With the unexpected transition from office work to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people have become anxious, stressed, and demotivated. Despite the clear advantages of working from home, such as the reduction in commute times and increased flexibility, the lack of social interaction and collaboration has left folks feeling disconnected and isolated from everyone else.
We can’t blame them for feeling that way. Remote work is not for everyone, most especially the highly-extroverted people. Nevertheless, it is a necessity now considering the present climate we have due to the global health crisis.
With social distancing still in effect in many parts of the world, businesses and establishments have no other choice but to operate on a minimal skeletal workforce onsite while having the rest of their employees work from their homes. This is one of the primary ways that businesses are staying afloat regardless if you’re a restaurateur or a supervisor to a team of charity accountants.
Given the present circumstances, business owners and managers need to make the best of what they have and adapt to the present circumstances. They need to ensure that their people stay motivated and focused to keep their productivity at a very high level.
5 Ways to Motivate Your Team to Perform Excellently Amid the Pandemic
1. Be sure to check on each one’s well-being.
Before you start implementing all the external stuff, you need to check on what’s going on inside your team members’ minds. Take the time to see how they’re doing and how the pandemic has affected their lives. This shows them that you are more concerned about them as people and not paid professionals.
2. Talk about your vision and establish clear objectives.
Gauging your company’s productivity and success is impossible if you don’t have any standards to measure it with. Even the hardest working employees will grow frustrated if they don’t know where they’re going.
As the leader, it is your duty to ensure that a clear set of objectives and goals are laid out for the team. This will let them know what they are working towards and simultaneously minimize their frustrations.
3. Keep the lines of communication open.
With the lack of social interaction in a work-from-home setting, you need to cultivate a working environment that will simulate a typical office arrangement by keeping the communication lines open.
We don’t just mean the communication between you and your staff but also their interpersonal connections. Give them an avenue to interact and somewhat socialize and collaborate with each other while they’re working remotely. Doing this will reduce their feeling of loneliness and isolation from the rest of the world.
4. Give credit where credit is due.
With the limitations of a work-from-home set-up, it’s already hard enough as it is. Imagine going through an entire week without hearing a peep from your boss about your work. In most cases, the only feedback remote workers get are memos or constructive criticism from their supervisors.
As a manager, you must develop a greater level of sensitivity to your people. Recognize their hard work especially with the limited resources they have at home. Be generous with your positive feedback, not just the corrections. Learn to give credit where it’s due and reward them for their hard work and achievements.
5. Provide opportunities and avenues for them to grow professionally and individually.
Whenever your members are given opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge as professionals and individuals, they start to feel valued by the company. This can be done by providing training that’s suitable for them, challenging them to aim for higher goals, or mentoring them to name a few.
Motivating your people to stay at the top of their game is easier said than done but you need to understand that it is also a key to ensuring your company’s survival at this point in time. You should constantly strive to make each member of your team inspired and motivated so you can achieve the goals you have set.
