Motivating Remote Employees
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 25% of employed people do some or all of their work from home. It’s not surprising this trend is on the rise. It eliminates commute time, allows people to work from the comfort of home, and gives better opportunities to people who have family responsibilities.
The big concern for employers is, how do you make sure your employees are doing their best work from home? Of course, we think custom plaques with words of encouragement are perfect for motivating employees. However, employee recognition is best when it’s part of a culture of respect.
Encourage Communication
When a remote employee has a quick question, they can’t casually ask another employee in passing. They have to send emails, which often leads to long, indecisive moments in front of the screen. Will asking another question make them look needy or unprepared?
To avoid these problems, directly invite your work-from-home employee to ask questions. Let them know their questions are welcome with a simple “please do not hesitate to ask if there is anything that would help you with this assignment.”
One survey of 350,000 email threads by Boomerang revealed that how you close your email affects what kind of response you’ll get. This study found that closing with ”thanks in advance” yields significantly greater response then closing with “best” or “sincerely.”
Help Them Grow
Often remote workers are hired to fill a specific role in the company. Work can sometimes become so routine that employees become less engaged. One way to prevent this is to be flexible with their role in the company.
Did you hire your employee to write grants but you’ve found they are full of marketing ideas? Ask them if they’re interested in taking on a marketing project.
Simply asking an employee what they think about your latest ad campaign can give you valuable feedback while also making them feel like a part of the company as a whole.
Recognize Talent with a Custom Plaque
When an employee is not physically present in the office, there are fewer options for recognizing good work and accomplishments. One way to let them know they’re valued is to give a custom plaque which they can hang in their home office. This can be as simple as a company logo with the year, employee name, and “valued employee” underneath, or as elaborate as a full description of the ways they have contributed to a project’s success.
Our design specialists are always available to help you design a plaque to fit the occasion.