21
May
Motivating employees

A recurring problem we are hearing from our clients is that they are finding it difficult to keep their teams motivated now that everyone is working remotely.

At the beginning of lockdown, a lot of workplaces experienced an increase in productivity, probably due to the novelty of working from home. However, many workplaces are now beginning to see this spike in productivity start to decline.

So how can you keep your team motivated?

Communication

During these uncertain times, employees are anxious about the future and may feel isolated, therefore communication is vital.

Make sure you are being open and authentic with employees, keeping them with up-to-date with how the business has been impacted and what the plan is moving forward – authenticity fosters productivity. It is important that this is two-way communication and you are also listening to the opinions of your employees.

Leaders also have to respond to feedback and show that they are taking it on board and helping where possible. For example, this may be offering flexible working options in situations where employees have voiced that they are struggling with balancing home and work-life.

Communication between colleagues is also beneficial and therefore should be encouraged. A group video call every morning is a good idea to help motivate employees and focus on what they have planned for the day ahead. Some companies are also organising informal video calls at lunchtime or on their breaks to engage employees and uplift team morale. 

Employee Wellbeing

Factors such as sleep, diet, exercise and staying hydrated can all have an impact on productivity during the working day. Therefore the importance of these factors should be communicated to your team.

For employees who are adjusting to working from home, burnout can become a real possibility and have devastating effects on motivation. Therefore regular breaks and exercise should be encouraged.

Here at Reperio, we have set up a steps competition to encourage employees to participate in regular exercise and get some fresh air. Research has shown that getting outdoors not only makes us feel better emotionally and mentally, it also contributes to physical well-being by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.

Virtual Events

Virtual events are a great way to keep teams engaged and improve morale. At Reperio, we organised a 'Guess the baby' competition where we had to match each colleague to their baby picture (the results were very surprising). You could also organise a virtual quiz - the app Kahoot! is a great platform for this!

Birthdays and other special occasions should also be celebrated when working remotely. The website Group Greeting is a great alternative for sending cards to colleagues - everyone can write their own personalised message and add in a picture if they want!

Taking these simple steps into consideration is important for ensuring that motivation is maintained when working remotely. When you finally return to your workplace, your organisation will be stronger and more connected to one another than ever before.

Written by Michelle Young