Motivation is one of the most effective tools we can have. And we must extend this superpower to our employees!
Key Takeaways
Motivating remote employees doesn’t need to be as difficult as you might initially assume. With these eight tips, your team’s motivation will quickly soar!
- Make communication a top priority
- Offer feedback that helps your remote team grow
- Take the time to get to know your team members
- Introduce tools and software for remote employees that keeps learning alive
- Virtual company events are an excellent way to motivate remote employees
- Applaud and offer recognition to your remote team
- Trust your team and empower them
- Encourage a growth mindset
The benefits of motivation are endless, but how can we effectively reach employees when they work remotely? Keep reading, and I’ll let you in on the details!
See Related: 6 Tips For Boosting Morale Among Remote Employees
How Can You Best MOTIVATE Remote Employees?
When our employees feel motivated, everything else at work falls into place. Among other things, employee morale skyrockets, and engagement increases.
There’s almost nothing that employee MOTIVATION can’t do!
But not all of our employees work side-by-side. In addition, remote work has taken off in the modern workplace, making it difficult to rely on in-person lunch outings to boost morale.
So, how exactly can we keep remote workers motivated and engaged? It’s time to find creative ways to MOTIVATE remote employees and keep them happy!
#1. Make Consistent And Effective Communication A Priority
A few key skills are required in the workplace for an effective and successful business. And without these core qualities, it’s easy for any office environment to turn stale or negative.
These skills can include things like time management and collaboration. But one of the most fundamental aspects of any workplace foundation is COMMUNICATION.
Emphasizing Communication For Remote Teams
Maintaining consistent and beneficial communication is vital for any team. And especially for remote employees, this becomes even more critical.
But communication can be a prominent challenge for remote employees. Without face-to-face interactions, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation.
Successful remote working is contingent on improved communication. And in turn, keeping remote employees engaged and connected through communication is key to increasing motivation.
As a workplace leader, ensure you use technology to its fullest extent. It should go without saying that remote employees should frequently use technology to communicate.
Communicating In A Remote Work Environment
Communication can happen on many different levels. Ensure your remote team uses remote communication platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack for instant messaging or quick and informal conversations.
You can also keep your team connected with other video conferencing tools for virtual meetings. Even if you’re camera-shy, turn on your webcam to help your remote employees feel more comfortable and connected with you!
It’s also a good idea to have the occasional team meeting to assign tasks and set clear expectations of what’s to come. Ensuring nothing slips through the cracks is essential for driving motivation.
#2. Offer Continuous Positive Feedback
Feedback and communication go hand-in-hand. Therefore, effective and continuous communication is needed to pave the way for workplace feedback!
Feedback is necessary for us to grow and improve. And that is the foundation of motivation.
So if you want to keep your employees motivated and engaged, ensure feedback is a priority in the workplace. But also keep in mind that feedback can go in a multitude of different directions.
Feedback Isn’t A One-Way Road
Employees can give positive feedback directly to other team members. Ensure your team is also aware they can (and should) provide feedback to managers and leaders in their remote workforce.
And as a leader, you must actively offer constructive and positive feedback to your virtual team. Reflection is what drives motivation and improves employee engagement.
#3. Take Time To Get To Know Your Remote Employees
The best way to motivate employees starts with creating a company culture they identify with and enjoy working in. And the foundation of a healthy and happy organizational culture starts with building lasting and solid workplace relationships.
Employee motivation is about more than incentives and virtual office infrastructure. It’s about cultivating a sense of belonging, pride, and purpose within your remote workforce.
Motivation is heavily tied to workplace aspects like engagement and employee retention. And the greatest reason why employees leave their work is typically because of their boss.
Connections Are What We Need Most In The Workplace
So as a workplace leader, you must prioritize creating an enjoyable work environment and improving human communication. Because genuinely connecting with your team is one of the most important things you need to do in the workplace.
The key here is to take time to really get to know your team. Make an effort to connect with your employees and learn a bit more about them than you already know.
Relationships and connectivity inspire motivation and keep your employees engaged and happy!
#4. Introduce New Tools And Software
In almost all aspects of our lives, the ability to learn something new and develop new skills often motivates us. And this is, of course, true in the workplace as well!
Don’t underestimate the power of giving employees the tools they need to grow. Setting up your team for success also includes ensuring the tools and software you already have are fully functional and useable.
Make sure your team has the remote tools they need to succeed. When employees feel supported and truly cared for, it’s much easier for them to feel motivated!
Bonus: 9 Tips For Giving The Best Christmas Toast Ever
#5. Virtually Host A Company Event
A great way to motivate remote employees is to treat them to an unforgettable and memorable experience. After all, the greatest gift we can give isn’t something tangible!
Company events or other team-building experiences help motivate your employees by offering opportunities for connection. The ability to create lasting memories is a powerful tool to have!
Remember that you don’t need to have events in-person for them to be fantastic. Virtual team entertainment is easily available, and there are many ways to treat your team to something they deserve.
Great Ways To Start Team-Building Experiences
You can start small with a virtual break room where employees can join online to enjoy a cup of coffee with their remote co-workers. Or you can go big and host a virtual event that will be sure to stimulate and improve motivation!
Start by finding a virtual event speaker that is funny and entertaining. This person needs to be impactful and able to leave their audience laughing!
As an experienced emcee, I know exactly how the right speaker can motivate employees. So if you want a surefire way to boost productivity, engagement, and morale, this is it!
Here are some more simple ideas for team-building experiences to get you started in this journey:
- Host online office games
- Ask some icebreaker questions during the next team meeting
- Host an online lunch with your team
- Have a photo contest of everyone’s at-home workstation
#6. Applaud And Recognize Remote Teams
Finding ways to motivate employees can be a struggle for some leaders. That’s usually because they don’t take the right approach for their unique team.
Remember that all members of any professional team are individuals. The same tactic for motivation won’t work for everyone. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.
But there’s one way that can always motivate and uplift employees without fail. Recognition is something that can start small and end big. It’s the lifeblood of any successful organization.
We already know that employees leave their jobs due to unsatisfactory bosses. But employees also leave their roles when they feel unseen, underappreciated, and unvalued.
That’s where employee recognition saves the day. Appreciating, applauding, and building up your team ensures they are excited to work hard and complete their responsibilities.
And isn’t that what motivation is all about?
#7. Trust And Empower Your Employees
The best way to motivate remote employees is to empower them.
When your employees feel responsible for their roles and have increased involvement, it can easily give them additional reasons to feel motivated.
In fact, empowerment is an incredibly vital aspect to capitalize on in the workplace. This is the foundation of positive morale, healthy workplace relationships, and job satisfaction.
The benefits of empowerment and trust within your team are endless!
And, of course, one of those benefits is an increased level of employee motivation.
It’s hard to feel motivated when we don’t feel like our efforts even matter. On the other hand, motivation can soar when we feel like our hard work goes towards a greater purpose.
Start by communicating the importance of your employee’s roles and responsibilities to them. Then, paint them a clear picture demonstrating how they fit into the bigger picture.
Next, keep expanding their role. Give them new responsibilities, and trust them to get them done successfully!
#8. Encourage And Prioritize A Growth Mindset
Humans are always searching for new ways to grow and new things to learn. It’s how we stay intrigued by life itself!
At work, we still need to be able to feel this fire. Not only is it essential for our mental health and happiness, but it’s also one of the many factors that contribute to increased motivation.
The belief that our skills, abilities, and knowledge is fluid and able to grow from conscious effort and persistence is known as a growth mindset. Those with a growth mindset embrace challenges and take failure as a learning opportunity.
On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset do the opposite. They are stubborn, unwilling to open up, and resist constructive criticism.
The Value Of The Right Mindset
It should go without saying that a mindset of growth is very beneficial in the workplace. And making sure your employees understand the importance of this is key to improving motivation.
Establish an environment that values learning and adaptation. Prioritize the ability to grow and give employees plenty of opportunities to reflect.
You can show your workers the value of a growth mindset in many ways. But don’t forget that actions speak louder than words, so start by actively demonstrating this practice.
Motivation can seem complex at first, but it can be an enriching and enlightening journey for you and your employees. As the New Year comes to pass, now is the perfect time to make it a workplace priority!
Keep Reading: 27 Funny Drinking Toasts To Celebrate The New Year With
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Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
