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6 Creative Ways to Motivate Remote Teams
- Zeina AV
- Nov 10, 2021
- 4 min read
Remote working has revolutionized how we socialize, how we exercise, and how we work. While there are a huge number of perks related to remote working (no commute time, location flexibility, working in your pajamas, etc,), there are also some challenges. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges companies face with remote working is finding ways to keep employees motivated and engaged.
In this article, we deep dive into some of the most creative and effective ways to boost motivation in remote teams.
Why is it Important to Boost Remote Employees’ Motivation?
Studies have shown that the majority of workers prefer remote working. Gone are the days of long commutes, wasted lunch hours, and wearing uncomfortable suits. While the general consensus is that remote working is better for employees’ mental and physical health, companies need to step up their efforts to prevent employees from feeling isolated or unmotivated.
Unmotivated teams underperform. They’re less productive, they participate less in company culture, they contribute less in meetings, and they are less creative. To maintain a positive, productive team, motivation is key.
The Challenges of Motivating a Remote Team
Motivating remote employees is difficult for a number of reasons, here are a few of the biggest motivation barriers:
Isolation - Without workers can feel isolated and detached from their colleagues.
Misunderstandings - There is more risk of miscommunications or misinterpretations when communicating via technology. Emails and messages must be carefully worded to avoid coming across as cold or abrupt.
Uncertainty - When we all worked in the same office, it was usually pretty obvious if someone was off work due to illness, away from their desk, or going through a stressful moment. Remote working blurs those lines, creating tension. This can result in a frustrated, unengaged workforce.
6 Effective Ideas to Motivate Remote Teams
Do you need inspiration for keeping your team engaged? Here are 7 surefire ways to motivate a remote team.
1. Communicate constantly
The common factor in high-functioning, motivated teams is great communication. To facilitate this, invest in the necessary remote tools such as video conferencing, project management, and communication tools to empower employees to keep communicating with their team members.
Another way to encourage communication is to lead by example. Company leaders should show their faces regularly via live Q&A webinar sessions, regular video calls to touch base, and active participation on communication tools like Slack or Workplace. Turning on cameras can also promote participation and engagement during meetings and training sessions.
2. Prioritize Feedback
The best way to motivate employees is to listen to them and act on what they tell you. This can be achieved with quarterly anonymous pulse checks to check in on employees’ mental health and hear from them what roadblocks they face, how motivated they feel, and how the company could improve its efforts. Including a free text box gives employees a chance to say what’s on their minds in a safe environment.
Most performance management tools offer options for employees to rate different aspects of their job, including motivation. Managers should check in on employees with regular one-to-ones and listen to their comments and suggestions. Employee feedback is only useful if the company takes it on board and makes tangible efforts to improve it. Communicate pulse check results with employees and how the company is going to address them.
3. Connect with monthly virtual team building activities
Organizing monthly virtual team-building activities can help employees stay connected to their colleagues and boost morale. These activities reinforce team spirit, encourage collaboration, and prevent employees from feeling isolated.
Some examples include:
A virtual happy hour
A fun cooking class
Virtual quizzes
Team workouts
Exercise challenges
Language exchanges
Skill-swapping events
A book club
4. Encourage employees to set healthy boundaries
Remote working has changed the landscape of work as we know it. The flexibility it offers means that there are times when certain employees may not be available. There are a few ways to set boundaries and remove the stress for employees if they are contacted while doing the school run or after they have logged off for the day:
Set core working hours where all employees should be available for meetings
Have employees communicate their working schedule or block it off in their calendar
Establish a rule that meetings should be scheduled 24 hours in advance (except in emergencies)
Encourage employees to take their annual leave and not respond to emails during their leave
Update your email signature to reflect your schedule like in the examples below:
Source:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/may-benefit-change-your-email-signature-reflect-work-greer-cde/
5. Boost training initiatives
Source: Pixabay
Remote working has highlighted the importance of training for employees, especially online training. Training empowers employees to upskill, cross-train, and master parts of their job. This, in turn, stimulates the employee and keeps them motivated. Companies that offer initiatives such as knowledge-sharing, shadow programs, and regular Q&A or deep-dive sessions have more engaged and well-rounded employees.
Many organizations have had to move to a digital training model to accommodate the new remote working situation, giving employees more flexibility on when and where they train. L&D teams have the important task of ensuring the training is dynamic in order to capture employees’ attention. This can be done through gamification, social learning, and company academies. Creating a dynamic digital onboarding module is particularly important because it sets the tone for new employees and makes them feel part of the team.
6. Take a mental health break
Several large organizations are paving the way for a new company practice; mental health breaks. LinkedIn, Bumble, Hootsuite, and Nike recently shut their offices down for a week to give their employees a mental health break.
Taking annual leave helps employees to destress, but often the thought of returning to hundreds of emails and a backlog of work niggles at the back of workers’ minds making it tough to switch off. These companies recognized this and responded by organizing a week where all employees are off at the same time so there’s no concern about unanswered emails, missed meetings, or having to play catchup.
Key Takeaways
Keeping remote teams motivated is tricky. A lack of physical interaction can leave workers feeling isolated and detached from the company. However, companies researching how to boost motivation can do this by thinking outside the box. Initiatives like regular team building activities, excellent training programs, mental health initiatives, and clear guidelines on setting boundaries can build a happy, healthy, and motivated workforce.
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