Leading a team in business is hard. Leading a team that is working remotely is even harder. Just last year, it might have been said that leading a remote team was not for the faint of heart. Yet this year, practically every team has unwittingly been turned into a remote team. Practically every leader, whether faint of heart or not, has been turned into a remote team leader.
Those who work remotely and those who lead them each face their own unique challenges. The logistics involved in remote work can be difficult from the outset. However, once the proper tools and processes are in place, work begins to flow fairly smoothly.
There are so many tools that make it simple to work remotely. As a leader, you can have confidence that your business processes will transfer seamlessly into a remote work setting and that your team will easily learn how to utilize the various online tools. With a bit of downloading, account creation, and training, your team can be fully set to work cohesively with one another from their own homes.
As a leader, the more difficult hurdle lies in discovering how to inspire your team to work productively with focused determination. Whether members of your team regularly work remotely or they are only working remotely due to current circumstances, it is important that they are able to focus on the heart of the business instead of just the structure.
Though you may not have the same means of building a strong and loyal team with company buy-in, that doesn’t mean you don’t have the ability. It is essential that you transform your mindset so that you can use the tools at your disposal to inspire the same passion, productivity, and camaraderie in your team that you would in a physical setting.
In this piece, we’ll discuss:
- The Challenges of Remote Work
- Our Tips for “How Do You Keep Remote Workers Motivated?” & Inspiring Your Remote Team
- Embrace Video Conferencing
- Communication is Key
- From Feedback to Action
- Foster a Growth Mindset
- Introduce an Employee Recognition Program
- Invest Your Time in Building Trust
- Don’t be afraid to experiment
- Follow global trends
- Show faith in your employees
- Challenge employees’ abilities
- Going Forward with Remote Team Motivation
The Challenges of Remote Work
The main challenge that accompanies remote work is creating a connection with your employees even though you don’t interact with them in person. Because we can be rather social creatures, establishing that team mentality takes more care when you have a remote workplace. But it’s far from impossible.
It’s also important to note that our attitudes about remote work make a difference. If you think and act like all your employees are going to be less productive and stay negative instead of providing them with the tools they need to be successful, you may just create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Research actually indicates the opposite, and employees can actually be more productive because they can take breaks, have a better work-life balance, and feel less workplace stress.
Connection is usually the place where you want to focus your attention when working with remote teams. Co-workers can feel less connected with each other, which can lead to a lack of teamwork. The good news is that there are several tools out there that can help you to keep your team connected, communicating, and engaged.
Our Tips for “How Do You Keep Remote Workers Motivated?” & Inspiring Your Remote Team
As a leader, you have the ability to inspire your team while they’re working remotely. You can ensure they’re connected, motivated, and excited about the work they’re doing. By using the digital remote work tools, you can meet with your team regularly to foster a digital workspace that embraces flexibility, communication, teamwork, and motivation.
In order to keep your team inspired, you need to see them, and they need to see you. You need to create a digital environment that allows connection, discussion, and problem-solving.
1. Embrace Video Conferencing
Get your entire team together with a video conferencing program. These meetings are where you can share important information, expectations, and details. But make sure it isn’t just about what you have to say. You need to get your team’s feedback, and this is a great way to do so.
Be creative. Make time for discussion, questions, and team member ideas. Allow them to discuss issues they’re having, suggestions from them, and any changes they think will make working for you better. Your team needs to know that you value their thoughts and opinions.
These meetings should also be used for a little fun. One of the best ways to inspire people and foster a sense of community is to lighten things up and allow personal connection. Try out some games, challenges, or relaxed chats about daily life.
2. Communication is Key
Connecting with you and other team members needs to be easy. Digital tools can help with that. Choose a messaging app that works across several platforms and devices, such as Slack. It’s important to be sure that your team won’t miss a message because they can’t easily access or use that program. It’ll keep everyone informed and motivated to be productive.
Make sure you have several avenues open for questions, too, including meetings, chats, emails, etc. You want to understand what will make working for you remoting as manageable as possible. When your employees have what they need to get their job done, they can blaze through tasks. If you’re not sure what they need, just ask.
3. From Feedback to Action
Listening to your employees’ concerns is just one-half of the equation. You need to take their requests and feedback and act on them.
Change or update the things your employees have asked for or at least address the issue and start a dialogue with your team. To keep your employees inspired, show them you actually care and will take action to make your workplace the best it can be.
4. Foster a Growth Mindset
You want your employees to strive to do better and succeed more every day. Provide opportunities for growth and encourage participation. From training programs to promotions to certifications, educate your staff on how they can be rewarded well for striving to be the best. You can help them achieve performance and personal development goals while strengthening company culture.
5. Introduce an Employee Recognition Program
People are the key to success in any business, remote or onsite. Create a recognition program to help employees feel like a part of the team and show them that you value their hard work. You can post about their accomplishments, so the entire company can appreciate each person’s contribution.
When employees are valued, you get loyal, committed, and more productive employees.
6. Invest Your Time in Building Trust
Micromanaging kills motivation. When you trust your remote employees and work on building rapport, it does a world of difference. By learning about their work styles and personal lives, you’ll increase morale and productivity.
Schedule time with your employees for check-ins and encouragement.
Constant Slack messages and monitoring your remote employees’ online time down to the minute does nothing to promote and sustain a healthy work relationship.
Show your trust by allowing employees to take ownership of their work. Trust increases motivation, and rapport means your team will always come to you with any work-related problems without hesitation.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
If you’ve been in a traditional onsite job up until now, the time has come to start thinking outside the cubicle. It might be challenging, but now’s also the time to leave what you know behind. The things that worked onsite likely won’t online. So, you’ll need to experiment and keep trying. Employees always have diverse needs, and working with remote team members will require flexibility to meet those diverse and new ones associated with being at the computer. Use trial and error to find the best tactics for remote working motivation.
Follow Global Trends
When the lockdowns happened, online work became a necessity, and for years we’ve been working on getting businesses on the web. Global trends support the idea of embracing an online workforce. By staying current with global trends, you’ll not only be ahead of the game in many respects, but you’ll learn so much from the ocean of innovative ideas.
Challenge Employees’ Abilities
Positive reinforcement is more important than ever, but it’s not everything. Give your employees new types of work at different levels. Push them to work outside their comfort zone, and help them become the best version of themselves.
Going Forward with Remote Team Motivation
When your team is working remotely, it is even more important to keep them inspired, connected, and productive. It may not be as easy as sharing an office, but it is definitely possible.
Use digital tools to ensure regular connection, sharing, and communication. Have some fun with your team on a consistent basis. When your employees know that they’re not alone, even when they’re working at home, they’ll feel more motivated and passionate about getting things done.
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