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By Emily Miller

With the pandemic still threatening our safety and wellbeing, a large portion of the workforce continues to work remotely. Working from home has some unexpected benefits for both employers and employees, such as lower overhead costs and more flexible work hours, but it also brought along new challenges and concerns. Some of those certainly concern motivation and productivity in this often far from ideal work environment. Struggling to stay motivated will affect employees’ performance and thereby, the entire business.

To make sure your employees don’t fall into this rut, here are a few ways to keep them motivated while they are working remotely.

Improve the communication channels

One of the biggest obstacles that working remotely introduces is communication. Clear communication channels are essential for productive work and failing to manage this aspect properly will lead to frustration, misunderstandings, and ultimately, an unhappy and unmotivated workforce.

Develop a solid online communication culture to save your employees from feeling isolated and make sure they stay engaged. Keep regular meetings to make sure everyone is in the loop. Always be clear in your message and define your expectations so that they know exactly what they have to do and when. Invest in solid communication tools to keep everything organized and under control. It does not sound like rocket science and yet, a lot of small businesses are struggling in the communication department.

Reward them for their hard work

When working remotely, employees might lose sight of what they are working for. Even though what they are doing is technically their job, their contribution is valuable to you and you should let them know. Therefore, you have to work even harder to reward them for their achievements and recognize their hard work. Take some time to show appreciation for what they have done and fill them with a sense of accomplishment. This is really an indispensable practice to keep them motivated.

In addition, don’t shy away from expressing your appreciation in the form of bonuses or rewards such as a day off, a coupon, or anything of the sort. Even better, ask your employees what they need – perhaps something small that would improve their working conditions at home could do miracles in terms of their motivation.

Give them an opportunity for self-development

Showing that you care about your employees, even when they are not physically present, is paramount. Other than rewarding them for their hard work, you should also invest in their growth and future. Learning something new and developing one’s already existing skills is always empowering. This empowerment will allow your employees to do a better job, which will motivate them to work on themselves even further.

Thankfully, there are so many online courses and seminars that would be valuable for your employees and all you have to do is to do a bit of research. Offer them and paying for these courses so employees can work on developing their skills or turn to a performance coach to aid them in their personal development – all of these are amazing ideas.

Nurture your company culture

A sense of belonging and identity is very important for building a solid work collective. The best thing you can do is to think about how you could translate your values into the online environment. We already mentioned the importance of regular video meetings, which also prevails here. Make sure the meetings are not always strictly formal so that they can bring your employees closer together.

And just because you’re working virtually doesn’t mean you can’t engage in team building activities, like the virtual options offered at NYC team building. Such efforts are a mainstay of a cohesive work collective, and you don’t have to completely forget about them just because of the pandemic. Introducing fun activities such as games and quizzes can boost your employees’ morale and make them feel more comfortable as a part of the team.

Working from home has become the new norm these days, and we have no choice but to adjust to it and do our best to make it work. Your employees are your most valuable asset, so making the extra effort to make sure they stay motivated will benefit both parties.

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Emily Miller is a guest blogger, writing about life-work related topics. Interested in the aspects of individual development inside the work environment.