Working from home has got to be one of the hardest things to do when you’re used to working at the office. This is the new reality for a lot of teams everywhere in the world. If your team is among those who have switched to working from home, you’ll notice a lack of productivity is present. It’s only natural given the current state of the world. The unfamiliarity of working from home where they’re used to just relaxing just adds to your team being less productive. There are still ways to motivate them, though.
1. Listen
Even though this is one of the most obvious pieces of advice, not many business owners take it seriously. Listening to your employees and making the improvements they suggested can do wonders for productivity.
This way, people see that what they say actually makes an impact. Being heard and knowing you’re appreciated only motivates you to give your best to your company. Remember, you have to give respect in order to receive it. A kind and understanding boss will always succeed in making their team reach for the stars and succeed.
2. Give people some autonomy
Since people are working from home now, they can’t really pop by your office any time and double-check they can do something they were planning to. Instead, they have to write to you and it might take ages for you to reply. This is especially true if you work flexible hours. Constantly waiting for approval and coming up with a backup plan in case you don’t get it can take a lot of toll on your productivity.
That’s why you should give your people some autonomy. By now, you have to know what they’re capable of and what their ideas are like. They have had to have some success in their careers up to this point, otherwise, they wouldn’t be working for you anymore.
When you get the next project, assign your team the necessary roles and let them work by themselves. They should only inform you of their progress and ask you questions if they’re not sure how to proceed next. Everything else should be entirely up to them. This will move things along and motivate them to work further because they finally have an opportunity to prove how capable they are.
3. Hold meetings online
Even though you can’t meet in person, you can still have meetings and discuss important things about the firm. This is much easier to do while talking than typing, which is why you’ll need to find a platform that can host many people at once. In other words, you need to find a way to hold group video meetings where every member of your team can hear what you have to say clearly.
This will keep your employees engaged in what they’re doing but will also remind them they’re not on vacation. That’s easy to forget when you spend all of your time at home and your work and personal life mesh. Meetings also help move things along and most issues that you would otherwise delve on are solved instantly.
As well as that, this provides the perfect opportunity to give and gain some feedback. You can listen to what your employees have to say but also praise or constructively criticize their work without being or sounding mean.
4. Show them you care
Actions speak much louder than words, which is why you should show your employees how much you care. Even though you can’t bring them anything in person, you can send it via mail. A lot of places still do deliveries, making it much easier to reach your remote team with some motivational gifts. For example, you could follow what most Australian companies are doing.
Aussies are aware of the positive impact flowers have on productivity, which is why flower delivery in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, or anywhere in between is pretty standard. Flowers create new oxygen that your employees inhale, thus improving cognitive function. They’re also nice to look at and provide a soothing alternative to the computer screen. Finally, they’re a universal sign of care and love, showing your employees they actually matter regardless of how hard times get.
Not only is an act like this going to motivate your employees to be more productive, but it will also make them more loyal to the company. Another way is to partner up with experts like this dentist who does dental veneers in Harrisburg. A free consultation can go a long way not just for your employees’ health but for your relationship with them as well.
5. Decide on a way to communicate
A lot of the day can be lost to communication and getting to the right information if your team doesn’t have a designated communication channel. It gets hard to keep track if some employees communicate via WhatsApp while others can only use Hangouts and so on. Instead, find a good communication software or messenger that the whole team will use.
Most apps of this kind offer a possibility for group chat, allowing you to reach all of your employees instantly. As well as that, communication can constantly flow and no information is lost somewhere in some thread on some app.
This makes it much easier to work, as nothing interrupts the work flow and breaks focus. That’s one of the most important things your team needs right now, as they’re scattered all around the city and this is the only way to reach them. Knowing they can reach you at any time, too, improves their confidence and productivity at the same time.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s no reason your remote team can’t be as productive as in the office. This new setting will take some time getting used to but will be much better for you and your team in the long run. We’re confident that you all will thrive in the new working environment regardless of what is going on in the world. Don’t worry, you’ll be in your comfy office chair soon enough, but for the time being, these tips will help you make the best out of a bad situation.
