Keeping Employee Morale Up In A Remote Workplace

Once you are accustomed to being around by your coworkers every day and having the energy of the workplace to keep you going, working remotely can be tough. Long days at home can trigger feelings of loneliness and separation, which can contribute to a significant decrease in employee morale.

Efficiency and commitment are guided by morale. The business will hit its maximum capacity while morale is high. When your workers work remotely, though, this is something you could cultivate. You'll need to discover creative ways to collaborate and connect so that the employees can continue to experience the company atmosphere at home.

 

8 Ways To Keep Your Remote Employees’ Morale High

 

1.  Maintain contact.

People who work remotely need to know that their boss and senior officials are available to them if they run into problems and need assistance. Spending time with your team while working remotely is important. It's about devoting time solely to them, even if it's virtual. If you already have one-on-one meetings, you might want to make them more frequent when working remotely.

Video (using Zoom or similar apps) is still superior to voice calls for remaining linked while operating remotely. Remote employees are encouraged and feel more relaxed and linked as they see the body language and facial gestures during manager-employee one-on-ones or group meetings. Be sure you spend enough of your time speaking about things other than goals or future deadlines. Showing an engagement outside of work not only helps to establish and sustain relationships with remote employees, but it also demonstrates that you care for them as people, which boosts morale.

 

2.  Make Sure To Keep The Company's Mission & Message In Mind.

It's easy to feel disconnected from the business when you're not in the physical workplace. You must constantly remind staff of how their work contributes to the larger picture in order to maintain high morale.

When it comes to the message of the business, it's important to ensure that staff are aware of what's going on even though they aren't in the office. Although it might be easy to protect them from negative news, everybody would be happier if the company remains transparent. Plus, the more good news you share, the higher your team's morale would be.

 

3.  It's Important To Be Recognized.

It's a huge boost to your productivity whenever someone acknowledges and appreciates your work. If you work remotely, this can have a much greater effect because you aren't around to get a clear thank you in person, and it can seem like your contributions have gone unheard.

Don't pass up a chance to thank your employees for their hard work. Through showing your employees how their job blends into the greater image of the company, you will demonstrate to them how important their work truly is.

Acknowledgement and gratitude will always help in keeping morale up, regardless of where you serve, but this can be especially beneficial for remote employees.

 

4.  Can't Always Be “All Work, No Play”.

In an office setting, you could have a break room or a dining space where staff can socialize to maintain high morale. When working remotely, though, it's possible to lose sight of the factor of ‘fun' at the workplace. The expression “all work and no play” comes to mind here, and it can have a huge negative effect on employee satisfaction and their morale.

Teams that work remotely should continue to promote social interactions. The majority of what you're doing in the workplace can be done virtually.  Workers could be allowed to meet virtually during break times to play online games, or a video conference slot could be added to allow staff to talk about their day over a cup of coffee.

 

5.  Maintain A Focus On Learning & Growth.

While working remotely, it's easy for employees to feel trapped in their roles and like they're losing out on opportunities.

Build ways for the staff to grow and improve on a daily basis to keep morale up. Employees can dip in and out of sessions as it is convenient for them. It can even adapt into their personal schedule for e-learning. Learning new things boosts employee morale, but so does hearing that their boss trusts and believes in them.

 

6.  Express How Much You Care.

We've all been to an office birthday party. You're sitting there as your coworkers approach you with a cake in hand and a weak rendition of “Happy Birthday”. As much as you may blush at the moment, you know that a birthday will be incomplete without it. These forms of small festivities are also important for morale.

Show to your staff that you care for them even though you're working from home. You may organize virtual birthday parties or simply ensure that every day is properly celebrated through your internal communication channels. This way, you will guarantee that all workers, regardless of venue, feel cared about by their colleagues.

 

7.  Ask For Critiques & Constructive Criticism.

When the staff aren't in the workplace, that doesn't mean they don't have an opinion about how the organization's operated. Open communication means that the workers are heard and problems aren't left to fester until they get even more serious.

When you ask for input from your staff, you give them the power to create meaningful change. You should check with your workers on a daily basis using anonymous survey software. Shortened, regular questions provide you with the knowledge you need to find issues sooner. This will help you make better company culture decisions as well.

When workers are asked for input, they feel respected, and problems are resolved. As a result of their feedback, productivity is maintained when the company shows that it cares.

 

8.  Allow For Actual Breaks.

You can't see if the workers are seated at their desk, so it's impossible to say if they're at lunch or taking a well-deserved rest. It's critical to take breaks throughout the day to preserve motivation and performance. Also, distracting the remote workers at this period may have a damaging effect.

Encourage staff to take time for themselves during the day and implement a mechanism that alerts coworkers when this occurs. When anyone takes a break, they can put it on their schedule, update their status via instant message, or send a note to their coworkers to let them know they'll be unavailable.

You'll find a change in efficiency and morale when the workers are well rested and refueled following a long break.

 

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