Discover effective strategies for keeping remote employees engaged and motivated. In an era where remote work is becoming increasingly common, Upwork estimates that over 26% of the American workforce will be working from home by 2021.
These days, working remotely is no longer uncharted territory. That's why Upwork estimated that more than 26% of the American workforce would work from home by 2021.
Meanwhile, adopting a work-from-home business model allows your company to reap these benefits:
Save Thousands of Dollars
According to Global Workplace Statistics , employers can save $11,000 per employee annually. That's because you do not need to pay for office space.
Save the Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency reveals that transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, telecommuting means fewer cars on the road. And that could also mean you do not have to shell out transportation allowance to your employees.
How to Keep Your Work-From-Home Employees Motivated
Adopting a work-from-home model is more than just ensuring that your employees have set up their tech tools. They are susceptible to distractions, and staying indoors for too long can get boring.
Hence, you will need to look for a way to encourage their productivity.
Provide the Right Tools
There is more to remote working than having a laptop and stable internet.
As an employer, your responsibility is to provide the right tools to your employees. It can be a project management tool or plagiarism and grammar checker.
Doing so allows your employees to do their job correctly. As such, they become productive, which is beneficial for your business.
If you are wary about the expenses, remember that you do not have to get the most expensive productivity tool.
And you can start with a device that everyone in the company needs the most.
Promote Inclusivity
The great thing about letting employees work from home is that people with disabilities can now have employment opportunities. However, there is more to inclusivity than hiring differently-abled people.
That said, consider providing an accessibility tool for your employees with disabilities. Doing so can help them work and be productive despite their conditions.
Recognize Your Employees
Just because you do not see each other in person does not mean that there is no need to recognize your employees' efforts.
Keep in mind that they are the backbone of your business' success. So, it only makes sense to give credit where credit is due. And doing so will make your employees feel that they are part of a team that recognizes and rewards hard work.
Other than that, employees stay in a company, contribute more, and become more productive when recognized.
Whether you want to host a virtual awarding ceremony or share the news through group email, remember to give your employees a pat on the back.
Have Fun Every Once in a While
They say that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." As such, please schedule a game night once in a while.
Luckily, there are now various ways to schedule a virtual team-building event. You can choose to play online escape rooms or have a watch-and-learn event.
At Maid Sailors Maid Service NYC, we often have a show-and-tell wherein we showcase different parts of our house. Often, we reward our employees with the cleanliest or most organized. This is something you can do with your employees as well.
Game nights are not just fun and allow your employees to have a break. It also allows you to know them better.
Keep the Communication Lines Open
Often, it is not the bells and whistles that we incorporate into the company that motivates our employees. Sometimes it is in the environment we build within our company.
That said, it is imperative to have an open line of communication with your employees.
It can be as simple as allowing your employees to send you a private message anytime. Another is to host regular town hall meetings and individual video calls via Skype, Zoom, or Google Meet.
After all, it is essential to have an ongoing communication thread when you do not get to meet your employees in person.
Foster a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is realizing that there is more room for your employees to grow, regardless of where they are in their careers.
What you can do, as an employer, is to focus on your employees' capacity. This includes encouraging them to keep on learning and upgrade their skills.
Building a learning culture allows you to have innovative employees who are willing to take risks and accept failure. These are the characteristics you need to propel your business forward.
Provide Regular Feedback
We believe that the key to productivity is providing regular feedback. That's because it allows your employees to improve and do better.
Moreover, constructive feedback can be motivating. That's because it makes them feel involved in a company.
Feedback also ensures that you and your employees are on the same page. As a result, your employees can get things done correctly and more efficiently.
Measure Your Employees' Motivation
In case you do not know, there are various ways you can measure your employees' motivation.
You can create a questionnaire using online survey tools. Ask probing questions that can give you an insight into what is working well for your employees and what changes you need to implement.
There are also other indicators that you can monitor to know whether your employees' motivation is dwindling.
Number of absences. When more and more employees ask for a leave of absence, it indicates an ailing atmosphere in your company.
Shorter workdays. Are your employees logging in fewer hours or days as expected?
Lack of socialization. When your employees become detached, it can hurt other people's motivation and productivity.
Carelessness. Motivated people have keen attention to details, which is the opposite for those who are not.
When you see these signs, that means you need to take action.
Conclusion: Remote Work is Here to Stay
It is undeniable that remote working will only grow in popularity in the future. After all, people who work from home are more productive.
Meanwhile, adopting such a business model is also beneficial for your company. So, we will not be surprised that around 40 million Americans will work from home by 2025. That will be an 87% increase from 2019 before COVID-19 happened.
That said, there is no better time to incorporate remote employee wellbeing into your company but now.
