No one can deny the difficult year we have all just experienced and will continue to go through into the new year until the coronavirus pandemic has somewhat subsided. Even then, there will be economic repercussions to deal with, so there is still a long road ahead. Things may never go back to the way they were and while working from home seems to be working well for many companies at the moment, on a more permanent basis and once the novelty has worn off, you may need to do a little more to encourage and motivate your employees. It’s not just through working from home that your employees need motivation though, it’s also just for coping with everyday life now. It’s been a tough year and they may have lost loved ones, their partner may have lost their job, they may be living alone and find it difficult not seeing people. There are many things to consider and to be prepared for, so by making the everyday working life easier to get on with, you may help them out in other areas of their life too. 

 

Provide growth opportunities

Many of your employees will feel like this year didn’t count in terms of their progression in life. It might be that they were supposed to get married, or supposed to go on the trip of a lifetime and now everything has been postponed and they feel like they haven’t moved on and haven’t achieved anything. At work, many companies have had to put a hold on bonuses, pay rises, and promotions, so if this is the case in your company, then it is important to find other ways for your employees to grow. 

 

Make work fun

It’s not been easy to make work fun this year, Christmas parties and any other social gatherings were canceled and team-building exercises have been a no-go. It’s even harder to make work fun when everyone is working remotely and while it’s not quite the same, try to put the effort in for virtual social events with your staff as you can have a good time and they’re easy to do. Try new things such as getting special guests to attend or even hire a professional magician for some entertainment. 

Encourage more teamwork and collaboration

It’s not easy to get motivated when you’re sitting at home working alone, never mind when there’s a pandemic going on. So to try and motivate your team, provide them with more opportunities for them to collaborate and work together where they can. Think of Dragons Den or Apprentice-style tasks to get them thinking and you never know, they might even come up with some fantastic ways for you to add to your business.  

 

Recognize and reward good work

Always make sure that you recognize your employees’ good work. Give them feedback and share success stories with the rest of the team. It’s important to make up for those everyday conversations you would normally have in the office.