Gary Player, a registered financial planner in San Francisco, commented, “I hate to be the one to tell the boss, but it’s time for me to start taking my recommendations on how to work from home seriously.” He’s been on the job for 25 years, and with each passing year, he becomes more focused on how he spends his time (and money). “Think before you speak,” he has always advised his colleagues, and this includes his annual holiday event, which his managers have postponed for another year. Here’s what he has to say:
“Staying focused and determined are two of my advice for working from home. It’s easier to converse with people who are seated in front of a computer than it is to converse with those who work from home on Remote Jobs. And I’m not just talking about physically writing emails back and forth, though that does help. My most important piece of advice for recurring remote workers is to teach them how to utilize a computer and the Internet in general.”
Here’s an example of what Williams has spoken to his own remote workers on a regular basis: “‘Yes,’ I’ll answer if they ask whether I have anything significant to say to them. What? You don’t want to know what it is, do you?” Employees always answer with a bewildered expression before stating something along the lines of, “You said you had to do it.” “Don’t you want to have a better memory so you won’t forget what you pledged to do?” Reynolds asks.
If the manager appears to be continuously reminding staff to do tasks, but no one appears to be listening, it may be time for a promotion. “One of the issues I’ve seen with recurring remote workers is that they never seem to remember anything,” William Sears, book of Why Great Companies Get Better Results and cohost of the Brainstorming Series with Nicholas Chamberlin, explains. “If they walk in for a meeting and don’t know what to do next, I immediately start asking them a series of questions to get them to figure it out.” This method works wonders and frequently yields incredible results. Although the Reynolds may not recall everything the boss says, they will recall what they were expected to accomplish and how they were supposed to execute it.
A weekly progress report might be useful for a supervisor who likes to remind people to get things done but has no practical way of pushing them to do it. “A week on, two weeks off isn’t enough,” Sears adds. “So I recommend making a form where folks can just punch in their weekly goals and accomplishments, and it will serve as a visual reminder of what has to be done.” Audio communication is another useful tool that many employers employ. “I make a brief audio track in which I speak directly to the remote worker,” Sears explains. “That appears to have a significant impact.” Audio progress reports also instill a sense of urgency: if you don’t finish this assignment by a specific date, someone else will finish it faster and with less effort.
As you can see, the Reynolds suggested a number of extremely specific techniques for increasing employee motivation. They don’t exactly define “motivation,” but they do claim it’s having or experiencing a strong desire to do something. Furthermore, the book indicates that openness and open lines of communication are one of the cornerstones to organizational success. If you follow some of these suggestions, you’ll likely notice that your remote workers are happier and more productive, and that they seem to put more effort into the tasks at hand.