The remote format of work becomes a real challenge for the manager. In the office, the motivation of employees is obvious since it immediately becomes noticeable that the subordinate is burned out and tired. In remote work, things are more complicated with communications.
Start Your Working Day with Communication
One of the serious disadvantages of remote work is the lack of live communication and the difficulty in maintaining a team spirit. Every day, 10 minutes before the start of the working day, you can arrange a call to find out about each other’s well-being and mood. You can also conduct mini exercises and introduce the practice of gratitude. These things will please the entire team.
Help Employees Get to Know Each Other Better
In the office, employees communicate and feel community and team spirit. With a remote format, this needs special work, according to the majority of common leaders. For instance, you can organize joint calls in the format of a lottery.
Actively Develop Corporate Culture
In the office, employees not only work but also participate in the corporate culture. Informal communication allows them to get to know each other, broaden their horizons, and have a good time. So, you can transfer your entire office life to a remote format: jokes and memes, Friday rolls, general corporate traditions, and events.
Help Employees Set Up Their Workspace
Most of the remote productivity tips are about organizing your workspace. Employees are advised to allocate a special place in the apartment and equip it in an office style. However, not everyone has the extra money to buy a desk, shelving, a large monitor, and a good office chair. Therefore, employees often work with a laptop on the couch or at the kitchen table. It will be a good motivation for employees if the business takes on at least part of the cost of arranging the workplace. Here’s what you can do:
- compensate for the cost of electricity, Internet, and mobile communications;
- give the employee office equipment for temporary use: a printer and a good monitor;
- provide an office or compensate for the cost of it.
Work in Sprints
One of the options to support the productivity of employees working remotely is the use of project work methodologies. Specialists independently distribute the load, focusing on their capabilities and preferences.
In such a system, it is important to correctly estimate labor costs. There should be an understanding of how much time it will take to solve a problem. Not only the manager counts the time but also the employee. This is a transparent system that both disciplines and motivates.
Give Employees Personal Time
With a remote work format, it is difficult for employees to switch from “home” mode to “work” one. As a result, some begin to be lazy and miss deadlines, while others, on the contrary, constantly increase their time for work and sit at the computer from morning to night. To solve this problem, define a work schedule and clear time frames for specific processes.
Determine your work schedule. For example, online meetings are held at 10:30 and current affairs are discussed in instant messengers from 9 am to 8 pm. All other business issues are transferred, except for extremely important messages.
Employees will feel cared for since their personal time still belongs to them. At the same time, the schedule disciplines the department making it possible to understand that the manager is in touch, ready to support, and respond.