With remote working here to stay every SME is going to have to find new ways for team members to stay motivated and fully engaged. As accountants dealing with SME clients we know there isn’t a large budget . There is a place for the online quiz but don’t forget the basics whether working remotely or in the office. So here are four that won’t cost much and won’t involve too much cringe:
Speak – Replicate the spoken interaction that would happen in the office. There is a place for the written word but a quick call and screen share can often cut out a series of mails. And it gets that team collaboration that will keep people engaged.
Coffee Breaks – The flexibility afforded by working at home can be a double-edged sword without the structure of a day in the office. Without imposing an unworkable structure try and make sure your team take a break where they can video call each other and chat over a coffee cup.
Feedback & praise – Make sure to regularly praise fellow team members for their excellent work. It is as simple as that.
Facilities – The switch to remote working brought a great ‘can do’ attitude and initially an element of ‘make do’. Working like in the picture above is only a temporary fix. Take a longer term view and ensure that team members have all the necessary facilities like software, laptop, internet connection, etc. Ask them what they need and make sure it all works.
And don’t forget…..turn on your camera! So much communication is visual so don’t hide in your pj’s with the camera turned off.
ODK is a firm of accountants based in Cork and specializing in advising SME and family business clients.