Remote work is, without a doubt, here to stay.Ϯe Gartner survey done in May 2021 found that more than 60 percent of white-collar employers were preparing for a hybrid office future, with just one percent indicating they planned to have all employees back in the office full-time. An increasing number of companies are opting not to renew their leases on physical office spaces, and former business hubs like Manhattan still sit largely empty, with about 90% of Manhattan office workers continuing to work remotely.Ʃguring out how to keep remote workers supported and engaged in the midst of a pandemic has been, for many executives, the biggest career challenge theyҶe faced. Yet, the theoretically temporary nature of these remote arrangements may have helped soften some of their sharper edges. Now, as we creep toward two years of this pandemic, with remote work still in full force and turnover at a historic high, executives will need to revisit some of their earlier stopgap solutions.Ϯe critical area for leaders to zero in on? Reassessing what it looks like to keep a remote workforce motivated in a sustained, ongoing way. Below, we heard from business leaders whoҶe led fully remote teams since long before the pandemic about the tactics todayҳ executives can use to keep remote workers engaged.1. Keep workers connected to the company mission.If your remote team understands the ӷhyԠof their work, motivation will be easier to tap into, Dan Close, CEO at We Buy Houses in Kentucky, said.What impact will your organization have on the world, and why does everyone's job matter?Ԡhe said. Ӊt may appear simple enough, yet when going remote, this basic mission-oriented communication might be overlooked. You lose the tangible, human-to-human nudges to explain the broad picture when you don't see your staff in the workplace.ԃrucially, your companyҳ mission isnҴ something you can ӳay once and then forget about,ԠClose added.Ӕo ensure your team rallies around the mission, you must maintain consistent communication,Ԡhe said. ӗe issue an end-of-week email at my company about the value of our work and why we believe we're making a difference. We show our team direct user feedback on why they enjoy our games. It serves as a reminder to keep the larger picture in mind.Ԡ2. Trust them.Above all else, resist the urge to micromanage, Daniel Foley, SEO Executive at MCS Software Rental, said.ӎot everyone is suited to work remotely. However, individuals who prefer to work remotely do so for flexibility נtherefore, grant them that,ԠFoley said. Ӕhat is not synonymous with being entirely hands-off. You must still explicitly define roles, expectations and deadlines, as well as monitor them. Apart from that, there is no reason to micromanage them. Remove yourself from their path and allow them to do their job.ԙouҬl also want to ensure that trust is present between colleagues and across the team as a whole, Adam Wood, Co-Founder of RevenueGeeks, said.ӉҶe observed certain trust concerns that I had never seen before while everyone was at the office,Ԡhe said. Ӊ tackled this issue by holding a meeting with the entire team to discuss how they can improve trust. One thing I proposed is that everyone in the group shares their progress and accomplishments in meetings so that everyone understands how they're contributing to the group's success.Գ. Thank people regularly.רen you canҴ physically see one another, itҳ your job as a leader to ensure workers still feel seen. The quickest path to becoming unmotivated, after all, is feeling like your work isnҴ appreciated, Gary Vari, CEO of Lensa, said.Ԩereҳ been a lot of talk about 'cultures of recognition' over the last couple of years, but not a lot of implementation from what IҶe seen,Ԡhe said. Ӊ have always strived to make sure my remote team members feel appreciated and, furthermore, that they understand how their contributions impact our success. I notice major differences in productivity and general happiness between workers who feel recognized and appreciated and those that don't.Ԕo make people feel truly seen, be sure to get specific, added Tanner Arnold, CEO of Revelation MachineryӅxpress your gratitude and appreciation by being precise in your compliments and letting them know exactly what they did well,ԠArnold said. әou must explain in depth what they have done correctly rather than giving a simple 'well done.Ҕ4. Encourage breaks (and take them yourself).As many of us have learned since the start of COVID, itҳ all-too easy for the hours to blur together when youҶe been staring at a screen from your couch for hours. DonҴ assume your team is taking breaks during the day. Check in with them and ensure they are, including by modeling a healthy work-life balance yourself.Ӊ encourage my team to take a break every 90 minutes of working,ԠSherry Morgan, Founder of Petsolino, said. Ӕhis is to ensure they can really stay focused and give their all on their tasks. Itҳ important that, not just as the CEO but also as the leader of my team, I encourage my employees to take breaks while working from home.Ե. Set clear work-life boundaries, and bring in tools that help.As a leader, telling employees you support their work-life balance while simultaneously sending emails with 9 p.m. timestamps wonҴ cut it. Practice what you preach, and bring in technology to help where possible, Ravi Patel, CEO of Job Alert, said.Ӊ suggest encouraging your employees to use the ѡwayҠand Ѥo not disturbҠmodes on their phones,Ԡhe said. Ӆncourage your staff to unplug and combat the always-on mentality to help them create separation between ѨomeҠand ѷork from home.ҠIt's a good idea to turn off notifications and let the team know you're offline to encourage this.ԙou should be making a point of actively encouraging employees to take advantage of their PTO, too.Ӓemind your employees that their vacation days are still available,ԠPatel added. Ӊf your staff had to postpone any travel during the shift to remote work, they may have also had to postpone the PTO they had requested for the trip. Encourage them to use their vacation time, even if it's simply for a ѳtaycation.Ң6. Make time for ӷater coolerԠconversations from afar.One of the biggest challenges of a fully remote environment is keeping employees connected not only to the companyҳ mission, but to each other. Facilitate these moments of connection, Nunzio Ross, CEO of Majesty Coffee, said.Ӂ creative way of keeping your remote team motivated and engaged is hosting casual social meetings and hangouts,ԠRoss said. ӆostering social interactions, even remotely, is critical in building trust within your team. It can be in the form of a Teleparty movie night or online coffee dates during the day. Not everything has to be about work. It keeps connections strong between you and your colleagues and promotes a collaborative environment that can benefit the company.Է. Provide feedback, always.Without opportunities for regular feedback, itҳ easy for workers to feel like their contributions have no impact, Neil Shaw, CEO of Lottery Sambad, said.Ӓegular feedback, in addition to mission-oriented communication, is essential for keeping your team engaged,ԠShaw said. әes, it aids in the alignment of expectations and goals. More significantly, it shows your team that you care about their job and professional growth. In a remote setup, it's easy to overlook input... but keep your eye on the ball and act as a coach to your teammates. Provide regular comments on how they can improve on a continual basis.Ԡ8. Overcommunicate נthe right way.This doesnҴ mean micromanage your remote team with overly frequent check-ins and daily phone calls. It does mean transparently sharing all information that could impact their jobs, erring on the side of over- rather than under-communicating, Gerrid Smith, CMO at Joy Organics, said.Keep your team informed about any new projects and maintain a safe space when new knowledge and emotions emerge,ԠSmith said. Ӌeep them up to date when things change so they have the information they need, and enable cross-functional dialogues so that everyone is on the same page. Maintaining a single source of truth across all of your teams, such as Asana, is an excellent method to accomplish this.Ԇeeling out of the loop is one of the surest ways for remote employeesҠmotivation to take a hit, he added.ӗhen you work remotely, it's easy to feel out of the loop. That's why, when it comes to planning, comments and praise, it's critical to overcommunicate,Ԡhe said. ӗhen you're in person, a smile will be enough, but when you're working remotely, make an effort to express your emotions and tone more purposefully.Ԇind more leadership advice on the blog