5 Ways to Empower Employees Working Remotely
2020 has been a year like no other, and it doesn’t look like this socially distanced way of life is coming to an end anytime soon. Amid a global pandemic, schools and workplaces are closed and people have been told to stay home to avoid the spread of the virus.
In the face of COVID-19, many have gone from spending all day in a corporate office — surrounded by coworkers, bosses, connected vending machines, and a copious amount of staplers — to doing their work alone in a make-shift home office. However, even from a distance, your employees need to be motivated to perform successfully and put forward their best work. Here are a few ways you can motivate your employees who are working remotely.
1. Create Teams
Building project teams is a great way to make sure your employees communicate and maintain connections with each other throughout the sometimes lonely remote experience. With all of the video-chat technology — such as Zoom, Skype, or Facetime — it’s easy to organize team meetings and talk about important work-related issues (or just chat about life at home). In addition to boosting morale, building teams will create an atmosphere that results in your employees feeling an allegiance to their coworkers, holding them accountable for their jobs and leading them to work hard and perform well.
2. Introduce Incentives
Incentives are an effective way to motivate your employees to shoot for the stars even as they’re working from their bedrooms. Offering small pay boosts, gift cards to nearby take-out restaurants, or a catered post-pandemic party for achieving individual or group goals can lead to improved performance. Incentives are also a fun team-building experience; they keep spirits high and make team members work together, even if your employees can’t physically be in the office.
3. Share Your Victories
Victories are meant to be shared, and your employees should know that. When an employee achieves something good and exciting, you need to give them a space to share that victory and be celebrated for it by both their bosses and their coworkers; everyone likes to be noticed for their successes. This space could in a team group chat, an end-of-the-day virtual meeting, or in some other creative form; either way, your employees deserve recognition and congratulations when they achieve their goals.
4. Plan Face-to-Face, One-on-One Meetings
As a boss, one of your most important jobs is giving your employees individualized attention. Phone calls and text messages are great for quick messages and periodic chats, but building in face-to-face time with your employees will help you connect with them on a human level and make the physical distance seem trivial. These face-to-face, one-on-one meetings can be used to talk with your employees about their goals and their role in the company, and you can help them resolve any problem they might be having. The meetings can be also used to just catch up, as while you want to maintain a professional relationship and respect the workplace hierarchy, your employees also want to see their boss as a confidant and a friend.
5. Respect Your Employees’ Time
There’s a lot going on at home; your employees have families, responsibilities, and distractions. One might have to help his elementary school-aged daughter with her homework, and another might have to care for her elderly mom while her nursing home is shut down. You need to remember that while work should be a priority, it won’t be the only priority amid a global pandemic. Be extra respectful of your employees’ time; don’t schedule unnecessary meetings or assign unnecessary projects. If an employee turns in an assignment late, don’t get angry; be conscious of other issues he/she might be dealing with in his/her life, and try to be compassionate. When your employees have a respectful, kind, and compassionate boss, they’ll inevtiably want to work harder.
Working remotely can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be an isolating and lonely experience. As a boss, it’s your job to keep your employees motivated, connected, and collaborating; follow these tips, and you’ll achieve more goals from outside the office than you ever thought possible
