How to motivate teams remotely. Does your team have the pajama syndrome?

2020 has brought, for the first time in recent history, this situation where we have been forced to work from home.

A lot of people juggling kids at home, working after hours, managing the stress that uncertainty creates... If you manage a team, you should know that in these unstable circumstances, your team needs you more than ever.

The so-called "pajama syndrome" was something that used to happen only in the freelance world, in some professions that were said not to need to socialize to work. People who worked from home in solitude in front of the computer and who lived all day in their pajamas, in reality, affected them negatively and caused them apathy, demotivation...

If you have ever -since you have been teleworking- wondered if something similar is happening to your team, I share with you the following reflections that aim to work betterv with your people in these moments and in the ones to come.

Motivate teams: 3 simple strategies to do it remotely

1 – Make video work calls, but also others that act as coffee breaks.

What's the point? It is true that, as social beings, when teleworking for long periods of time, team energy is lost, people miss each other and need to be in contact with colleagues in the office. It might be a good idea to optimize work video calls, reduce them and, at another time, make a separate "online coffee" between people in the department, to find an idle space and share in a relaxed way, mitigating the desire to see each other.

2 – Guide without directing.

At this time, as obvious as it may seem, you have to keep in mind the strategic plan or, at least, some guidelines. In this uncertainty, your job is to guide without directing, to say where the company is and where you are heading- even if you don't know exactly where you will end up or how you will get there. Sharing with your team the direction of the company is vital because it gives security. And listening to ideas and input can be a way to motivate and gather valuable suggestions and needs.

Sharing with your team the direction of the company is vital because it gives security. And listening to ideas and input can be a way to motivate and gather valuable suggestions and needs.

3- Foster a nice atmosphere.

Being supportive people at sensitive times can be the key to maintaining a good atmosphere despite adverse circumstances.

Often we do not know the personal circumstances of those who work in your circle. Humanize, empathize and listen should be your mantras. 

The boundary between personal and professional life has blurred. Maybe pajama syndrome can be cured with good humor. Maybe your team doesn't have that funny name syndrome but needs clarity, empathy and flexibility from you.