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Here we go again! Another lockdown, and another Work From Home set up. Yep. Work From Home (WFH). Now since the last episode of remote working, we have all progressed in our systems and processes. We have all established our own WFH routines and near mastered virtual meetings and the glitches that go with them.

But, one thing that will still test us and continue to rear its heavy head, is our motivation levels. No matter how many times we do this lockdown game, in fact the more we do it it seems, our mojo always at some point suffers.

Work From Home Mojo

You know something is set in place when it becomes an acronym – that is, WFH: Work From Home. But for some of us the trending hashtag #WFH is a bit of a WTF. Work From Home. It’s not an option nor a plea for management to gift you twice a week anymore, it is now mandatory, at least for the immediate future.

Now you have almost figured out how to manage your remote employees.

But have you any idea how to maintain motivation on a virtual scale?
How do keep your remote employees fully charged?
How essential is employee stimulus to the performance of your business?

Monitoring moral does not mean you need to change the entire business strategy. It just means that you need to make a little more effort to keep employees driven and feeling part of a team. The proven way of maintaining staff motivation is to show you care. Simple sounding right, but how? Care can come in the form of incentives or bonuses, awards, recognition and appraisals.

But the biggest indicator you care for your staff is what you invest in them. They will see that you care for their personal growth and success, and without batting an eye lid productivity will skyrocket – even remotely.

INVESTING IN YOUR STAFF BY UPSKILLING THEM SHOWS YOU CARE

Contact the KONA Group and we will not sell to you but help you tailor the best growth strategy for your team with focus on employee motivation and coaching the manager training. Keep your virtual team realistically motivated, focus on stimulating their ideas and maintaining their mojo. Here, we’ll get you started:

WEEKLY TEAM VIDEO CALLS

Be connected by staying connected. Include everyone. Akin to a normal team office meeting, this will allow your employees to have their voices heard, literally, as well as allow space to air concerns as a network. There is a lot that can be understood from eye to eye contact.

USE AN INSTANT MESSENGER SERVICE

It’s all well and good sending emails back and forth to one another, but even these can seem a bit too formal at times. Instead, have your employees use instant message platforms that come with video conferencing software, such MS Teams or Skype, to be able to quickly fire questions across to each other, or even just to chat, feel connected and build better working relationships with one another.

TRUST THEM

Do you doubt your remote staff are actually working the required hours each day from the comfort of their home? It’s okay, they also wonder if you know they are working the required hours each day. It’s a two-way trust. And the key to letting go and trusting both your employee and in turn have them trust you, is belief – if you’ve hired the right people in the first place, you have to give them the autonomy to go away and get on with it. A lot of people will find that they’re more productive when working remotely for a team, as they feel they need to prove that they’re getting things done without the boss nearby to check in.

APPRECIATE TO ACCELERATE

Ensure you’re providing incentives to help encourage your remote team members. Give plenty of recognition for the great work that they do, letting them know that it doesn’t go unnoticed, despite them not being present in the office. And, where possible, offer plenty of opportunity for learning, development and growth in their role.

KEEP THE MENTAL STIMULATION UP

Just like an office environment, WFH can also become stale for some staff, especially if they love to socialise and network with team mates daily. Throw a new project their way with a challenge attached. Ask them to design something completely out of their realm and see what they come up with. Set them a group task or an exercises that must be submitted in pairs.

There is an entire day’s l earning and more on how to stimulate, motivate and nourish your staff remotely – it’s just a matter of you opting to invest in your team to produce results for your business. Get motivated with KONA’s remote REAL Academy. Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au and we will help.

CONTACT US: 1300 611 288

email info@kona.com.au

In uncertain times it is vital to keep your business active, busy as well as professional – that means ensuring your staff have a solid grasp on the dos and don’ts of E-Meetings and video conferencing as virtual workplaces become the new normal.

In light of these new challenges we face as business leaders, more and more of our clients are requesting virtual training, coaching and mentoring on the below topics, to mention but a few:

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

It is important our Leaders and Managers embrace the shift in training and take on this platform as part of the development of their team.

Think about this, does your team:

Know how to behave in front of the camera?
Understand the art of non-verbal communication?
Have techniques to read the e-room?
Know how to hear not just listen in a virtual meeting?
Ask the correct question to captivate a segregated audience?

Work-from-home has many benefits, but it also has many pitfalls like how do you manage your staff remotely?

For a business to prevent the perils of a work-from-home set-up undermining productivity, managers must maintain face-to-face interaction with employees online – often. It’s not about ‘checking in’, rather it shows you care for how your staff are performing.

Here are essential tips for E-Meeting Protocols, however remember, the virtual employee has now become a professional discipline that needs to be managed, continuously.

CORRECT TECH

The correct software in a virtual workplace is integral.

There are plenty of cool tools and gadgets for a home office set up, but whatever the setup you go with – keep it simple.

Time means value in remote work, so you don’t want employees wasting their meeting times unnecessarily setting up devices and downloading software.

Also, by keeping things basic – using software like Skype, Facetime, and Teams, these platforms allow you to communicate virtually as well as exchange documents, view presentations and share screens.

LIMIT TYPING

Some people find the sounds of people typing soothing, but many find it irritating, especially one finger keyboard pounders.

This applies in an office environment as well as in a virtual meeting. Be it typing notes or on the spot emailing – keep your hands well away from the keyboard in an E-Meeting.

Apart from not being annoying, you are also indicating to your fellow e-meeting participant that they have your full attention.

Note taking should be hand-written, for courtesy as well as information retention – you remember what you write better than what you type.

LIMIT DISTRACTIONS

Only keep programs open that relate to the E-Meeting.

One of the biggest indicators of disrespect is showing you don’t care – so avoid even the temptation to be distracted and keep personal tabs and programs closed during an E-Meeting.

And – stay away from your mobile!

MUTE THE MIC

Mute your microphone when you’re not speaking.

Unexpected sounds are just that – unexpected. A dog barking, children playing, sirens screaming down the street. This may not seem like much, but it can be distracting as well as annoying to the other E-Meeting participants.

So, keep the mic on mute and when it is your time to speak, un-mute the mic and talk.

SPEAK CLEARLY AND SLOWER THAN USUAL

Despite the advances in technology, connection break-ups and two-three second delays in E-Meetings are still common.

Get used to pausing after asking a question. But most importantly – speak clearly and concisely and articulate your words.

GET DRESSED FOR WORK – EVERYDAY

You are at work. You may not be at work but nonetheless you are working.

So, dress like you would if you were at the office.

Every E-Meeting ensure both your attire and presentation is professional.

In fact, dress for work everyday you are working from home – you’ll be more focused and productive because you’re already dressed to win.

When in an e-meeting, think about what is behind you.

THINK ABOUT WHAT’S BEHIND YOU!

Washing basket? Dirty dishes? Empty bottles from the night before? Avoid embarrassment to yourself and the business and always be conscious of what people can see in your house.

NO EATING

Would you crunch on chips or sip a slushie in an office board meeting? No. So don’t do it in an E-Meeting either. Unprofessional and messy.

Rule of thumb – if you wouldn’t do it, wear it, say it, eat it or show it in an onsite office meeting, don’t do it in an E-Meeting.

The KONA Academy Protocols of a E-Meetings Training covers all of the above tips in detail, as part of the E-Meeting Program, which also looks at:

Understanding the Behaviour of Your Audience
Reading the E-Room
Virtual Presentation Skills
E-Management Training: how to manage your team remotely

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

To organise your team’s Protocols of E-Meetings Training contact KONA on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au

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Work From Home Mojo | 5 Ways to Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely