1. Checking in on the employees well-being
In the words of Ryan Bonnici, “Human beings are social creatures by nature, which is inherently in conflict with remote work culture” in his previous Entrepreneur article where he also adds, “And for every study that demonstrates the efficiency of remote work, there are medical and social scientists revealing the enormous consequences of social isolation” Hence, staying connected with the remotely working employees and collaborating with them through various tools like Zoom, High Five, Slack or Microsoft Teams helps them to ease on the psychological toll that the present condition is taking on their minds. There is another app for the same that goes by Marco Polo which lets the users send video messages to other users across the platforms. This helps the user in getting in touch with others in their free time.
2. Trust your employees
Work from home is not everyone’s cup of tea. Flexibility in work hours is one of the major reasons for opting for work from home culture; However, this doesn’t necessarily mean a laid-back attitude. To ensure employee satisfaction without compromising the interest of the organization, the employer must explain the responsibility and deadlines along with expectations with regards to the work to the employees properly. Instead of focusing on how many hours the employee is putting to work, the effort and the result should be highlighted which would lead to a fruitful relationship between the employer and the employee. Allowing them to work at their pace without much micromanagement would lead to a motivated and better performance.
3. Encourage a culture of recognition and appreciation
Everyone likes recognition and outshines when his/ her performance is appreciated. A sure-shot way of encouraging the employees to perform better than they have done is to keep them motivated by recognizing their efforts and boosting them for their performance. However, applying this theory in the corporate world might seem like a task for some organizations.
A simple way could be rewarding good behaviors that align with the value system of the organization so more employees would be encouraged to align their work with such behavior. An important thing here is to make the employees aware of the reward system and the reward that would be given to such behavior or conduct via email or meetings so they may implement it themselves.
4. Help employees manage their time better
Time management is one of the key factors for good productivity and one’s inability to manage his or her time would surely reflect in their performance. A healthy work-life balance is highly essential to perform effectively and efficiently.
The employer should stress upon this fact and help the employee manage their time by aiding them in setting achievable goals wherein the employee’s work quality does not suffer. Problems causing troubles and inefficient time management should be recognized so the employee and the employer can work towards its solution together, as a team. The success of an employee should be recognized with incentives or appreciation as it would eventually lead to the success of the employer and of the organization as a whole.
5. Encourage constant learning and growth
Investing in the skills and development of an employee would help to keep them motivated as it would entail in them a sense of belongingness with the organization. Traditional ways like mentoring the employees or providing them with training opportunities can be substituted with the various online learning platforms available like Udemy or LinkedIn Learning or even Skillshare could help the employees in learning new skills or improving upon their existing skills. This would help motivate the employees and aid in the retention of skilled employees.
6. Plan virtual chit-chat (often)
It has been established at multiple instances that inter-personal contact in a social environment has led to an increased productivity level of the employees by fostering a cooperative andsynergetic work environment. In a perfect world that existed in the pre-pandemic period, what we called a ‘water-cooler chat’ has been able to fulfill such needs of the employees. It has been recognized as a place where the employees can get together for a chat and make their work and performance more productive.
Creating such virtual events which would help the employees ease their tensions and have a gala time would help refresh the employees. Simple steps like a virtual party or games or maybe something like a book club would serve the purpose.
7. Visual score-care and Leaderboards
As per a report by 6Q, “Creating a visual that represents progress not only motivates employees with a competitive streak but also clarifies key performance indicators and priorities for the entire team.”
Having a visual track of the progress makes it easier for the employers to track good performance and motivational for the employees to perform in the best way possible. A candid way of doing so could include making graphs of performances or maybe a spreadsheet tracking the performance of each employee. Such graphs or spreadsheets could be updated at a regular interval, say, every week or maybe every month. This shall allow the employer to take note of the scoreboard at periodic intervals and allow the employees to redesign or redevelop their initiatives to get a fruitful result. This would also serve the purpose of evaluating the business proceedings and measuring its progress.
8. Engross in the workspace of the employees
Showing an interest in the employee’s work instills in them a feeling of belongingness as they feel like the employers or the managers genuinely care about them in the current scenario. A sense of care would help them feel motivated which would help them perform in the best way possible to make their managers proud. Many organizations like Uber give Fridays as a complementary off to the employees during the pandemic to help them relieve their pressure, enjoy the weekend and start the week with a fresh mind.
9. Trying negative motivation (somtimes)
It has been observed that negative motivation serves as a driving force to many people as it would challenge them to perform the best. Hence negative feedback might work better than motivational speeches in some cases. Employees should be made aware of their mistakes in an appropriate way and should be allowed to alter their workings to overcome such shortcomings. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the employee should be motivated by the team leaders to counter the critique and boost his or her progress with a positive approach.
10. Provide financial and other material incentives
Gifts and incentives are surely a highly effective way of keeping the employees motivated but the fact that money plays as the biggest motivator for all the employees cannot be ignored in any case. Being particular about the same would help the employees feel appreciated for the efforts that they have been putting throughout the month. Feeling that their efforts are being underappreciated would cause a huge setback to the performance of the employees and lead to their withdrawal.
11. Have a personal touch with your employees
This could be a highly difficult task in the current scenario keeping in view that everyone is trapped outside the traditional work environment of the office premises. Lack of personal touch could be a highly demotivational factor impacting the performance of the employees. Polls, surveys, or feedback could help in getting in touch with the employees better. Organizing video conferences or calls for the remotely working employees could work in the favor of the employer. Occasional face-to-face meetings could also be organized with limited people at once is also a great initiative to get in touch with them since it is emphasized to be aware of the weaknesses and strengths of the employees who would be a part of the organization. Communication preferences of the employees should be considered and they should be allowed some freedom of decision making in this respect.
12. Communicate Communicate Communicate!
Employees are as integral to an organization as organs are to a living human being. They make up the organization with their presence and efforts and hence should be aware of their essence. Explaining this fact to the employees and letting them know the needs of all the tasks and assignments would help them work efficiently by giving them a cause or target for their progress. Employees should be given the freedom to suggest innovative ideas or methods of reaching the common goal of the organization.
13. Experiment with the traditional work environment
Ever since the pandemic started, the traditional work environment has not been possible to exist and the world has turned towards the online mode of working. To keep up with the changing environment it has become essential to think out of the box and come up with innovative ideas and techniques to conduct the business. Employees need more motivation in the remote working scenario than they did in the past. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new and innovative ways of working but proceed with them as per the needs and demands of the employees. Even if a few techniques or ideas don’t work, the fact that employee’s changing needs are being considered would surely act as a huge motivator that would help in an evolved approach towards the work.
14. Comprehend the global trends of working
Since everyone has shifted to the online mode, it has become crucial for organizations to mark their presence in the virtual world. Hence a shift towards the global trends seems like a good solution as it would not only make your organization present on the web but will also help in finding and analyzing new and innovative ways to exist. One cannot neglect the fact that whatever is going around them would some way or the other impact their working and hence keeping a track of the never-ending opportunities across the world has become crucial.
So, keep your team motivated and yourself updated to make sure you do not lose track of the changing world in the post-pandemic scenario!
