Remember February 2020, when only 3.6% of the American employee workforce worked remotely from home? While remote working has been on the rise for years, COVID-19 accelerated the trend faster than anyone could have predicted. And now that employees have had a taste of pajama bottom clad Zoom meetings and pets as co-workers, they aren’t in any rush to get back to the office, where pants are mandatory and pets aren’t welcome.
Global Workplace Analytics shares some remote working statistics here that paint a pretty clear picture of the future of work:
· More than 80% of survey respondents indicate they would like to work remotely, at least part-time
· A typical employee can save between $2,500 - $4,000 per year by not commuting
· 86% of respondents report being fully productive while working from home
· 70% of managers report the same or better results with respect to employee work performance
Now that organizations have successfully laid the foundation for an effective virtual working environment, how can they build on this momentum by ensuring long term productivity from their employees?
How to Motivate Your Remote Workforce
So much of the first six months post-COVID was about transitionary workforce activities and reacting to the new normal. Now that the dust has settled and the work-from-home model seems to be here to stay, how can an employer keep its staff motivated?
Employee recognition
Don’t let out of sight equate out of mind. In these work-from-home times it is more important than ever to be intentional in your employee engagement tactics. Employee recognition is a low cost, high impact way to increase retention and motivate staff. An unexpected lunch delivery from an employees’ favorite restaurant will make their day (or week) and will reinforce with them that their employer truly cares.
Taking a moment at the start of your next video call to recognize a job well done costs nothing, delivers a huge morale boost and conveys a true sense of appreciation. It’s one recommendation we make to clients when we set up their unified communications systems because it helps them replicate an “in-office” activity, remotely.
Gamification - because games are fun
Games trigger real emotions and tap into natural human instincts like competition, accomplishment and a feeling of being in control. In a 2019 survey, 89% of employees reported that gamification makes them feel more productive at work. The key to gamification success is to truly understand employee motivation, whether it may be money, time off or recognition, and find a creative way to incentivize on it.
Celebrate the wins – big and small
In this time when an impromptu happy hour outing or the usual birthday cake break in the staffroom are no longer possible, it’s a good time to find new and meaningful ways to recognize milestones. Whether it is celebrating a new contract, recognizing a significant work anniversary or reaching a particularly challenging target, taking the time to celebrate these wins with your remote workforce helps to recharge and build momentum.
Have the right tools in your toolbox
We can’t be in person right now, but productivity doesn’t have to suffer. Through unified communications platforms like Mitel you powerfully bring together chat, video and phone. Your employees stay connected, projects are completed on time and you’ve given your team the ability to succeed.
Unified Communications for the Win
The importance of proper collaboration tools cannot be overstated. A unified communications system is key to maintaining and increasing productivity. For over 50 years, Gregg Communications has specialized in helping businesses improve communication while drastically increasing employee productivity. Gregg Communications can help your organization cut through the noise and identify the communications platform that will best meet your needs. Furthermore, they will integrate your various productivity tools (think Outlook and Salesforce) into a seamless collaboration suite. Reach out to Gregg Communications today to see how their unified communications solutions can best support your organizational goals