How to Keep WFH Employees Engaged and Motivated

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.