In 2019, more than 4.3 million people in the U.S. were reported to be working remotely. If there is one thing we can infer from this statistic, remote work is bigger than ever, it is not just a trend or a phase.

Traditional workers are rooted in traditional standards of productivity and efficiency. While this may work for an in-office team that is always available, it is less than ideal for a remote workforce. A remote team, being remote, is not usually connected like a physical team. There are many benefits to working from home, but there are also some disadvantages. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, employees who work remotely are less motivated than those who work in an office. Low employee morale can lead to poor performance or dissatisfaction, and it is your responsibility as an employer to enhance remote experience. Therefore, maintaining and motivating morale is as crucial as your remote work force. Here are some ways to find out how to motivate your team:

Develop a remote work culture
Culture is a password that is often used in the context of human resource management employee management. But what does this really mean? Work culture is a combination of many factors that make up your entire office experience. An office setting includes everything from your tasks and processes to lunch time, celebrations, water cooler conversations, and work-related jokes.

This is an advantage that cannot be achieved in the distant workforce because they never meet each other or talk beyond the limits of the job. Many people believe that this is a natural process and abandon the situation. But because of the nature of the remote workforce, it is important to cultivate a work culture. How do you motivate your employees and develop an office culture?

Office work culture is not possible so do not try to copy it accurately. Instead, try to start small traditions and customs that work for your team. Whether you’re sharing what you eat for lunch or discussing a current issue, conversations make for a great team. You can also include several virtual activities at the end of the day to help keep everyone cool.

Offer flexibility and automation
You can brainwash your brain for ideas to motivate your remote employees, but studies show that employees who work from home are more efficient than those who are not already. Multiple studies have shown that the biggest reason why remote employees are more productive is that they are responsible for their own work and time, which is often not the case in the office. Autonomy gained by working remotely is a powerful driver in terms of efficiency. However, employers tend to micro-manage remote employees to control an uncertain situation. This will not only frustrate your employees but also create trust issues. The best course of action is to trust your employees and allow them to take care of the work the way they like.

Provide support
Remote work is often a lonely process. With no one to interact with, many employees report feelings of isolation when working remotely. Google has been showing the search team how to stay motivated from home since the beginning of 2020. This is because of the forced shift to remote jobs.

Offer support in terms of communication and regular communication. This will make you realize that you are sincerely concerned about the well-being of your employees.

There are other supports, such as technical and resource-based. Ensure that a tech team is always available to your employees for support. Also, make sure they have all the tools they need to operate at their highest capacity.

Update your metrics
Working remotely is very different from working in an office. The lines are vague, and personal and professional are not always separated. So it makes no sense to judge your employee efficiency based on factors such as punctuality or time spent on a job. Instead, update your measurements to reflect the final results. Creating an effect-based metric system such as OKRs allows you to measure the actual efficiency of your employees and motivate your remote team to work more efficiently. An outcome-based system will motivate employees to incorporate their motivation into their work.

Make regular reviews
Remote work is a very efficient process if the lines of communication are clear and precise. One of the quickest ways to ensure that is to regularly review with your employees and discuss work, shortcomings, and achievements. It offers you and your employees feedback and helps you stay on the same page. Feedback loops are a great way to motivate remote employees to work in a secluded environment.

Encourage goals
Everyone works differently and is motivated by different factors. Some employees find motivation inherent, while others need external motivation. However, incentives serve as a great motivator and a good reward for most employees. Promoting goals for the whole team will increase teamwork and team effort while motivating the distance team.