EMPLOYEES WHO FEEL VALUED will always be more productive. Staff who are passionate about their jobs perform better, work harder, and stay with a company longer. Therefore, IT business owners need to look at ways to make work more fun and enjoyable, while keeping employees productive and accountable. This is even more important with a hybrid workforce, which has some unique challenges.
Here are six steps for keeping employees engaged and on track, whether they are working in the office, from home, or in a hybrid model:
James Kernan
1. Have both a growth mindset and positive attitude. The culture and tone of the company always start with leadership and ownership. Positive leaders don’t attack people; they attack problems. Don’t focus on where you are; focus on where you’re going. Lead and motivate your team with optimism. Connect each of your employees to the overall company vision and purpose through their goals.
2. Set clear objectives for daily and weekly productivity. Identify goals for each employee and department you want to reach. I would recommend starting with your sales, help desk, or service department. Create both individual goals and team goals and put them in writing. Remember to reward and praise in public, either in-person or during a virtual meeting, the ones who are doing well. Then coach and counsel in private the ones who are not doing well.
3. Schedule daily huddles to set the tone for the day. Hold a virtual daily team huddle for all employees via a videoconference platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Choose whatever time best fits the rhythm of your business. Make sure you always start the meeting on time, whether everyone is present or not. Keep it short. Your daily huddle should only last about 10 minutes or slightly longer if you have a larger group. Depending on the size of your workforce, allow employees to give a quick update on what their goals are that day. This will not only help hold them accountable, but also set the tone for the day. These meetings will keep everyone motivated and productive.
4. Follow up with remote employees daily. Make time to check in throughout the day. Take that opportunity to ask questions about work that’s in progress and what problems or challenges they are facing. If you are finding it difficult to meet one-on-one, have the employee send regular weekly recaps of their accomplishments and activity via email.
5. Avoid loneliness and isolation by keeping everyone connected through technology. In addition to the daily huddle, stay connected with live video during the workday via Zoom or Teams, and utilize chat-style communication with tools like Slack. Remote employees can create energy by listening to music or TV in the background. Applications like Spotify, TuneIn, or myTuner offer music, talk radio, and sports, all in real-time.
6. Reward employees according to their contribution by creating contests and sharing KPIs. Every competition, whether it’s among the sales staff, the help desk, or another department, should be data-driven, so it’s important to have a gamification tool that you can tie directly to your data. Instead of just looking at volume, find ways to measure and reward quality as well. Don’t offer the same prizes week after week, quarter after quarter. Think outside the box and mix up the rewards. It keeps contests fresh and does wonders when it comes to getting your employees fired up.
To lead a remote team successfully, managers may discover they need to loosen the rules a little while finding ways to continue to hold people accountable.
It will give your business a boost while also making work more fun and enjoyable for your employees. Keep an upbeat attitude and focus on success and growing the business.
James Kernan serves as a principal consultant for Kernan Consulting.
Image: iStock
