How to keep employees motivated when working from home

Image by 政徳 吉田 from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

Working from home can be a challenge for many employees and leave them feeling disengaged and disconnected. In turn, this can affect their work performance and leave your business suffering as a result. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, more and more companies have been forced to ask their employees to work from home and are seeking ways to keep employees engaged. If this is you, don’t worry, for there are numerous things you can do to help your employees if they are feeling stuck in a rut. Here are some top tips on how to keep employees motivated when working from home.

Check-in on them often

No employee wants to feel that just because they have to work from home they are forgotten about. It is important that you take the time out of your day to regularly check in with your employees. Luckily with technology today, this is easier than ever. The way you get in touch could be through a telephone chat, a video chat using video conferencing equipment, or via email. You don’t need to check in on them every day, but ensure it is at least once a week.

reIt could be a good idea to schedule regular meetings with the whole team to keep up the social side that working in an office brings and fuel comradeship between everyone. It will help the whole team feel they are still connected and know exactly what they are meant to be working on. By checking in regularly, you can address any concerns as soon as they crop up and will know the mindset everyone is in.

Provide targets

Targets are a brilliant way to keep motivated. Working from home you can sometimes find yourself tailing off and unsure what to work on next. By providing targets and having something clear to aim for, they will stay on track throughout the day. It is a good idea to put a reward out there for when your employees achieve big targets as this will incentivize them to work even harder. The reward doesn’t need to be something overly extravagant, something as simple as an afternoon off on a Friday or a bottle of wine in the post can be just as effective!

Praise them regularly

Never underestimate just how much praise means to someone. If your employee has been working on a project or tasks for hours and feels it goes unnoticed, they will be unlikely to want to put this effort in again. If you acknowledge what a fantastic job they have done, they will want to do this again and know that you recognize their hard work. You could praise them over the phone, by email, or make a deal of emphasizing their achievement in your next video meeting with the whole team or company.

These are just a few ways to keep your employees motivated when working from home. Be sure to follow the above, and your workforce will feel happier, your business won’t suffer, and your team will feel more complete. They are tough times for all businesses at the moment, so as long as you are doing your best and helping your employees you know you are doing the right thing.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

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