4 Powerful Ways to Really Boost Virtual Team Morale

4 Powerful Ways to Really Boost Virtual Team Morale

Low employee morale is a common issue, even among virtual teams. While some employees prefer remote work for flexibility, others can sometimes feel disconnected, unproductive, and less motivated. Low morale can lead to turnover, missed deadlines, incomplete projects, and lost sales.

Why do virtual teams experience low morale?

There are three common reasons:

Reason #1: Communication Challenges

Communication is the biggest hurdle virtual teams face in the virtual working world. Digital tools such as text, email, and even Zoom, fall short of offering body language and other non-verbal cues during in-person conversations.

In a 2018 Virtual Teams Survey, Culture Wizard reports other communication challenges:

time zone differences (88%)
difficulty in communication (86%)
managing conflict (86%)
building relationships (86%)
timeliness and responsiveness (80%)
understanding different accents (80%)
lack of engagement from all members (76%)

Reason #2: Work Ethic Issues

Virtual workers who do not communicate completely or effectively with other team members may appear to work less or not pull their weight. Whether or not they contribute their fair share of the work, communication problems can lead to distrust among the team.

Reason #3: Lack of Community

Humans need to feel connected to others and part of a team. It is a challenge for remote workers, separated and isolated by physical distance.

So how can you boost morale in your virtual team? Here are a few suggestions.

#1 Improve Your Communication

Communicate consistently and regularly with your remote team. You may decide to schedule a daily check-in meeting where you identify priorities, get updates on projects, and provide feedback. Daily communication can go a long way toward building credibility and trust. Balance the use of tools such as Zoom or Google Meet that are good visual supplements to text-based apps like Slack, Monday, or Trello.

#2: Give Recognition

A kind word goes a long way. Offer genuine recognition. Thank team members who accomplish a goal or go above and beyond on a particular task.

A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected.

-Anonymous

A global culture report by O.C. Tanner Institute found that companies that integrated recognition into their cultures were four times more likely to have engaged teams and 44% less likely to have teams suffering from burnout.

#3 Build Community

Virtual team members work from around the world. Build time in team meeting agendas for icebreakers for members to get to know more about one another. Schedule quarterly virtual happy hours or group activities to celebrate personal or business accomplishments.

#4 Encourage Time Away from Work

Virtual teams reported burnout due to excessive hours (31%), the inability to unplug from work (61%), and pressure to work more hours (38%). Encourage your team to disconnect from work, make time for activities and hobbies they enjoy, and take time off.

Supporting your virtual team leads to better performance, greater satisfaction, and deeper engagement, resulting in stellar customer service, team member retention, and commitment to your heart-centered mission.

Great Things in Business are Never Done by One Person

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