There is a feeling in the air that we are into the next stage of the new work environment brought upon us by the pandemic.  While there might have been blips in the journey, the move from office-based working to remote working happened and it brought many benefits. It also came with some drawbacks, of course, but there needs to be a re-dressing of business practice to find a balance between remote and office-based working so both the business and the people who work within it can maximise their own benefits from this new hybrid business world.    

 Both businesses and the employees working within it need to appreciate that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not going to work as we look forward. The pandemic turned everyday life on its head and brought on a shift in perspective- highlighting that we are all part of a wider society. As each of us waded through the pandemic, the general view of society as a whole was re-shaped as everyone was part of the same struggle and the solution was dependant on everybody making individual sacrifices for the benefit of the population as a whole.  

 Businesses need to appreciate that individualism is critical at this time and the more they can understand and flex to meet the individual’s responses, the better the outcome will be for the business as the employee will feel engaged, empowered, productive and comfortable in their surroundings. 

But this isn’t a one-way process, this is not solely about the business having to adjust and adapt to each employee and their circumstances to achieve success. There has been significant discussion about how or if businesses should assert themselves by dictating what they want from their employees as they look to either maximise the cost savings or minimise their losses due to wasted office space and the cost associated.    

Top Ways to Motivate A Modern Workforce
All managers know that it can be quite a tricky task sometimes to successfully motivate a large team of employees. Many managers have tried and failed using tried and tested motivational techniques in the workplace including using adventure days such as paintballing or go-karting to help build team spirit; financial incentives and giant bonuses for hitting key targets; even managers themselves attempting to give motivational speeches to employees as if they were a professional sports coach rather than an office manager. 

So, the question is, how does a manager go about successfully motivating their workforce today?  

Connect With Your Team Regularly Even If You’re All Remote
Thanks to the pandemic, many teams are still working from home, or doing hybrid office/ home work to keep themselves and their fellow team members safe. It’s difficult to feel like part of a team when you’re working alone in a room, so try to connect with your team by phone or video conference weekly if possible. Host a team meeting using video conference software and give each team member a chance to discuss their work.  

As well as a team meeting, you should also try to connect with individual employees one-on-one at least once a month. Consider scheduling a phone call or a quick video chat, so you can check that everyone is doing well and feels supported. This approach will help you to support your remote team and ensure that they feel like more than just a cog in a corporate wheel.  

Bringing in Inspiring Motivational Speakers
Getting a motivational speaker, someone who has been there and done a lot and is highly successful in their given field, is undoubtedly a top way to provide inspiration to your workforce.  

Keep in mind that choice is essential when it becomes to selecting the right motivational speaker to captivate your staff’s attention and imagination. Even if its not in-person, someone real with real life experiences, drawing on these and engaging with your team is an almost sure-fire way to inspire and motivate your team. Great speakers have the unique ability to deliver a message succinctly and interactively and bringing your team together to engage with this message as a group will inspire different thoughts and opinions to be bounced off of each other. A speaker bureau such as Speaker’s Corner (a leading UK and international bureau) would be the place to start looking for inspirational and motivational speakers, with speakers from all walks of life who can inject your team with some energy and bring them together in a cohesive way.   

SMART Targets are Effective and Motivational 
A typical source of demotivation and anxiety arises when employees are constantly set unrealistic, unattainable targets in the workplace by management. So, it’s crucial for a manager to go out and set do-able, realistic targets for members of the team whilst also keeping goals ambitious in nature.  

SMART is a wise acronym to refer to when it comes to setting out clearly defined goals in the workplace. It stands for; Specific, Measured, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. Managers must also emphasise the valuable and respected role that every team member plays within the team, communicating to them clearly about how the team functions very much like an organ of the human body, with everybody needing to work together and help one another to move forward collectively.  

With this understanding and these questions posed, then the key to success is partnership.  It is the ability for the leaders to work in collaboration with their teams, both individually and collectively to create a working environment which delivers to the company, to the team and to the individual.   

There will be compromises and it won’t be a set-in stone process but the combination of embracing the journey together alongside an open dialogue will mean the maximum chance of success in this new working world for both the individuals and the companies.