Motivate employees remotely

Working from home places new demands on management - both in terms of coordination of work tasks, sparring, collaboration and communication. Distance management is becoming more and more common in companies. This can be both due to large geographical distances in global companies, but also as a result of the corona crisis, where many have established home offices.

Whatever the reason for remote management, it can be difficult to keep employees motivated and ensure employee satisfaction is high. Employee motivation is essential for business success, so how can you motivate employees remotely?

For this you can HRM Nordic's HR system be useful.

Give employees the necessary skills and equipment

In order for an employee to feel equipped to perform a task, it is crucial that they have the necessary skills. When it comes to working from home, it's not necessarily a given that the employee can also perform their tasks from home.

First and foremost, the employee must have the necessary equipment. This could be a computer, an extra monitor, programs and the like. In addition, the employee must also be equipped to use their equipment. If the employee doesn't know how to log in to the company VPN or how collaboration via Microsoft Teams works, this can hinder their productivity and motivation.

Therefore, make sure that all employees know how to manage homeworking and introduce them to new programs that will be used for homeworking.

In addition, there needs to be a clear framework for communication channels. Today, there are a myriad of options for communication; company intranet, email, Teams, Zoom, Skype, Facetime, Slack, Facebook and many others. Perhaps your company has a standard for which programs to use. If not, it's a good idea to establish a framework with your employees.

Make sure all employees are heard

Remote management and remote working can be difficult. With tools from HR Solutionsit can help you a step further. Some employees regularly find that they miss the daily dialog and sparring with colleagues. Virtual meetings with many participants can also be overwhelming and confusing for some. This can mean that an employee doesn't get to say what they want to say.

As a manager, it's therefore a good idea to make sure that everyone who wants to speak in a virtual meeting is given speaking time. It's not enough to assume that everyone brings themselves into play. Therefore, it can be a good idea to ask directly if anyone else has input or other things that need to be talked about.

As a manager, it can also be a good idea to hold one-on-one interviews with employees. This gives the employee a better opportunity to speak freely and possibly ask questions about work tasks or anything else. It also allows you as a manager to ensure that employees are focused on the goal and know what they need to do. Employees who know what direction they are going in a given task are more motivated than if there is doubt about the direction.

Don't forget the coffee break

When employees work from home for an extended period of time, many will find that they lack social interaction with colleagues. They may feel isolated and alone. Remember to make room for the informal chats that would also take place in the office or lunch room. Invite employees to a virtual coffee meeting during the workday and give them the opportunity to talk about something other than their work tasks. When employees get a breather where they have the opportunity to hear how each other are doing, employees will typically not experience the same fatigue that many would otherwise experience in their own bubble in the home office. With an HR system that includes well-being surveys Constantly keep your finger on the pulse of your employees.

Trust your employees

One of the things that can be crucial for employee motivation is that they feel that their manager trusts them. Trust that the work tasks will get done, trust that employees will do their work - even if they may not be online during normal working hours.

Working from home gives employees a different level of flexibility than they might experience when they're in the office. At home, it's easier to go to and from tasks. During the corona lockdown, many parents - in addition to working from home - were also responsible for their children's education. Many parents have needed more flexibility than usual, and in this situation, it is also important that managers show understanding of the situation and trust that employees will still get their work done.

Remember your employees' own development

When employees sit individually in their own home office, they can quickly feel overlooked. This has a negative effect on motivation, which is why it's also important for managers to make sure that all employees are heard, as described above.

Some employees may feel that they are usually involved in decision-making processes, but not from their home office. This applies both in terms of work tasks, but also in terms of the employee's own development.

Even though employees work independently from their home office, it doesn't mean that their own development should be put on hold, quite the contrary. Most people are motivated by the feeling that they are developing. That's why employee self-development is also important during periods with a lot of work from home.

At the annual employee performance review, agreements are made between manager and employee - and these agreements must of course be adhered to. In addition, new opportunities may have arisen for the company where employees can benefit from completing a course or training program.

Therefore, focus on employee development even if you as a manager don't see them on a daily basis or they don't suggest new development opportunities themselves.

Keep an overview

Distance management places great demands on you as a manager. You need to have a broad overview of your employees and their work tasks, you need to make sure you are present for your employees and make sure they are heard. At the same time, you also need to ensure that they are motivated and that they develop in their work (and as a person).

It takes a lot of effort to stay on top of things - especially if you're responsible for many employees. As a manager, you use a variety of systems and programs to help you do your job. An HR system can help you keep track of all your employees, what has been agreed with them and what their tasks and responsibilities are.

Want to know more about how you can benefit from the HR system HRM-Nordic? Then contact us by phone 70 26 32 25 or contact us via email info@hrm-nordic.com. You can also fill out the form below and we will contact you.