As the pandemic wears on, everyone can at times feel a little burnt-out. Sometimes, working remotely can introduce challenges to combating those feelings as well.
While your team enjoys the benefits of working from the location of their choosing--and no one will misses a Monday morning commute--there can be challenges to working remotely.
One of those can be staying motivated. If you manage a company or team, it can be tough to keep employees always feeling positive about their job role. Over time, remote employees may start to feel like they work alone, only interacting with their computer and the occasional email from a virtual coworker.
It’s important for remote work managers to invest in their staff. Motivated employees are more responsible, while engaged employees enjoy the work they’re doing and put more effort into their tasks.
Here are 8 ideas for increasing employee engagement to combat that burn-out feeling.
The Ways
Welcome New Team Members
When you start your workday without entering a public office, you can feel disconnected from your team. Do they know who you are? Does your work even make a difference? There’s an easy way to squash these negative thoughts: give every new team member a proper welcome and encourage the rest of the team to engage with them.
Add a channel to Slack or add their photo to the company website. If you have a company newsletter, include a short bio about each new employee. These newcomers will be happy to be included. Inclusive behaviors like these not only build employee engagement, but actually improve retention rates.
MAINTAIN frequent Communication
Working remotely doesn’t mean working is pure relaxation; there’s still tough stuff to get done. Deadlines must be met, and your clients depend on quality work. When employees feel unsupervised, they may feel less inclined to deliver consistent, timely quality. Check in with employees using regular emails, messaging, or occasional phone calls.
Feel free to put extra pressure on employees that have shown a history of poor performance. To some employees, understanding that there are consequences for low results can motivate them to work harder. Without your input, they may never feel any inspiration to improve.
Encourage Healthy Behaviors
Your team works hard to fulfill its obligations. However, make sure employees are also working in healthy ways: starting work early, taking breaks when necessary, and getting plenty of rest. If you notice employees exhibiting odd working behaviors, like logging in very late at night or procrastinating often, reach out for a discussion. When employees feel that you care about them, they may feel more engaged with the work they do.
Also, a great way to lead your remote team is to pass on healthy working behaviors. What type of routine works for you? How have you achieved success in the past? Let your team know that teleworking in a healthy way improves performance--and makes the company better, too.
Hold Team Meetings
For remote teams, virtual meetings remind solo employees that they have a team that depends on them and even appreciates the work they do. Schedule virtual meetings on an online communication platform to discuss big changes, new projects, etc. Virtual meetings successfully replicate in-office meetings, which is a boost to remote employee engagement. Plus, it allows the whole team to make suggestions, check in with one another’s progress, and more.
Meetings also allow remote coworkers to get to know one another. With increased familiarity, coworkers will feel more motivated to reach out for assistance, collaborate, and discuss projects. Remote workers who feel like they’re part of a tight-knit team are far more motivated and engaged with the work they do.
Reward Good Work
Has a member of your team delivered stellar performance? Let them know! Praise employees for good work and even hand out prizes like raffle tickets or bonus points that they can trade in for merchandise. Reward systems aren’t just fun and exciting; they motivate employees to do their best every day.
Neglecting this step can actually have the opposite effect. When remote workers feel that their efforts go unnoticed, they may feel less inclined to work hard. If you want the best from your employees, acknowledge them when they exceed your expectations. Consider scheduling special virtual events with top performers, who can all acknowledge each other’s successes.
Schedule “Coffee Breaks”
This is a great social tool that can help your company feel engaged with its coworkers. Log onto a virtual communication platform and schedule “coffee breaks” with the whole team. Enjoy a nice beverage and get to know the people behind the email addresses stored in your computer.
Icebreaker activities are the perfect entry point to conversation, especially if someone is participating for the first time. If you’re executing your first virtual coffee break, you may have to plan a relaxing game to set the tone for these events. Casual office chatter should follow; no work talk is allowed.
Plan Team Building Exercises
Teams that work remotely still work together--they just might not feel that way! Thankfully, there’s a solution. Plan virtual team building exercises for everyone to enjoy, including trivia and card games. Play games together, listen to fun music, and shrug off the work day with free-flowing conversation.
Schedule fun, interactive activities like these invite the entire team to participate. Remote coworkers can bond, learn to communicate clearly, and build a sense of accountability to one another. Team building activities like these aren’t just fun, they boost employee morale by building a tighter team bond.
Employees may even show more motivation at work if they’re looking forward to these team building events. Send out invitations to trivia games and other remote events as rewards, or schedule monthly events to reinforce a strong team dynamic.
So where should you go for virtual team building exercises? Services like TriviaHub combine remote video conferencing, chat, and team building activities in one easy-to-use service. Play trivia, card games, or even music games with your remote team.
In Conclusion
Keep in mind that motivated and engaged employees don’t just work harder; they deliver superior work. Remote employees may feel detached from their team and management, but these 8 tips can help boost company morale and beat any burn-out feelings!