a great alternative to the boardroom-style meetings we're all used to and can be scheduled just like normal.

Keeping these meetings as routine as possible ensures a regular pattern for yourself and your colleagues, something that is required in the 'home office' to maintain productivity.

As some companies are also beginning to shift to a physical office, it may also be worthwhile to conduct smaller meetings in person with measures in place to keep everyone safe.

There is a huge chance that it may seem strange at first, but this is a great way to ease yourself and your colleagues into the 'New Normal' and keep motivation high.

2. Offer Remote-Friendly Incentives

One of the biggest backdrops of shifting to a remote environment was NO office-based incentives and luxury activities. Most of the regular office benefits like Pizza Fridays were completely out of the window. Every remote team’s manager needs to understand that all these activities are quite crucial to keep your team motivated.

Here enlisted are some of the best alternatives that you can give to your remote teams:

• Coffee shop vouchers
• Free stationery
• Travel vouchers
• Magazine subscriptions
• Family vouchers and days out

The list is endless!

You can’t imagine something simple as a 10% discount at uber eats can be the exact push of motivation your employee might need for the rest of the week. And, the cost spent will likely add up to be the same as what you would spend in the office.

Give it a try and see the difference.

3. Communicate with Employees

One of the best things you could do to increase motivation and productivity, it's communicating with your colleagues!

Employee Engagement Surveys are the best way that allows you to get valuable feedback from your remote team, and build a stronger and more positive company culture.

You can send free employee engagement surveys in 3 simple steps and get instant, vital feedback. With this feedback, you can tailor your business and working day in line with your employee's requirements.

Moreover, these surveys offer an opportunity for you to gain a deeper insight into employee happiness and overall engagement across your company.

This is a vital tool for businesses of any size, working in any location. The valuable insights and results are actionable, allowing you to improve team performance, increase employee productivity and retain your employees while creating a better working environment.

4. Professional Development Sessions for Employees

Over the past few months, we've seen how people are using their time at home to improve themselves.

Having no colleagues to bounce ideas off and little room to discuss projects with colleagues can make working from home tedious at times. Providing your employees with opportunities to gain new skills is a great way to increase motivation and productivity.

You can do this by offering online courses, skills development or even allowing colleagues to take on new tasks and work with different teams.

Communication with colleagues will be necessary to determine what will work best for them. A positive working environment is likely to be created when your employees see you care about their professional development and are willing to offer support.

5. Get Creative with Remote Working

And last but certainly not least - time to get creative!

While you're all working remotely, it's important that you keep a level of informality and fun on your priority list, since it's easy for your colleagues to get bogged down.

Add some flair to your working week. Perhaps set up competitions - who has the most delicious dinner? The best-looking coffee? Who's 'home office' setup is the greatest? Who has the cutest dog? Who can grow the best tomatoes?

Getting your co-workers involved in this will be a fantastic way to improve working relationships and thus, productivity, motivation, and retention.

Final Verdict

It's important to understand that 77% of remote employees say they’re more productive when working from home. However, there are certain factors that contribute to hindering productivity and remote team morale.

If your company is one of the few that hasn't adjusted to the remote life, take it into consideration. Assess and understand the benefits and risks, but know that it will bring in higher quality, and perhaps more motivated, candidates to your future hiring.