Strategies to Motivate and Engage Your Remote Workforce
Employee engagement is a matter of serious concern for most businesses. Why? That’s because only 36 percent of employees are engaged in their work.
The rest are either passively or actively disengaged, which means they either phone it in or actively undermine business activities. With so many people currently operating in a remote workforce, it’s even more difficult to spot disengagement or lack of motivation.
If you’re currently running a lot of remote employees, you might wonder how you can encourage employee motivation and engagement. Keep reading for some key strategies you can use with your remote workforce.
Provide the Right Tools
The right tools will naturally vary from position to position, but they reduce employee angst. For some, that might mean you provide access to the right software suite. This task is made easier these days by so many cloud-based systems.
For others, it might mean actual hardware. While employees might have had a fairly high-powered desktop at work, it doesn’t mean they have equivalent equipment at home.
Supplying computer hardware may feel like a hard financial hit. Yet, it’s nothing compared to replacing remote workers who quit because their home computer system can’t keep up with their job demands.
Communication
When it comes to the question of how to motivate employees, few things matter more than communication. The more an employee feels like they operate in a vacuum, the more likely they are to lose motivation and become disengaged. Communicating current goals and concerns lets employees stay in the loop mentally.
They need basic tools for daily communication with teammates, such as a chat software system. You should also employ video meeting software. Seeing the people they work with helps remote employees feel connected with the rest of their team.
Make Their Lives Easier
While working from home provides some advantages, such as saving money on gas, it’s not a walk in the park. There are other distractions and pressures that come with working from home.
Look for ways you can make their lives easier. For example, you can use a spend management system like https://bentoforbusiness.com/corporate-cards/best-ramp-alternative-bento-for-business/ to eliminate tedious employee reimbursement paperwork.
Get Employee Feedback
A big part of remote workforce management boils down to understanding what those employees think. You must solicit some employee feedback.
You can do it with a formal feedback system or, if you work with a small team, do it informally. The catch is that you must then act on problems that show up as a common concern.
That shows employees that you listen and care about their work experience. That can boost motivation and engagement.
Motivating Your Remote Workforce
Motivation and engagement often go hand-in-hand with on site-employees and a remote workforce. You can boost motivation and engagement by supplying the right tools and regular communication.
You can also implement tools or systems that make their lives easier. Reducing stress almost always improves employee engagement. Get feedback from your employees and act on it. Employees who feel heard typically feel more engaged.
Looking for more business management tips? Check out the posts in our business section.