In the aftermath of the global pandemic, many companies realized that cutting out the physical office and letting employees work remotely is beneficial in many ways.
The work-from-home revolution is in full swing, but without a physical space to work together, how are small business bosses motivating their remote workers?
James Dooley, the owner of PromoSEO, shares his expert tips on how small business owners can motivate remote workers, even if they’re on the other side of the world.
1. Flexible Working Hours
Some remote workers use their freedom to travel around the world and work wherever they end up. Companies that support this lifestyle and offer flexible working hours are more likely to retain these employees.
‘This can look different for different small businesses, but generally, creating loose deadlines and flexible hours with the expectation that a day’s work will get done in whatever time zone their employees are in is a great way to show them that you trust them and respect their time,’ says James.
2. Continuing Education Opportunities
With the money businesses save by not renting out office space, a great perk to offer employees is various complementary educational workshops and courses. ‘Establishing a work atmosphere of constant learning leads to better productivity and more innovation, leading people to want to stay in their workplace,’ says James. ‘A job that fosters a learning culture will see more success in their industry, making employees feel accomplished and successful.’
Employees who do not feel like they are moving forward at their places of work are more likely to leave. Frequent employee turnovers can be costly as you have to invest your time into finding and training a replacement, so it is worth investing in educational workshops and courses so that workers can become better at their positions and have educational achievements to look forward to if they stay on the job.
3. Recognition Events
Weekly, monthly, and yearly employee recognition events give workers something to look forward to and work hard to achieve.
Even small acknowledgements of jobs well done go a long way toward workers feeling recognised and appreciated.
This is extra important in a small business because there is likely direct communication between the executives and the workers.
Some gestures and events that have proven to work well for remote workers are:
- Giving gift cards
- Rewarding top performers with a weekend away at a hotel
- Statements of positive reinforcement
- Yearly awards ceremonies
- Company group trips
4. Daily Break Activities
‘Hosting break activities like video chat yoga or starting a book club with employees who want to get to know their digital coworkers better can foster bonding within teams, even if they aren’t physically together,’ encourages James. Sometimes, the things people miss most when they move over to remote work are eating lunch with coworkers and having everyday conversations.
If most of your employees are in the same time zone and take lunch around the same time, try hosting a group lunch once per week to encourage team building and to get closer as a team running a small business.
Scheduling a time when everyone logs off for a thirty-minute break is also a great way to show your employees that you value their need for rest during the day.
You can even offer to cover the cost of one exercise class per week and encourage them to do yoga or anything else to get them out of their work chair and boost their mental and physical health.
5. Team-Building Exercises
Although each employee is working remotely in a different location, you can still plan digital team-building exercises through video calls and a yearly team retreat where all employees meet up in person for a team-building trip.
Some great team-building exercises include trivia nights, online happy hours, and virtual team games. You can even turn educational experiences into team-building activities or allow your workers to take turns choosing activities. James urges, ‘This will give remote workers a fun chance to bond and make them feel like an integral part of the team.’
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