Most managers know that their staff work better when happy and motivated but, with so many of us working from home, companies across the world are adapting to new styles of working, and remote working is no longer uncharted territory for many employers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has permanently shifted UK staff towards home and hybrid working, with many companies struggling when it comes to motivating and managing remote teams. As a leader you may be wondering: how to keep my team motivated?

In this article, we’ll show you why building relationships and keeping a team’s morale high is important, pros and cons of home working and 5 ways to keep your remote team motivated.

How many UK workers are now home based?

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), before the pandemic, only around 12% of working adults reported working from home at some point in the week. Levels of working remotely peaked during lockdown, with almost half of working adults reporting having worked from home. Once restrictions were lifted and throughout 2022, the percentage of working adults reporting having worked from home has varied between 25% and 40%.

Proportion of working adults in Great Britain, March 2020 to February 2023

A graph showing the proportion of working adults in Great Britain, March 2020 to February 2023
Source: Office For National Statistics (ONS)

The Pros and Cons of Working from Home

So how does working remotely affect employee work-life balance and morale? Even for traditional office workers; home-working involves many differences in environment, communication and location.

The Pros:

Reduced Stress and Better Focus for More Home Workers

While there are some that thrive in a typical office and environment, more remote workers report that they feel more productive working remotely without interruptions from colleagues and other background noise.

No daily commute

For those based further from the office, not travelling to work can save hours of time per week; helping them stay fresh and motivated.

Work-life balance/flexibility

Home-working enables staff to get work done when it suits them with more flexibility for school-runs, appointments, walking the dog during daylight hours and many activities much harder to fit around a rigid shift pattern.

The Cons:

Working from home can be lonely

The physical isolation and lack of face-to-face interaction can have a negative effect on morale and well-being; especially for those working at home.

The challenges of remote communication

When a team is spread across many remote locations, working together and communicating effectively can be more difficult, especially when dialogue is required between a larger number of colleagues. Organisation, planning and technology are needed to overcome communication barriers

Harder to build a company culture

With limited face-to-face interactions and a lack of physical space to share team lunches, office celebrations or interactions in common areas, , it is more difficult to communicate as a group and for team members to get to know one another when working from home.

It is harder for team members to get to know each other personally, especially if they are new to the team. Without in-person interactions, it may take longer for new team members to assimilate into the company’s culture values, norms, and practices.

With a lot of communication being non-verbal and through tone-of-voice, some elements of interaction are lost. While video messaging services such as Zoom allow more visual remote interfacing between colleagues, this is less spontaneous than workplace interaction.

Working from home – a good thing overall?

Naturally, the pros and cons of homeworking differ between different industries, demographics and staff personalities. However an ONS survey found that overall; staff generally found that working at home, they had an improved work-life balance, could complete work faster and had improved their wellbeing.

 

The Pros and Cons of Working from Home So how does working remotely affect employee work-life balance and morale? Even for traditional office workers; home-working involves many differences in environment, communication and location. Pro: Reduced Stress and Better Focus for More Home Workers While there are some that thrive in a typical office and environment, more remote workers report that they feel more productive working remotely without interruptions from colleagues and other background noise. Con: Working from home can be lonely The physical isolation and lack of face-to-face interaction can have a negative effect on morale and well-being; especially for those living at home. Pro: No daily commute For those based further from the office, not travelling to work can save hours of time per week; helping them stay fresh and motivated. Con: Challenges of remote communication When a team is spread across many remote locations, working together and communicating effectively can be more difficult, especially when dialogue is required between a larger number of colleagues. Organisation, planning and technology are needed to overcome communication barriers Pro: Work-life balance/flexibility Home-working enables staff to get work done when it suits them with more flexibility for school-runs, appointments, walking the dog during daylight hours and many activities much harder to fit around a rigid shift pattern. Con: Harder to build a company culture With team-members spread across many remote locations, it is more difficult to communicate as a group and for team members to get to know one another. It is also less easy for team members to get to know each other personally, especially if they are new to the team. With a lot of communication being none-verbal and through tone-of-voice, some elements of interaction are lost. While video messaging services such as Zoom allow more visual remote interfacing between colleagues, this is less spontaneous than workplace interaction. Working from home – a good thing overall? Naturally, the pros and cons of homeworking differ between different industries, demographics and staff personalities. However an ONS survey found that overall; staff generally found that working at home, they had an improved work-life balance, could complete work faster and had improved their wellbeing.

 

Many businesses have also embraced the strategy of ongoing homeworking with improved staff wellbeing the most popular reason given according to the ONS.

5 Best Ways To Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely

With homeworking appearing to be a success for many businesses and industries; how do companies embrace the opportunity of team members working remotely whilst navigating its the challenges?

The challenge for working relationships between colleagues and the difficulty of developing a company culture are two of the most significant hurdles highlighted when team members are working remotely.

Here at Team Tactics we know building relationships and keeping teams’ morale high is important to us so here are our top 5 ways to keep your remote team motivated. Enquiries for team building events at Team Tactics have increased by 27% since the start of the pandemic.


5 Ways To Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely

Set SMART Goals

Having clear goals and setting targets will help inspire your team. If your employees know what they are working towards it will keep them motivated. Sharing your vision and setting the team the ultimate business goals will motivate them to work together and achieve the best results they can.

Teams are motivated when they know what they are doing and by having clear set goals will do exactly that, setting clear and measurable goals that are in line with the vision of the business allows you and the team to track your success. If you set these goals you will see motivation go up as the team will feel valued and it will cultivate productivity.

Set S-M-A-R-T goals and if you are going to track their progress then we advise you to do the three following things:

  • Organise and reassess your goals frequently
  • Create action plans with milestones
  • Track your time so you know that your daily efforts are focused

Give Positive Feedback And Reward Your Staff

Positive praise is a very powerful tool and it can sometimes be overlooked. Rewarding your team will help them see their progress as individuals and towards the company.

When your employees have achieved results or put in extra effort then show your team you are thankful, appreciate them and make sure to be specific in your praise, let them know exactly what they have done right. You need to be specific, explain in detail what they have done, rather than just a ‘well done’ it shows attention to detail.

If you praise and reward your team it will motivate them and will help them to succeed in future work. It also keeps the team motivated and is also a chance to bond over how hardworking and great they have been.

5 Ways To Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely

Encourage Teamwork

Companies who actively encourage their teams to work together and cohesively are successful. Take Google and Amazon for example – they are known to bring their teams closer together and encourage their staff to work as part of a team.

During these hard times remind your team how important teamwork is. It will boost morale and make the team more productive. It will stop members feeling isolated and will make them feel more engaged with each other and their tasks.

You can do this by holding team building activities and allowing your team to get to know one another. At the moment this is a lot harder as you have to do it virtually but team building games are amazing for this. We advise regular meetings at least once and week where the team all get together even if it is only for 15 min on a Monday morning.

Cameras On  

When you have a team meeting, always be sure to use a platform that allows you to make video calls. Make sure everyone has their camera turned on. It makes a huge difference when everyone can see each other and it’s much better than looking at a black screen.

Host a virtual team building activity

Remote companies have the opportunity to host virtual parties to bring joy to their staff. To throw a virtual party, first choose a video meeting software and don’t forget to start planning fun games and activities to entertain participants during the evening. 

At Team Tactics, we have the very best hosts for your virtual parties. Just set a date and a time, and will do the rest. Join us in this super-energising Virtual Circus Skills Workshop and learn how to juggle and balloon model.

 

5 Ways To Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely

Team Building to Bring Remote Teams Together

It is a great idea to schedule regular social meetings in-person. Your staff will be far more likely to be motivated and engaged if they feel as if they still have a sense of community with their colleagues and friends. 

Take your team building efforts to the next level with our range of exciting and unique team away days and activities. From taking in the sights of London from an entirely new perspective with Thames Blast, to Corporate Cooking for socialising in a relaxed and fun setting while building those cookery skills, your staff will be far more likely to be motivated and engaged if they feel as if they still have a sense of community with their colleagues and friends.

In today’s work landscape, where remote work is becoming more and more common, it’s still important to foster a sense of connection among team members. Our selection of corporate team building events are perfect to bring people together that usually work remotely and celebrate success.

From learning new skills to getting adventurous in our treasure hunts in London, here at Team Tactics it is our primary goal to bring teams together and motivate them to do better and work collaboratively. Get in touch today and we can discuss with you how we can help.