A dispersed workforce is slowly becoming the norm as many businesses continue to learn how invaluable remote workers can be. However, it’s important for leaders to remember that fully remote workers have different needs and motivations compared to their in-office or hybrid counterparts.
To help leaders learn how to effectively motivate their remote workforce, 10 members of Forbes Business Council share key actions to take to construct a supportive work environment that can cater to the needs of employees.
Members of Forbes Business Council share how leaders can build work environments that support remote workers.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Build Awareness And Understanding With Your Team
In remote work settings, leaders must work to build awareness and understanding of individuals on their teams. This requires personal vulnerability first, and then posing intentional questions and focused listening to explore and reveal motivators, drivers, interests, passions and more over time. The Johari Window illustrates this as “shifting the hidden areas into the open.” - Barry Marshall, P5 Collaborative Consulting, LLC
2. Devise Ways To Connect On A Daily Basis
See them every single day so they feel like and know they are part of the team. My team has a 15-minute huddle every day. We talk about our major priorities for the day, ask for help if we need it and offer to jump in if any of our teammates need support. We build relationships this way, stay on top of critical issues and better service our clients because we're such a unified team. - Gina Boedeker, The Boedeker Group
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3. Use Digital Collaboration Tools
Remote workers are no different than workers in the office because they are also people—that is, emotional beings who need to feel connected to other people. That's where digital collaboration tools come into play. A "wall of faces" isn't enough. One-to-one human interaction and the warm fuzzy feeling of being an instrumental part of a team must prevail. - Andrew Ellenberg, Rise Integrated Marketing
4. Build Trust
Spend time building trust. Trust is an incredible motivator. One of the benefits of working remotely is having flexibility in the hours one works and knowing that even if a team member puts in different hours than you expect, the work will get done. If you begin to micromanage, constantly checking in and wanting routine updates, understand that you are doing more harm than good. - Ahmed Shabana, Parkpine Capital
5. Create Channels To Highlight Accomplishments
Remote employees need connection and affirmation just as much as in-person employees, if not more. Simple acts like creating a #praise or #snaps channel on Slack or whatever communications tool your business uses is a great way for peers to highlight each others’ accomplishments in a company-wide setting. - John Swigart, Pie Insurance
6. Allow Flexibility For Self-Management
Offer them the flexibility to manage their working hours. Remote work has several disadvantages, such as the lack of social interactions, but they can be counterbalanced by trusting your employees to manage their schedule. Whether it is going for a run, taking care of the kids or running an errand, your team will perform better if work isn't an obstacle to what they need to do in their personal life. - Sylvain Kalache, Kalache LLC
7. Prioritize Your Staff's Well-Being
Prioritize the well-being of your employees. Well-being goes beyond wellness, and it comprises elements that help employees live a purposeful life, leverage their strengths, build strong relationships and a healthy mind and body while enjoying the journey with laughter and fun. Well-being is optimized when all these areas are nourished daily. Leaders play a key role in making this happen. - Andreea Vanacker, SPARKX5
8. Offer Incentives
We offer small bonuses for completing projects prior to deadlines and offer vacation incentives for reaching company milestones. Ensure your employees understanding that you will be checking their work-related performance daily when remote. - Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery
9. Focus On Connecting Through Professional Development
As a remote team, we place just as much emphasis on personal development as we do professional, and with that comes a focus on connection. We started a book club where our team reads a book on a particular business topic. At the end of every month, we discuss it over breakfast on Zoom! It not only keeps us learning, but it also gives us the chance to bond over something outside of our daily roles. - Emily Bibb, Breef
10. Recognize And Celebrate Hard Work
When your team works from home, it can be easy for their contributions to go overlooked, but don’t let this happen! Make sure that all of the hard work happening behind the scenes is celebrated with appreciation and recognition. Do this both publicly through social media channels as well as privately among team members so they know how much their efforts matter. Recognizing achievement is key to motivation. - Bhaskar Ahuja, Originscale Corp
