5 Tips for Motivating Your Remote Employees

Working from home has benefits, like the lack of commute time and increased flexibility for balancing work and personal life.

However, it can also feel isolating, and some of your employees may have a harder time finding the desire to work.

You can keep your team energized and ready to work with these tips for motivating your remote employees!

Schedule One-on-Ones

Although you may not be able to meet in person, this doesn’t mean you should avoid conversation.

Instead, schedule weekly one-on-ones with each team member where you can discuss workloads, concerns, and what they do great.

This gives your employees regular goals to strive toward and prioritizes communication.

Regular Check-Ins

Similar to one-on-ones, a check-in allows your employees to vocalize any concerns they may have.

It can feel more challenging to reach out when you’re not in person, mainly because you can’t read the other person’s body language, nor do you know how busy they are.

Strive to send your workers a quick message once a day individually or in a group chat to see how everyone is feeling.

Keep your virtual office door open!

Show Them Appreciation

One of the best ways to show your employees that they’re more than a number to the company is by recognizing their hard work.

There are many great ways to appreciate remote workers, and what you decide to do may depend on what you’re acknowledging.

For example, you may want to send them a gift for their work anniversary, and if they did an amazing job on a task, give them a shout-out via e-mail.

By recognizing all your employees’ hard work, you remind them how much you value the things they do for the company. And nothing is more motivating than knowing you make a difference.

Online Happy Hour

Virtual happy hour is a wonderful way to motivate your remote employees and help the team bond!

Some companies do this once a quarter, while others have online holiday parties.

Although you may not be able to chat in person, everyone can talk on a video call.

As a bonus, this also helps boost feelings of inclusion as you build a collaborative atmosphere.

Ask for Feedback

Whether you’re remote or in the office, your team’s feedback is helpful as it gives you ideas on how to improve as a manager.

Additionally, this provides your team with a voice and reminds them that you appreciate what they have to say.

Most of us feel more motivated to work in an environment that values our thoughts.

Ask your workers how you can improve as a manager, plus what you should continue doing.

Listen to your remote employees’ advice to keep the virtual environment happy and healthy for everyone.