No longer a novelty, the benefits of remote working are being enjoyed by countless office workers around the globe. Indeed, even before the pandemic, IWG’s Global Workspace Survey, conducted in 2019, found that more than half of employees were working remotely (and keen to continue doing so) at least two-and-a-half days each week.
More than ever, teams are able to collaborate on projects in spite of different geographies and time zones. Thanks to cloud-based software and videoconferencing capabilities, digital workers no longer need to endure lengthy commutes and can make use of affordable freelance support based remotely.
And while the benefits are self-evident, keeping remote workers engaged is where business leaders must most focus their efforts as they navigate this new normal. Research by Harvard Business School found that people are driven by four basic inspirations, known as the ‘ABCD’ of human motivation. The acronym stands for:
- Acquire – where people look to gain ‘scarce goods’ such as items that attribute social status
- Bond – where humans create connections with others
- Comprehend – where people satisfy their curiosity and understanding of the world around them
- Defend – where humans protect themselves against external threats.
Through these four motivations, managers should look to stimulate their workforce in order to retain talent. The big question, then, is how can this be done while teams work remotely?
Acquire
People respond to compensation and reward in all types of organisational system and, along with offering a competitive package, it’s also important to instate a method of measuring performance, both for leaders to track output and to feed into an employee’s sense of progression. Humans are naturally competitive, and one way to keep teams engaged is to link rewards to performance so that, no matter where an employee is based, they are motivated to hit their targets.
Bond
One third of a person’s life is spent at work – some 90,000 hours in a lifetime. The people that you come into contact with, and the relationships that follow, make a huge difference to a person’s overall happiness. Encouraging positive interactions, social events and team bonding can help foster strong connections within teams and can result in better performance from colleagues who feel united by and invested in their leadership. Take the time to arrange regular social gatherings – virtual or otherwise – and promote inter-departmental workshops and activities. Ensure your HR team is up to speed on the best practices for creating a positive working environment for new remote hires.
Comprehend
Designing roles that truly challenge employees and allow them to flex their creativity and intellect will ensure that no one feels as if they are stagnating or being underused. It’s crucial to empower remote workers, giving them ownership of specific projects or tasks so that they feel accountable for their success. This will foster a sense of mutual trust and encourage a greater sense of individual achievement when goals are met.
Defend
This motivation is rooted in our feelings of safety and security in a given role, and it’s important to instil a culture of justice and fairness in any company, where employees feel heard and valued. Creating an environment in which remote workers feel encouraged to talk openly about professional challenges or anxieties will foster loyalty between a business and its employees. It’s always better to communicate too much as a leader than to appear lofty and disengaged from your workforce, especially during times of business volatility and change.
Are you keeping your remote workforce engaged and motivated? Make sure to read our magazine, featuring a number of helpful articles to support managers all around the world.
