January 23, 2018
Running a 
remote team is quite a challenge. However, it gives you the possibility to build a world-class company with your own hands, attracting top talents regardless of geographic limits.
According to the 10-month study conducted by Professor of Economics Nick Bloom and his team from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, work-at-home employees tend to be more productive. Such workers take shorter breaks, use less sick leaves and therefore get more done. Sounds good, yeah?
Despite the significant advantages, any distributed team requires more attention and managing effort. As a result, without clear, measurable objectives work-at-home staff can’t always perform at their best, suffering from poor communication that results in lack of motivation.
The question is – how to keep your remote team engaged and productive? We’ve come up with the most valuable tips for you.
FIND OUT WHAT HOBBIES OR ACTIVITIES MOTIVATE TEAM MEMBERS IN THEIR FREE TIME
Attempts to motivate an employee who doesn’t enjoy their life will not be fruitful.
First of all, find out what your employees like to do and are proud of. Encourage the desire to achieve better results in the field your workers are passionate about. The greater success an employee has in their free time, the higher quality and productivity of their work will be.
STRENGTHEN INTERACTION
People work more willingly when they feel part of a team. It’s vital to support collaborative culture and instant communication with colleagues, especially when it comes to remote teams. Fortunately, there are a lot of different team collaboration tools. For example, team chat apps like Chanty or Slack help establish a positive team atmosphere and play a role of both office space and rest area for chit-chatting.
EXPLAIN TASKS IN CLEAR WORDS
Give your virtual employees a simple step-by-step plan which includes all your requirements. As noted by Forbes, “If expectations are completely clear, and preferably mutually agreed-upon, it helps to bring the entire remote working arrangement into clearer focus.”
If your team members live in different time zones, it is also great to provide a specific schedule for each employee with convenient time, when you are free to talk to them.
MOTIVATE WITH KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is a powerful motivating factor. To achieve a high level of expertise in any field, workers should strive to become the best in their industry. Don’t wait till work-at-home employees will ask for more complicated work, it may never happen. Online courses and training can become a valuable source of inspiration for developing skills and promoting healthy competition between remote teammates.
GIVE ON-TIME FEEDBACK
Every employee wants to see their personal input to the overall work and be sure their results are evaluated regularly, promptly and accurately.
When your remote employee completes their tasks, make a face-to-face video call to discuss the work done and give a constructive feedback. Besides, the worker will be able to share ideas or suggestions, feeling needed and important for the company.
