It’s not a surprise that remote working is standard all over the globe, considering the COVID-19 pandemic hit. All the lockdowns and quarantines made people get used to remote working, whether they liked it or not.
Therefore, the lack of motivation among remote workers is even less surprising since people have been under constant stress for a long time. Also, there aren’t that many social interactions these days, so sometimes, it’s not easy to keep everyone on track.
That is why the editors at Brybe Marketplace decided to give you some insights on dealing with the lack of motivation among remote workers.
Let’s not waste any more time and get into it right away.
Feedback Is Vital for Your Business
Remote employees are by default excluded from most everyday happenings at the office since they are working from home.
That is why you have to provide them with realistic and beneficial feedback regularly. There is no other way to keep strong communication for a long time, especially during a pandemic. If shared constructively, positive and even negative feedback will motivate them to spike those productivity numbers. According to Officevibe, 82% of employees appreciate positive and negative feedback, as that’s the only way for them to progress in their job roles. Plus, it will make them feel like they are part of the team.
Feedback will show them how good they are, what can be improved, heading in the right direction, etc. When you give feedback the right way, it motivates employees to be better and better.
Still, you have to be careful as providing feedback is always a sensitive topic. Remember; if your goal is to keep your employees happy and your company thriving, be honest in your feedback report. This part is pretty simple; imagine how you would feel not getting any feedback - even though you work hard, your motivation will most certainly decrease.
No Communication, Less Motivation
If there is a lack of communication in a remote team, sooner or later, motivation will drop.
The challenge is not so much in how often you communicate but in how you do it. Using chat messages is valuable for resolving problems fast, but you lose the natural communication necessary to stay focused and motivated over time.
Therefore, try to use free or less expensive tools and meeting apps regularly, such as Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, or others, because a video call is closest to a live meeting. That way, you will be able to motivate your remote workers, hear their problems, help them, and together you will decide what you should do to increase the overall performance and motivation.
One weekly meeting is more than enough to keep the motivation going and evaluate what you have done in the past seven days.
Build A Great Company Culture
Whether it’s software developers, engineers, writers, or freelancers who are part of your remote team, they also have to feel like part of the company like everyone else. Of course, being a remote worker means not seeing colleagues all the time, so to keep the motivation running, you have to implement the company culture with your remote employees.
You should support innovative ideas, build a culture of teamwork, award great accomplishments, and make them feel welcome. With a great company culture, your remote workers will feel appreciated and have the feeling of belonging to a successful team business.
Without a positive company culture, there is a high chance of experiencing long-term problems that could affect your business goals, and you wouldn’t want that, right?
Organize Online Team-Building Events
Organizing online team-building events can be helpful not just for motivating remote teams but also for the whole company. There was a nearly 2500% increase in online and virtual team-building during quarantine times in the past two years - that’s huge!
With a team-building opportunity, employees will learn more about each other, spend some time together, and create social ties that are compelling motivators. Also, it can boost the level of creativity, increase trust, and improve collaboration.
There are numerous types of events you can organize and magnify the motivation. Some companies organize movie nights on Zoom calls where everyone can participate in watching the movie, and afterward, the debate about the story.
You can also play games; for instance, one of the most entertaining ones is Truth or Dare. The host can ask a question on a video call, and the participants can answer it or turn off the camera to opt-out. It’s a fun and engaging game that will relax everyone and help them charge their batteries for the upcoming challenges.
Healthy Competition Raises Motivation
Last but not least, competition in remote teams is the “necessary evil,” so to speak. A bit of competition never hurts anyone, and it’s an effective way to receive an award or even a promotion.
There is a range of creative examples you can use to create healthy competition and increase the motivation level among your remote employees. One effective way to create healthy competition conditions in your remote team is to close the highest value sale or get new clients on board. Praise the highly creative ones, the ones who are strangers to mistakes, or the ones who achieve the best result in the shortest time, etc.
Working from home for a long time can seem exhausting at times, so creating these competitions will energize the remote employees and make them feel part of the company.
Since remote work is not going anywhere, take your chance of hiring some of the best freelancers out there. Take a look at our Catalogs, find the ideal freelancer for you, and start working on your business right away!