The 4 things you need to follow to make remote working a success
There’s no point in trying to sugarcoat how tough the last few months have been for all parts of every business. It’s been a rough ride. But one of the hardest challenges has been how quickly and seamlessly we’ve all had to switch to a work-from-home model. A model that doesn’t always fit with every team, structure, and job.
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down, we all had to act fast to get teams set up to work from home. Systems, procedures, equipment, tech – the logistics of ensuring an easy (or – let’s face it – easy as possible) transition from office working life to home working life were the first priority in a very big, seemingly insurmountable task.
And we got there – by now, those systematic, procedural and tech speedbumps will likely have been sorted out, and your teams will have what they need to get their tasks done away from the office. But that’s not the end of it, there’s a much bigger job at hand: keeping employees motivated and engaged when they’re working solo, without their colleagues to bounce ideas off, and without truly seeing the impact their work is making. It’s isolating, it’s stressful, and it can take a huge toll on self-confidence, and in turn, performance and productivity.
The sad reality is that not only is working remotely unmotivating to employees, but it’s been shown that when you throw in the fact that they have zero choice on the matter, the scene is set for low engagement and productivity*. And then there’s the challenge of not knowing the end date; when office life will resume? So how can you keep engagement up and employees focussed and productive when there is no foreseeable end date on working remotely?
Look, this all sounds pretty bleak right now. But you don’t have to throw in the towel, because there ARE ways to keep your team invested and productive when the odds are stacked against you. You just need to have the right tools to adapt and grow, despite the situation. And you can. If you follow the 4 Ps of a positive work culture. Here’s how you’ll achieve success when facing the challenge of working remotely:
1. PROJECTS
Day-to-day tasks get boring. Especially when working remotely. So set projects for your team to work collaboratively to achieve something above the norm, and that reinforces that they’re contributing to something bigger than themselves. Think about your biggest business challenges, and invite teams to help you problem solve, innovate, and overcome a shared hurdle.
2. PASSION
One of the biggest motivators is passion. That you deeply care about the work that you’re doing, and knowing that you’re contributing to the success of your team and the business as a whole. When motivating and engagement starts to slip, it’s important to show your team that you have passion for your work, and to then inspire your teams and reignite their own passion.
3. PEERS
You know the phrase, “It takes a village”? By reinforcing the importance of interaction, teamwork, and collaboration (especially in remote working) you can build a strong community that will work together to support team and business goals and objectives.
4. PLAY
Never, ever, ever underestimate the value of play in creating a positive team culture and an engaged, productive team. While perhaps seemingly frivolous and a time-waster (especially in comparison to structured tasks and goals), allowing time for play – constructive play – has huge benefits. When given the opportunity to work creatively to solve problems, teams can get out of those ruts of demotivation and a lack of purpose. Play allows the opportunity to think on your feet, to come up with innovative solutions, and to engage with a project while working with peers. Play helps people navigate change and apply their skills in different contexts that can have a positive flow-on effect to their work. By changing the scene and allowing some lateral thinking, you can help reignite motivation and purpose. Which will ultimately be what you need to achieve business goals.
Speak to us at Play4Business for more information and practical examples in action. Our training is in a blended format: we combine virtual classes and self paced learning for team leaders. And what’s more we provide you with a toolkit of easy to use activities including our famous ‘what the duck’ set of techniques. These are built for team leaders so that they maintain engagement in their teams – during every team meeting, stand-up session, morning ‘buzz’ session or any time your team gets together.
* https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-keep-your-team-motivated-remotel
