The modern workplace has rapidly changed over the past 2 years, and in the wake of COVID-19, remote work has become a necessity for many businesses. Working from home has long been known to have its advantages but was seen as a IT challenge pre Covid. But as it transpired with the right preparation, technically it proved more achievable than first envisaged. However, keeping teams motivated and productivity levels high proved more challenging, particularly, with limited contact with colleagues and even feelings of loneliness can occur.
While building an effective team is no simple feat, knowing how to keep your remote team engaged is crucial to create and maintain an effective work environment. Fortunately, there are strategies you can implement to address these factors.
Delegate More, Micromanage Less
While keeping up to date on progress is necessary, delegating efficiently requires a level of trust from you as a leader. Although you are not physically present with your team, be sure not to overwhelm them with constant check-ins. Try to find a healthy balance by remaining confident in your team’s work, but also making yourself available and approachable if there is a problem. Falling into micromanaging habits comes across as untrusting, which can demoralize and demotivate your team.
Promote Routine
If your workforce recently made the shift due to COVID-19, encourage your employees to follow their standard workday routine as much as possible. Set core hours when all staff must be working and this will help with team collaboration. Following a similar daily schedule can help correct the productivity challenge that many face when they make the switch to remote work.
Acknowledge effort and achievements
Remote working can be rather lonely without in-person interaction to cultivate camaraderie. There’s no one physically available to congratulate your team on a job well done, so be sure to foster a healthy work spirit by giving praise to your employees when a goal or project is completed. Words of encouragement for a job well done can go a long way in keeping morale up. Public praise can even help give your employees the feeling that everyone is still working towards common company goals, which will help keep your team motivated and on track.
Stay Connected with VOIP integrated systems
Staying connected with Unified Communications (UC) platforms is an excellent way to strengthen your communication strategies and establish good work habits among your employees. UC platforms offer flexibility, along with the opportunity to collaborate and connect with other team members, no matter the location. Staying organized and connected is made possible by keeping communication lines open and streamlining workflow. To stay ahead of the curve, we are proud to offer Dynamics PHONE SYSTEM. Our “out of the box integration” with Dynamics 365 makes us the Microsoft preferred vendor for your telephone platform.
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