What do you do if your remote team is struggling to stay connected and motivated?

1 Set clear and realistic goals

One of the keys to successful remote work is having clear and realistic goals for your team and each individual. This helps everyone to know what is expected of them, how to prioritize their tasks, and how to measure their progress. You can use tools like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) or OKR (Objectives and Key Results) to define and communicate your goals. Make sure to align your goals with your organization's vision and values, and to review them regularly with your team.

3 Build trust and rapport

Working remotely can make it harder to build trust and rapport with your team members, especially if you don't see them face-to-face often. However, trust and rapport are vital for teamwork, as they foster a sense of belonging, support, and accountability. To build trust and rapport with your remote team, you can try some of these strategies: share personal stories or interests, celebrate achievements or milestones, give recognition or praise, ask for feedback or input, and show empathy or compassion.

4 Encourage learning and development

One of the benefits of remote work is that it can offer more opportunities for learning and development. You can encourage your team to learn new skills, explore new ideas, or take on new challenges. This can help them to grow professionally and personally, as well as to stay motivated and engaged. You can support your team's learning and development by providing them with resources, tools, or courses, creating a learning plan or agenda, or creating a learning community or network.

6 Have fun and socialize

Finally, working remotely doesn't mean you can't have fun and socialize with your team. In fact, having fun and socializing can boost your team's morale, creativity, and cohesion. You can create some opportunities for fun and socializing with your team, such as virtual coffee breaks, games, quizzes, or happy hours, or online events, activities, or clubs. You can also use some icebreakers, jokes, or memes to lighten up the mood and spark some conversations.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?