Boosting Productivity and Motivation

The office of 2019 is gone and it isn’t coming back.

As much as organizations may want employees to be back to in-person work 5 days a week, it’s not going to happen.

First, folks have got a taste of the freedom. Doing a load of laundry between Zoom calls is pretty darn cool.

Second, productivity didn’t go down when we were all forced to work from home.

According to and article on Forbes.com “productivity generally grew as people gained more control over their workday and were stripped of the various distractions that blight us in a physical office.”

The new expectation is that employees should have more freedom to have either fully remote or hybrid work arrangements. And employeers that fail to deliver will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.

But even as remote  and hybrid work becomes a new normal for many companies, it comes the challenge of engaging remote employees.

Engaging remote workers is essential to building a productive and motivated team, and it requires a different approach than engaging employees who work in the office.

Here are 5 strategies employeers need to embrace in order to succeed now and into the future.

1. Communication: Clear and consistent communication is key to keeping remote employees engaged. This includes regular check-ins, team meetings, and one-on-one meetings. Additionally, having a designated communication platform, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, can make it easier for remote employees to stay connected with the team.
2. Recognition and Appreciation: Remote employees may feel disconnected from the office, so it’s important to recognize and appreciate their hard work. This can be done through regular shoutouts, rewards, and bonuses, or through informal channels like virtual coffee breaks or team lunches.
3. Opportunities for Learning and Development: Remote employees may feel isolated from the office and miss out on opportunities for learning and development. To keep remote employees engaged, it’s important to provide opportunities for learning and development, such as virtual training and workshops, mentorship programs, or e-learning resources.
4. Social Interaction: Social interaction is essential for building a sense of community among remote employees. This can be done through virtual team-building activities, such as virtual happy hours or game nights, or through regular virtual team meetings.
5. Clear Expectations and Goals: Remote employees need to have a clear understanding of their role, responsibilities and expectations. Setting clear goals and targets for remote employees can help them stay motivated and focused, and regular check-ins can help ensure that they are on track.

The employee expectations have changed. And organizations need to work with their best and brightest to make sure everyone is engaged and contributing to successful outcomes.

In time it will look ridculous that we once dictated where people had to be in order to work.  But engaging remote employees requires a different approach than engaging employees who work in the office full time.