A company isn't just made up of technology and excel sheets. Behind any business structure there are people who, depending on how motivated they are, can boost the business or bring it to its knees.
To make your company's future brighter, we'll help you lead and motivate your team, whether you're in the office or working remotely.
Let's start with the latter.
Remote working teams: how to lead a work team?
The emergence of teleworking as a normal working regime has presented new challenges to those whose job it is to lead teams.
Without the workers on the company's premises, how can you lead an unmotivated team from a distance?
The answer follows in these five tips for business owners:
Maintain constant communication
If you have teams working remotely, it's important to maintain permanent contact with these workers, but be careful: permanent, but clear and not abusive.
Explain the work plans in detail, make complimentary comments when the work is done well and constructive comments when the end result is not as expected.
To create a stronger group spirit, promote group conversations at certain times of the day and try to identify everyone's difficulties in order to improve the less positive aspects.
Be accessible
Workers who feel accompanied end up showing higher levels of motivation, something that becomes even more important when working remotely.
Make it easy for us to contact you and, if necessary, arrange individual meetings.
Adopt user-friendly platforms and systems
Working remotely requires that the management and communication tools and platforms you make available to your employees are easy and intuitive to use.
For example,
- Video conferencing software such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams facilitate virtual meetings and real-time collaboration;
- Communication platforms such as Slack and Trello are widely used for instant messaging and organising tasks;
- Project management tools such as ClickUp and Monday help to track the progress of tasks and the responsibilities of teams;
- Complete solutions for creating and sharing documents and presentations, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, enable efficient and synchronised collaboration between team members.
That said, avoid installing software that is complex to use or prone to errors.
If you have an online business, the right choice of digital payment methods can make financial management easier and simplify invoicing processes.
At REDUNIQ you will find REDUNIQ@E-Commerce which, in a nutshell, has no monthly fees or membership costs, is easy to integrate with the most widely used plugins on the market and allows you to accept online payments with debit and credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) from customers all over the world.
In addition to this solution, if you sell online without a website, REDUNIQ offers you the REDUNIQ@Paymentsa turnkey solution that will enable you to receive payments online by link, via e-mail, SMS, WhatsApp, by Multibanco reference, MB WAY and with Visa and Mastercard.
Create channels for breaks and team leisure activities
Working remotely is stressful, so to keep the team motivated, promote weekly leisure time with online activities on gaming channels or, alternatively, schedule a day for a lunch, dinner or face-to-face activity.
Encourage your remote working teams to use the "Away" and "Do Not Disturb" options
Working remotely doesn't necessarily mean that your employees have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Encourage them to use the "Away" and "Do Not Disturb" options and advise them to switch off in order to balance work and home life.
In addition, you can give your employees the opportunity to adopt flexible working hours in line with their private life activities.
Teams on company premises: how to motivate work teams?
Although they don't have the difficulties of working remotely, those who work "in sito" also need support and understanding if they are to be as productive as expected.
So if you're wondering how to lead a team leader, take note of these tips for business leaders:
Set an example and take responsibility
As the leader or boss of a team, demonstrate what you expect to see in your employees through your behaviour. Loyalty, dedication, honesty and initiative are some of the points to remember in this regard.
In addition, when things don't go as expected, take responsibility and listen to your employees to try to understand why the results didn't match what was planned.
I recognise the work
As with remote working, learning to lead teams and keep them motivated undoubtedly involves recognising a job well done.
Leave comfortable comments
Let the work flow and make the workers feel that you trust them, something that involves, for example, not "always being on top" of them and giving them the space and independence that will help stimulate their spirit of initiative.
Communicate clearly and assertively
To reduce "friction" and potential sources of error, communicate as clearly and assertively as possible with your employees.
Make work easier by implementing production, management and sales technology
To make work more productive and more enjoyable, consider introducing technological tools to support production, management and sales, such as the TPA REDUNIQ Easy, Smart or Soft that not only allow you to receive contactless payments by card, MB WAY and digital wallets, as well as facilitating your financial management.
Promote ongoing training and group activities
Helping the company to thrive and at the same time keeping the team cohesive and motivated must involve a strong commitment to continuous employee training and the development of team building activities.