How do you keep your remote team engaged and motivated?

Keeping the video calls as 'video calls' will be effective. Seeing the other person face-to-face, even online, makes a difference. Unlike usual appraisal meetings, conducting periodic one-on-one calls for work review will be helpful. Ensure that all team members are being heard, as there is a high chance that someone can go silent in the remote workplace system.

Effective communication is essential for remote teams. Establish clear goals, expectations, and project progress updates. Use various communication channels like Zoom for meetings, Slack for updates, and email for formal documents. Maintain a regular communication rhythm while being flexible to accommodate the team's preferences. Regular video calls, chats, and emails are crucial for meaningful interactions. Keep the team informed and engaged to ensure successful project management.

This is is a tough one. Getting to know your people and staff is key to keeping them motivated and engaged. Hiring the right people who are self motivated. Engage with them by communicating frequently. Host monthly team building events and or events that are fun and different from the work environment.,

Although there are tons of practical things you can do to keep remote teams engaged, your key focus should be on accountability and knowledge. No matter how fun you make it, if people do not feel a sense of ownership towards their job or know their job, no tactics will be efficient enough. So start by giving your teams what they need to feel a sense of ownership and then reward them for it. Give them the psychologically safe work environment then need to tell you what they need to be accountable and knowledgeable.

The primary focus should be on implementing a system to appreciate good work. Ensure that recognition is given, perhaps through performance appreciation awards. Conduct regular feedback calls and provide constructive feedback. Sometimes, we might need to engage in micro-management, which can be a real challenge in remote work. Address this issue properly, communicate with the team members, and end micro-management once things are back on track.

One thing that is often overlooked is immediate leadership needs to be approachable and available. You can have preset meetings, stand ups, and one:ones, but if leadership doesn’t make themselves available when employees need them the most you’re failing them. What work you put towards trust and accountability is quickly lost when employees want insight or acknowledgment and leadership doesn’t know how or care to follow through.

Trust goes along with transparency and honest communication. Set expectations up front that are clearly defined and measurable. Hold regular 1:1s to check in on progress. Provide regular, specific feedback and tell them you are going to do that so they don’t fear getting constructive feedback. Be honest in every conversation and if there’s something you can’t share with them tell them when you can or why you can’t.

Building trust and accountability in remote teams is crucial. Trust is fostered by giving team members autonomy and avoiding micromanagement. Project management tools like Asana or Trello help track tasks and deadlines, promoting transparency and accountability. Regular check-ins and reviews allow for discussions on achievements, challenges, and learnings, further strengthening trust. Effective communication, clear expectations, and constructive feedback are vital to nurturing a culture of trust and accountability.

Sometimes, we need to go the extra mile to boost creativity within the team. Make sure to incorporate engaging activities beyond work, allowing the team to fearlessly explore their creative side. We have a role called Chief Happiness Officer (CHO), and the events, programs, and sessions organized by the CHO create a space where everyone realizes that it is non-judgmental and encourages everyone to speak up and express their opinions. Additionally, create small teams for certain tasks and regularly shuffle the teams to build rapport among the entire team.

Hold fun virtual group activities where the team has to work together. There are some online free escape/puzzle rooms and some that have a cost but are a great way to build collaboration skills, along with communication and problem-solving skills. Assign different team members 5-10 min in your team meetings to create a fun training or activity and then deliver it. You can pair them up each time with different people so they learn how to work with everyone on their team.

Collaboration and creativity are essential for remote teams. They foster problem-solving, idea generation, and innovation. Creating an environment that encourages collaboration and creativity is crucial. Provide tools like Google Docs, Miro, or Figma for effective collaboration. Brainstorming sessions using online whiteboards, sticky notes, and polls help generate and vote on ideas. Hackathons, challenging teams to create or improve within a set time, also promote collaboration and creativity. Foster these qualities to drive success in remote teams.

Having someone like a Chief Happiness Officer can be invaluable in maintaining team rapport. This role would involve organizing activities, meetings, games, and other initiatives that promote a positive and engaging work environment. Additionally, introducing Mental Health leaves can be beneficial for team members who are struggling mentally and need a break to recharge and boost their productivity. Similarly, implementing periods leaves can also be highly beneficial, particularly for employees who primarily work from home. Furthermore, organizing periodic offline meetups should be prioritized as they provide an excellent opportunity for team members to connect face-to-face and strengthen their relationships.

Virtual happy hours work great. Set aside time at the end of the workday. Encourage team members to grab their favorite beverage and join a Zoom call. No work talk allowed. You can have everyone share a funny story or answer a fun question about themselves. As a leader, be clear about your desire for everyone to have a good work/life balance. If you, as the leader, like to work after hours and send emails or chat messages to your team in doing so, explain to them that you don’t expect them to respond or be working after hours too. Give your team permission to be comfortable with protecting their time off the clock. Otherwise, teams tend to think they need to “prove” they are working just as hard as their leader.

Supporting well-being and balance is paramount for remote teams, directly impacting their motivation, performance, and satisfaction. Respecting the boundaries, preferences, and schedules of team members is essential. It is crucial to assist them in managing stress, isolation, and distractions associated with remote work. Wellness initiatives like virtual yoga, meditation, and fitness challenges can be implemented. Additionally, organizing enjoyable activities such as online games, quizzes, or trivia nights fosters relaxation and team bonding. Prioritizing well-being and balance ultimately leads to a happier and more productive remote team.

As the founder and clinical director of a remote psychotherapist agency, I take burnout very seriously. So we tend to focus on promoting well-being and balance, which requires ongoing effort. Prioritize mental and physical health by maintaining open communication and regular check-ins with your remote team. Encourage honest feedback and create a supportive environment. Allow team members to create their own schedules and emphasize self-care. Foster team bonding through regular meetings. Respect boundaries by providing guidelines and rules for workers and clients. Offer training, supervision, and peer support. Adapt and make adjustments as needed. Pay attention and don't assume all is okay. Remote work can be isolating. Be available.

We all embrace the role of a learner. I believe that if we truly recognize the value of learning from one another, we can elevate ourselves as providers and forge stronger bonds within our team. In our pursuit of social justice, diversity, and inclusion, we understand that every team member brings a unique perspective, knowledge, and experience to the table. By fostering a culture of learning and mutual growth, we create an environment where everyone's expertise is valued and shared. Together, we can continuously expand our understanding, enhance our skills, and stay at the forefront of our field. This commitment to learning not only enriches our own professional journeys but also empowers us to deliver exceptional care to our clients.

Developing a team begins before a job offer is even presented. we extend the opportunity for potential hires to connect with multiple team members to gain a comprehensive understanding of what it means to work with us. This allows them to assess if our agency aligns with their goals and values, while also providing us with the chance to evaluate if they would be a good fit for our team. We believe in building and cultivating lasting relationships, and this approach fosters transparency and mutual compatibility from the early stages of the hiring process. By encouraging open and honest conversations, both parties can make informed decisions and establish a strong foundation for a successful and fulfilling working relationship.

Protect time in your regular team meeting agendas for personal development and skill development. Assign people on your team who have strengths in particular areas time to do a short training on those strengths. Just as we all do in the L&D world, we need to make learning and growing fun for our teams, too. Encourage “show and tell” when someone has learned a new skill or has taken a new class and allow them to showcase what they learned.

For project management, we used Monday.com to track everything everyone was working on. My team could see all the projects currently in motion, as well as the projects on deck waiting to start, and any trainings coming up. They could see due dates and progress so they could drive their own workdays. One fun way we used Monday.com is added in the add-on for a Llama farm. Instead of seeing project progress on a progress bar or on a report, there was a Llama farm that showed the different project statuses as colors of Llamas so you could easily visualize what your total project board looked like and how many of each status there are based on how many of each color of Llama there were. The team loved it! My boss loved it!

One of the keys to keeping my team engaged and motivated was eliminating ambiguity about what they were working on, where they should prioritize, and what the expectations were. The fastest way to lose your team is to introduce ambiguity, especially if they already feel isolated.