Inspiring Your Remote Workforce

The lockdowns in 2020 and beyond saw a huge shift in the way we work and the way employees treat their workforce. The biggest shift was remote working. Suddenly, asking your boss if you could work from home because little Jonny had a day off from school, didn't seem like such a scary concept. Working from home has become the norm.

Alongside that, employees and business owners are now more inclined to take on remote staff, including freelancers. That fear of needing to be around someone to trust what they were doing during worktime, is no longer prevalent. But inspiring your remote workforce, whether employed or not, has become trickier due to this new way of working.

So, how do you inspire your remote team? Well, it's all about what you do. Here are our top tips for getting the best out of your remote team, to inspire them to give you the results you desire.

Keep the vision alive

The first thing you should do when taking someone on, whether that's a freelancer who will be working with you on a temporary project or a full-time member of staff, is share your company vision. What is it you are trying to do, what do you hope to achieve and what are the measurable goals that are going to get you there? How does your team member play a part in that success and how will you track their contribution to the overall vision through their work?

It's important for them to understand your passion, and to be inspired by that passion. If you get that right, they will naturally want to play their part so that they can see the vision unfolding and be part of the ultimate success. It will also help remind them of the reasons they are doing what they are doing each day, which is particularly important when you're working from home, rather than simply showing up and getting it done. You want people who are going to be effective, and that can only really be achieved if they understand the goals and feel the passion to achieve them.

Share the success

Anytime there's good news within the business, share it with your team. This is often a well-meaning strategy lots of business owners start out with, but it often falls by the wayside and before you know it, you're only contacting your team with emails and bulletins when things aren't going well. Bad news doesn't inspire anyone, although bosses often use bad news to try to spur their workforce on, it doesn't have the same impact as a more positive approach. If you're going to share the failures, share the successes in equal measure if not more.

Remind them why

You can't take someone on, tell them your visions and goals, and then go away. Because whilst you are constantly reminded of what you are trying to achieve, particularly if this is your business or you are the Managing Director, your team may not be privy to the same constant reminders. They won't be working in a physical building where they are exposed to your logo, strapline, other staff, you, or all the usual things that remind them why they are there. It's easy to get lost behind the computer when you're in the comfort of your own home office. So, plan a regular catch-up call, once per month or once per fortnight. Make it informal, make it fun, but always have the undertone of the company vision at play. Use this time to thank your team, to remind them what the goals are and how they are contributing. Tell them how amazing they are and what they have helped achieve so far. Help them leave that meeting with a renewed sense of passion.

Treat them with kindness

The days of having a "I pay them so they should just do it" mindset is over. If you want a zombie workforce who clocks in on time, clocks out on time, and does just enough to fulfill their quota, having this mindset will achieve just that. But, if you want people who are going to go above and beyond, who feel what you feel in their hearts, and who want to make you proud of them, you have to take a different stance. Quarterly thank you cards or little gifts, monthly individualised emails offering a pat on the back for a job well done, providing avenues for your team to talk to someone if they are struggling with their mental health. Treat your team with kindness and they will be thankful. They will want to give you something back and that will often be to work hard to get you the results you are hoping for.

There are lots more strategies you can employ to achieve an inspired remote team, including face-to-face meet-ups, online games, and supportive chat groups. The bottom line is, it's not enough to just expect them to be getting on with it in the background, not when you're working in the remote world. Put the effort in and the results will amaze you. It will all be worth it in the end.