How to Keep your Remote Team Motivated

How to Keep your Remote Team Motivated - GoodTherapy.org Blog

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To keep your remote team motivated while working from home does not have to be challenging. Remote work has become increasingly popular in today’s workforce as employers want to cut costs on office space as well as keep patients safe during COVID-19. For individuals who are used to an in-person work environment, working from home might present new challenges. For example, individuals might not be used to self-accountability or adhering to a strict work schedule outside of the office. Below are 7 steps on how to keep your team motivated remotely during COVID-19 and after.

1. Set Expectations for your Remote Team

When figuring out how to keep your team motivated remotely, setting clear expectations is important. While autonomy is vital in and out of a traditional office setting, expectations can sometimes be simpler to set in-person. Employers should do their best to set clear expectations on what they wish their team to complete during work hours. Without expectations in place, it is easy to get off track or become unfocused.

2. Communicate Effectively to Keep Your Remote Team Motivated

Communication is vital when learning how to keep your team motivated remotely. Regular communication over email or over the phone not only ensures your team is at their desk but makes it easy for them to reach out if they have questions. During work hours, make sure to check-in and ask how things are going and if your team needs any help with their workload. This will team your team that not only are they expected to stay focused, but they have you for support while they adjust to their new work environment.

3. Create a Positive Feedback Environment for Remote Employees

It is always easier to point out problems than offer positive feedback. With different members of your team working from home, they might not get the normal level of positive feedback they are used to getting in the office. Positive feedback is important for keeping your team motivated and excited about their work. When learning how to keep your team motivated remotely, try to regularly point out things you appreciate.

4. Always Offer Honesty

While positive feedback is an important component when learning how to keep your team motivated remotely, honesty is equally important. Communicate to your team what is working and what is not working so that they know what they need to do moving forward. Constructive criticism is important for building skill sets among your team that help them become better at their job.

5. Take Advantage of Technology to Schedule Meetings

The invention of video conference calls has had a huge positive impact on remote work. Figuring out how to keep your team motivated remotely should involve regularly schedule video meetings, just like you would in office. This might involve a weekly brief or check-in to see where everyone is and what still needs to be done. This creates a sense of normalcy and communication to keep your team connected.

6. Share in their Success

There are many ways to keep your remote team motivated, but celebrating as a team is a great way to boost moral. When something good happens, send an email to your whole team to let them know you are celebrating an accomplishment or the good work of a specific team member. Being an emotionally intelligent leader and truly sharing in your team’s success is a great way to keep people motivated and driven regarding their daily accomplishments.

7. Trust Your Remote Team

Lastly, trust is essential to a successful work-from-home environment. Learning how to keep your team motivated remotely does not involve micro-management or hovering to make sure they’re getting everything done. A certain level of trust is needed to make sure your employees do not experience burnout. Even if something is not completed correctly, the trust helps them build confidence in their ability to get things done at home without supervision.

As working from home becomes the most popular and logical choice for many employers during 2020, learning how to keep your team motivated remotely is essential to success.

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  • 1 comment
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  • Janice

    August 23rd, 2020 at 6:19 AM

    yes

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