Remote work is here to stay, as shown by the pandemic. People had to leave offices and transition to doing their job from home. The work culture seems to be in favor of remote work also because many businesses outsource employees. There is no need to commute if you can carry out your tasks remotely, which saves time, money, and is great for the environment.
Having said all that, the overall experience of working from home might not be as great as some expect. Because you do not interact with coworkers in person, there might be a slight problem with motivation.
The overall productivity also suffers because you spend most of your time at home, which is a place many of us associate with leisure.
Ideas to Motivate Remote Workers
Given these issues, employers need to come up with ways to keep even the most talented employees happy.
1. Provide Great Tools for Work
Let’s start with what probably matters the most—assurance that workers will have access to the best possible tools they can.
More often than not, it is computers that are the most important. As such, it is necessary to provide a worker with the computer they want.
Some are interested in custom-built desktops, whereas others are inclined to own a laptop, such as a MacBook.
Computer accessories play a prominent role as well. If someone does not like to control apps and windows via trackpad, they will ask for a computer mouse.
Proper ergonomic chairs and headphones are necessary as well, particularly the latter because of how much time you have to spend sitting in front of a computer’s screen.
2. Seek Their Feedback
Motivate Remote Workers
Ignoring remote employees will make them feel like they are ostracized. It is not a good look for the company, and such an approach will lead to many workers simply leaving and looking for a job elsewhere.
Of course, showing everyone the same amount of attention is more or less impossible. However, it is necessary, so the least employers can do is to seek feedback from their workers.
This kind of feedback also works in the sense that an employee feels validated because their employer is actually asking for input. And this kind of appreciation is a good source of motivation.
3. Create Various Team Building Activities
As a whole, team building can feel a bit tedious and unnecessary at times, but many people like such activities. Those who are working remotely might feel left out, and coming up with remote team building activities is not that easy.
Nevertheless, to make sure that remote workers are part of the company, it is still necessary to find ways to come up with team building activities that are inclusive even if an employee cannot attend in person.
Also Read: 10 Winning Strategies For Training Remote Workers
4. Offer Learning Opportunities
Being stuck in the same job for a while with no aspirations and opportunities to go up the career ladder can be pretty demotivating.
Employees who are in such a position tend to lose motivation and neglect their tasks by procrastinating or putting in half the effort they should.
To solve the problem, employers ought to provide learning opportunities to motivate employees. There are plenty of paid courses online in the form of videos. Or, one can also hire a coach and have them offer one-on-one sessions.
Also Read: Importance Of Creating Online Community For An E-Learning Website
5. Recognize Their Work to Motivate Remote Workers
Work recognition also works as a motivator. Something as simple as an employee of the week or month is enough to keep the workers on their toes because they seek recognition not just from the employer but also from their peers.
If it is a simple project or task, but the person in charge of it did great, a simple message or a phone call is enough. The method is even more effective when the employee is not expecting it. A pleasant surprise works in favor of both parties.
Also Read: Guide to managing your Remote WordPress Team
6. Organize Various Competitions
Motivate Remote Workers
A competitive environment is also a good way to keep employee motivation up. If they have something to compete for in their work, it is natural that the effort put into it will be higher than usual.
It comes down to what the prize is. It can be something simple, like a premium Netflix account for a year or a day off.
7. Come Up With Perk Ideas
As already mentioned, offering prizes for good work is a worthwhile idea, but these perks do not have to be related entirely to in-house competitions.
Health benefits, holiday packages, gym memberships, and other perks that employers provide in addition to the salary is a great approach to keep employees happy.
Conclusion of Motivate Remote Workers
All in all, keeping remote employees motivated is one of the ways to ensure that the work environment is positive and the company is succeeding. If the drop in productivity and employee motivation is noticeable, utilize the ideas mentioned in this article and refresh the minds of your workers, so they are happy to be working for you.
Interesting Reads:
5 Tips From Elementor Website Builder to Spruce Up Your Webshop
Understanding Remote Usability Testing and Why It Is Beneficial
Learn How to Improve Your Landing Page Experience
