Managing a remote team can be challenging, especially if some of your team members are unmotivated and unproductive. How can you inspire them to perform better and stay engaged with their work? Here are some tips to help you boost their motivation and productivity.
One of the main reasons why remote team members may feel unmotivated is the lack of communication and feedback from their managers and peers. To avoid this, you need to communicate clearly and frequently with your remote team, using various channels and tools. For example, you can use video calls, chat apps, email, and project management software to keep them updated on the goals, expectations, progress, and challenges of their work. You should also provide them with regular and constructive feedback, praise their achievements, and address their concerns.
Start out having a conversation with this person one on one; see if there's something going on that you don't know about. Be sure to communicate with them and let them know that you are available if they need to talk.
Another way to inspire your remote team members is to set realistic and measurable goals for them, and track their performance. This will help them to understand what they need to do, how they will be evaluated, and what impact their work has on the overall success of the project or the organization. You should also involve them in the goal-setting process, and let them have some autonomy and flexibility in how they approach their tasks. This will increase their sense of ownership, responsibility, and accountability.
A simple but effective way to motivate your remote team members is to recognize and reward their efforts. This will show them that you appreciate their hard work, value their contributions, and care about their well-being. You can use different methods to recognize and reward your remote team, such as sending them a thank-you note, giving them a shout-out in a team meeting, offering them a bonus, a gift card, or a paid day off, or creating a recognition program that highlights their achievements and skills.
One of the challenges of remote work is the lack of social interaction and connection with other team members. This can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and disengagement. To prevent this, you need to encourage collaboration and socialization among your remote team, and create a sense of community and belonging. You can do this by organizing regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions, online workshops, or training courses, where your remote team members can share their ideas, opinions, and feedback, and learn from each other. You can also create opportunities for informal and fun interactions, such as virtual coffee breaks, happy hours, games, quizzes, or contests, where your remote team members can chat, joke, and bond with each other.
Finally, you can inspire your remote team members by supporting their professional development and career growth. This will show them that you are invested in their future, and that you want them to succeed and advance in their roles. You can support their professional development by providing them with access to online courses, webinars, podcasts, books, or mentors, that can help them improve their skills, knowledge, and competencies. You can also offer them feedback, coaching, guidance, and opportunities to take on new challenges, projects, or responsibilities, that can help them expand their horizons and reach their potential.
Sometimes small talks would result in better productivity. While having a conversation with your team members in such remote settings try to pay a little bit of extra attention to their : 1. How the day has been for them ? 2. How is their day going to look like ? 3. How are their pets doing ? 4. How is their family ? 5. Are they being balanced in life with both professional and personal, eg: if they are able to continue learning their passion or their hobbies 6. Having an intent always to make them feel comfortable and being on their page and ready to lend ears Showing a tad bit of kindness and empathy can go a long way!!
Every person is different and as such the approach to communicate with them may be different. Try to ensure everyone is included.