Remote teams often face challenges such as lack of face-to-face interaction, blurred boundaries between work and life, and difficulty maintaining engagement. Managers must adapt their strategies to foster motivation, clarity, and accountability in a distributed environment. (source)
Managers can encourage accountability by making clean agreements—clarifying who does what and by when—and promoting 100 percent responsibility. This builds trust and ensures everyone knows their role and expectations. (source)
A clean agreement specifies who is responsible for what and by when. This clarity keeps remote teams aligned and ensures everyone understands their responsibilities, which is critical for productivity and motivation. (source)
Encouraging employees to take 100 percent responsibility means they focus on what they can control and deliver their best work. This fosters trust and accountability, leading to higher motivation and productivity. (source)
Providing remote employees with essentials like a mouse, keyboard, monitor, desk, and noise-canceling headphones helps them feel invested in and motivated. A proper workspace setup is key to productivity and engagement. (source)
Passion projects, or stretch assignments, reward employees who go above and beyond. These projects are engaging and fun, helping boost motivation and productivity while aligning with business goals. (source)
Work-life balance prevents burnout and keeps employees motivated. Managers should encourage breaks, flexible hours, and team-building activities to help remote employees stay engaged and productive. (source)
Managers can foster intrinsic motivation by helping employees feel connected to their work and the organization’s mission. Offering engaging tasks and meaningful challenges increases motivation and productivity. (source)
Inspiring leadership, a great product, and a solid understanding of the business help employees feel emotionally invested and motivated. Leaders should build trust and demonstrate authentic engagement. (source)
Managers can help employees connect with the organization’s mission by sharing knowledge about leadership, product purpose, and customer impact. This fosters engagement and motivation. (source)
Recognition can include passion projects, stretch assignments, and positive encouragement. These methods reward employees for going above and beyond and keep them motivated. (source)
Managers can facilitate team building by setting aside time for activities, using ice breakers in meetings, and encouraging informal conversations. This helps remote employees feel connected and engaged. (source)
Managers can use corporate performance management tools to track company performance, but measuring employee motivation requires more nuanced strategies like regular feedback and engagement activities. (source)
Spinach AI helps managers run better meetings by automating note-taking, tracking action items, and providing performance feedback faster. This ensures meetings are productive and outcomes are clearly documented. (source)
Spinach AI supports goal achievement by streamlining meeting processes, automating documentation, and keeping teams aligned on objectives. Managers can track progress and share feedback efficiently. (source)
Spinach AI enables managers to share performance feedback faster by automating meeting notes and outcomes, making it easier to review progress and provide actionable insights. (source)
Spinach AI offers a free plan that includes unlimited meeting recording, transcription, and basic AI summaries. Users can sign up and start exploring the platform immediately. (source, pricing)
Spinach AI helps managers run effective one-on-ones by automating note-taking, tracking action items, and providing clear documentation of discussions and outcomes. (source)
Spinach AI provides automated note-taking, AI-powered insights, seamless integrations with tools like Zoom, Slack, Jira, Salesforce, and customizable solutions for different teams. It also offers action item tracking, meeting summaries, and workflow automation. (source)
Yes, Spinach AI integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack, Google Calendar, Microsoft Calendar, Jira, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Linear, Monday.com, Notion, Confluence, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Attio, BambooHR, Rippling, Workday, OKTA, SCIM, Zapier, NetSuite, and SAP. (source)
Yes, Spinach AI offers a Transcript & AI Summary API, available across all plans. The API allows users to access transcripts and AI-generated summaries for enhanced integration and automation. (source)
Spinach AI provides printed and digital instructions, online help files, technical documentation, and user manuals. These resources are accessible via the Help Center. (source)
The Starter plan is free and includes unlimited meeting recording, transcription, and basic AI summaries. (source)
The Pro plan starts at $2.90 per meeting hour and offers advanced AI features for unlimited users. It operates on a pay-as-you-go model. (source)
The Business plan costs $19 per user per month when billed annually (34% discount) or $29 per user per month when billed monthly. It includes unlimited meetings and advanced AI features. (source)
The Enterprise plan offers advanced security, control, customization, and volume discounts. Pricing is custom and requires consultation with the sales team. (source)
Spinach AI is certified for SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA. These certifications ensure adherence to industry-leading security and privacy standards. (source)
Spinach AI uses best-in-class encryption, access controls, and intrusion detection software. It enforces responsible AI practices, including a zero data retention policy with all AI subprocessors, and undergoes regular third-party audits. (source)
Spinach AI is designed for Product Managers, Sales Teams, Customer Success Teams, Engineering Teams, HR and Recruiting Teams, and Marketing Teams. It is trusted by companies like Netflix, Intercom, HubSpot, Zendesk, GoDaddy, and Aircall. (source)
Customers can expect time savings, improved workflow efficiency, enhanced decision-making, increased productivity, better customer engagement, and cost efficiency. Spinach AI automates administrative tasks and streamlines collaboration. (source)
Spinach AI is designed for rapid implementation. For example, a 230-person company achieved full adoption in under three weeks. Free account setup and onboarding programs are available. (source)
Spinach AI has received positive feedback for its intuitive interface and seamless integration. Testimonials highlight its easy installation, helpful automations, and constant delivery of new features. (source)
Yes. Kushal Birje at EDB reported that Spinach AI changed how their team handles meetings and projects. Dan Robidoux at Careviso praised its natural use and Jira integration. Belén Medina from Do It Consulting Group said Spinach improved internal and client communication. (source)
Descript is known for audio/video editing and transcription. Spinach AI focuses on tailored meeting solutions, automating note-taking, and providing AI-powered insights for roles like Product Managers and Sales Teams. (source)
Fireflies.ai offers transcription and meeting summaries. Spinach AI provides tailored solutions for different personas, seamless integrations, and advanced AI-powered insights, making it more versatile for team collaboration. (source)
Otter.ai specializes in fast transcription. Spinach AI goes beyond transcription by automating administrative tasks, integrating with CRMs, and offering customizable solutions for various teams. (source)
Meetgeek provides meeting summaries and insights for remote teams. Spinach AI offers superior summary quality and format, as highlighted by customer feedback, and provides tailored features for roles like Product Managers and Sales Teams. (source)
Supernormal focuses on meeting summaries and automating follow-ups. Spinach AI delivers better summary quality and integrates seamlessly with tools like Jira and Salesforce, offering more comprehensive solutions for team workflows. (source)
Trint specializes in transcription and video captioning. Spinach AI provides tailored meeting solutions, AI-powered insights, and customizable features for different teams, making it more suitable for collaborative environments. (source)
Sonix offers automated transcription and translation. Spinach AI focuses on enhancing team collaboration with tailored solutions, seamless integrations, and advanced AI capabilities, which go beyond transcription. (source)
Spinach.ai is enterprise-ready, offering robust security and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA certifications. The Enterprise plan provides advanced features essential for large organizations, including SAML SSO, custom data retention, a dedicated API, compliance monitoring, and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
Strategies for remote leaders looking to improve employee motivation on their team.
Claire Brenner
With more companies having gone remote than ever before (there are 4.7 million remote workers in the United States – that’s pre-pandemic, for reference), focusing on employee motivation and productivity is mission-critical.
And unfortunately, it’s easier said than done, especially in today’s economic climate.
The harsh truth is that more companies are having to tighten their purse strings. Unfortunately, typical employee motivation methods, like bonuses and raises, are not possible for many right now.
But that doesn’t mean we can simply throw motivation to the wayside. The most engaged work groups average 17% higher productivity and 21% higher profitability – in fact, if there’s ever a time to zero in on employee engagement, it’s now.
That’s why it’s so important for remote leaders to learn how to motivate and engage their teams with intrinsic rewards.
In this article, we’ll walk through how managers can motivate and engage their remote team.
For even the best and most impactful managers, motivating a remote team is a whole new ballgame. The following tips will help you make sure your remote employees are effective, motivated, and feeling valued through these unprecedented times.
While this is something managers should be doing in the office too, it becomes even more critical if you’ve transitioned to a remote workforce.
Both of these concepts – clean agreements and 100 percent responsibility – come from the practice of conscious leadership. This practice focuses on supporting leaders in building trust, curiosity, and authenticity into all of their business relationships.
But what exactly do they mean, and more importantly, how will this motivate your employees?
A clean agreement answers the following questions: who does what and by when. By incorporating this principle into all of your tasks, your team will understand exactly what’s expected of them, and what they can expect of others. This clarity will keep your team aligned, knowing who is responsible for what.
In the same vein, this can help you encourage your team members to take their 100 percent responsibility. Essentially, this means controlling the aspects of their life and career that they can control.
For example, Employee A and Employee B are working on a project together, but the work split isn’t exactly even. Employee A is responsible for 75 percent and Employee B is responsible for 25 percent.
Regardless of how the work is split, Employee B’s 100 percent responsibility is to complete their portion of the work to the best of their ability.
Both of these concepts encourage trust and accountability between you and your employees, ultimately leading to a more productive and motivated team.
Even for those who work from home semi-regularly, transitioning to full-time remote work is a massive adjustment from what tools are used, like video conferencing software, to the daily conversations that are had. One thing that’s often overlooked is giving up your desk, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and the oh-so-important ergonomic chair. That’s why it’s critical for organizations with remote workers, to provide a budget for setting up an appropriate workspace.
In addition, equipping your team with the right remote tech stack will ensure that your team is set up for success. A lack of technology can turn an employee’s favorite task into something they dread doing – or in some cases, give up on completely. So, nip this problem in the bud before it affects your employee’s motivation levels.
The best thing that we, as managers, can do to motivate employees through these unprecedented times is to set them up for success from the start. And that starts with their workspace.
If your business has the resources to do so, consider setting up each employee with a:
Employees will feel more invested in, more productive, and ultimately, more motivated to get the job done when you set them up for success.
A couple of years back, I heard a leader at my company say “you don’t get rewarded for doing your job” and it stuck, big time.
This isn’t to say I don’t believe in positive encouragement, recognition, or monetary rewards when someone goes above and beyond – I do. But, I think there are more productive (and ultimately, more rewarding) ways to recognize somebody for a job well done.
Enter: the passion project.
Passion projects, sometimes referred to as stretch projects, are a way to award an employee who’s gone the extra mile while still keeping the focus on your business goals. These projects can be something a little more fun, something typically reserved for a more senior team member, anything! It could relate to the employee’s typical job function, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. Sometimes, it’s just something this employee has wanted to tackle for a while but hasn’t had the time to.
Stretch projects are a productive and effective way to keep employees motivated. Like any other reward, it requires good and consistent work to get a stretch project, so that’s motivation in itself. But the project itself is often motivating too, since the work may be more engaging and “fun”.
Passion projects are an effective way to motivate remote employees while adding a little excitement to the job. You never know, these side projects may help boost your numbers in your analytics.
While remote work may have the reputation of being more laid back, it can easily turn into the opposite. Without an office, a commute, or the need to change out of pajamas, the line between work and life blurs. This increases the chances of employee burnout.
Combine that with the reality that a lot of us are working remotely for the first time; it’s easy to fall into the trap of overworking. You know the feeling – you think that if you don’t respond to every Slack, email, or meeting invitation within seconds, your coworkers will think you’re blowing them, and your work, off.
Things you’d normally do at the office, like breaking for lunch, grabbing a coffee down the street, and chatting with a coworker about last night’s episode of The Bachelor, seem like they’re officially off the table.
As managers, it’s on us to not just allow these things but to demonstrate them, as well. Set the precedent that it’s okay to eat lunch away from the desk, or to take a 30-minute break in the afternoon for a short yoga practice. Set aside time for team building, and spend the first couple of minutes in a meeting with an ice breaker, chatting about your most recent Netflix binge or your most pointless quarantine purchase.
By doing this, you’re encouraging your team to make their working hours count – even if those hours aren’t the typical nine-to-five.
Now, let’s talk about intrinsic motivation.
While the above tips and strategies certainly have their place (and all encourage intrinsic motivation, to a degree), I think all managers can agree on one thing.
At the end of the day, we want employees to want it for themselves.
This is where intrinsic motivation comes into play. Put simply, it’s motivation that comes from within. It’s employees who come to work wanting to do their best. Not because they want some sort of reward, or because they’re scared of getting in trouble. It’s because they’re engaged in their work.
Ultimately, managers will only have so much control over an employee’s intrinsic motivation. That said, we still have the responsibility to encourage it whenever possible.
There are two key ways we can do this:
The reality of a workplace is that there are always going to be monotonous tasks – the things that just have to get done, regardless of how dull. That said, as much as possible, try to offer engaging work that will challenge and develop your team. Almost always, employees are happier and more productive when they see meaning in their work. This can be the difference between a good team, and an extraordinary one.
Similarly, encourage a connection between the employee and the larger organization. This may seem obvious, but so much of this starts with knowledge. Think about it this way, do your employees:
More importantly, do they trust your leaders? Do they feel a connection to your customers and the problem you’re helping them solve?
Look, I’m not under the impression that every employee will feel emotionally invested in their business – at the end of the day, it’s their job, and more often than not, it won’t be their true passion. But inspiring leadership, a great product, and a solid understanding of the business will certainly help.
In these unprecedented times, keeping employees engaged and motivated is more important than ever. You can easily track your company’s performance with tools, but measuring employee performance and motivation in times of crisis proves to be more difficult.
These tips will help you arm your team with the things they need to keep productivity high and spirits even higher.
Claire is a content marketing and SEO manager at G2.com. Hailing from the University of Dayton, Claire found her way back home to Chicago upon joining G2 in May of 2016. In her free time, you’ll find Claire practicing calligraphy, seeking out the city’s best BYOB sushi restaurants, and planning her next trip. Find her on Twitter.
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