How To Train and Motivate Your Remote Employees

There has been a surge of companies hiring remote employees in recent times.

The lockdown situation forced a large percentage of workers to stay at home while businesses needed to continue running. Work-from-home was a welcome change for many but as the months are going by, we are identifying some gaps in this revised system of working.

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Adequate and timely training as well as day to day employee motivation seem to be two major areas that need immediate attention. So, here are some top ways to continue training your remote staff while keeping them happy:

1) Create Effective Feedback Mechanisms

Since one cannot deploy the ease of reading body language or spend a lot of time with employees when they are working remotely, it’s difficult to know how they are feeling or what they want. A vital component to manage smooth remote working is a good feedback mechanism via chat, email, or online surveys. Creating a healthy two way relationship that encourages feedback allows transparency and frank dialogue. Keep weekly slots for every employee for dedicated one-on-one interactions with team leaders.

It also helps to be clear about expectation and KRA’s via online tools that are visible to relevant parties. Leave no grey areas or unanswered questions to facilitate remote employees in the best way. Give praise to, and encourage your remote employees often.

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2) Offer Digital Training

Though a large section of the working population is young and technically sound, don’t assume that everyone knows how to use technology tools. Offer some basic training about the commonly used platforms such as GoogleDrive, Trello, Zoom, GoToMeeting etc. If an employee is not proficient with online work tools, even the best workers will feel demotivated at some point.

Assign a mentor in digital training for new comers, added to their team leaders. Older employees may need digital assistance as well.

3) Support with Time Management

Its not easy to maintain discipline when working from home. There is no one to supervise and deadlines can get missed. If this continues, remote workers will feel discouraged and lose interest. Instead of reprimanding them, help them with planning their daily schedules for better productivity. These can be in the form of tips on how to best use the available time on hand. Trello, Proofhub and Toggl are popular and easy to use, time management tools that your company can install for all employees.

Added to which, ask each employee what time frame suits them. Working from home means that each individual has his or her own daily routines and household tasks to perform. So, find common convenient timings for meetings, set manageable deadlines for tasks, and then leave employees alone to complete their work in their own time and before the deadline. That’s the new and accepted norm! 

4) Offer Remote Employees Opportunities To Learn and Teach

One very effective remote working idea that can inspire your employees is by giving them chances to share their skills and gain some more. Conduct online teaching or training presentations, conducted by your own employees. One department can teach another. This increases comradeship and boosts employee engagement. There’s always a lot the seniors can learn from the new generations and vice versa.

Make these sessions interactive and fun with prizes and other incentives to get your teams to participate in these training sessions. Similarly, you may offer employees online workshops and group discussions on various topics, apart from direct work-related ones.

As a parting tip, it has been noticed that the GenZ work brigade finds it exciting to learn new things on the job and giving them such opportunities can go a long way in motivating and retaining GenZ employees.

Related: Why Remote Working Is Gaining Popularity Among Gen Z Workers