The traditional workplace is a relic of the past. The 9-to-5 life is being replaced by freelancing remote workers with talents that aren’t restricted by age or geographical limits.

These freelancers are a part of the global talent pool available online.

Organizations are still having a hard time adapting to the change. There are, after all, several challenges of utilizing remote workers, including time zone issues, scheduling problems and communication gaps. The biggest trouble, however, is that you can’t just pop-in to their office and say an encouraging word or two. You can’t offer remote workers quick advice if there is a problem at work. And, you’ll also have trouble connecting to them on a human level, merely because they are so far away.

Virtual Inspiration: 5 Ways to Motivate Your Outsourced Web Development Team

Well, summer is here and the busy season for web developers has already started. If you are hiring a remote team of web developers, here are a few ways to keep their spirits high, ensuring that they do their best work even during challenging times:

Treat them with Kindness

Just because your remote web developers are working in the office next door, it doesn’t mean they are in any way lesser employees than the ones working in-house. Keep them in the loop on important news while they are working for you. Make them feel like a part of the team by sending them newsletters, updates and even minutes of relevant meetings regularly. Extend the same holidays and benefits to your virtual team, and be understanding of any issues that may arise as they work remotely.

Acknowledge Their Hard Work

Everyone loves to have their work acknowledged and be rewarded for their achievements. Your remote team is as susceptible to praises as the local team is. So, go on, add an extra $50 as a bonus to the order as a virtual “pat on the back.” If monetary rewards aren’t an option, why not write an appreciative e-mail or give a glowing review on their website? Take a step towards making your remote workers proud of working for you, and rest assured that they’ll go above and beyond to deliver stellar web development work for you as a result.

Empower them with The Right Tools

Your remote web development team is just as concerned about their organization and productivity as your in-house employees. Address their concerns and make use of collaboration tools that can keep the work running smoothly. These are some perennial favorites of freelancers:

  • As a reliable online invoicing tool, Due is pretty good at tracking time. It offers accuracy and easy-to-use primary benefits.
  • Basecamp lets you track jobs, schedule meetings and store all necessary documents at one convenient cloud-based location.
  • If you want to schedule meetings often and stay on top of things, GoToMeeting is a great tool for that, complete with screen-sharing capabilities.
  • Slack makes one-on-one conversations with your team a breeze.

These tools will help your remote-team collaborate better with your in-house employees so the project is run like a well-oiled machine.

Don’t Count the Hours; Make the Most of The Energy!

Remember, remote workers aren’t at the office, so you can’t expect them to put in a 9-to-5 workday, Monday through Friday. Chances are, they are in a totally different time-zone than you.

Sleep-deprived remote workers are worse than drowsy employees in the office. In a research study, five percent of adults admitted to falling asleep while driving. Don’t promote or reward poor sleep habits. Instead, remind your workers to get adequate sleep, as it impacts their ability to create quality websites.

Don’t force your remote workers to put in a certain number of hours each day. Instead, count the productivity and contributions made to the project individually and as a team. Giving this flexibility to employees energizes them, ensuring that they pace themselves throughout the day for better quality and more output.

Communication is Key

Use different channels of communication to catch up with your remote web development team. Remember, formal and informal communication with your virtual team is the cornerstone of a good working relationship. These freelancers are a part of the global talent pool available online. There are plenty of tech platforms out there that will help you connect with the most skilled developers across the globe.

Sometimes an e-mail doesn’t do justice to a project. A phone call, screen sharing meeting or web conference can work well in such instances. Make sure that you use the right medium for communicating with your remote workers. Give them access to the necessary presentations, paperwork and documents. And finally, let them get a word in during your meetings.

Manage, structure and build a culture that motivates all your team members irrespective of what space they occupy in your organization! Your projects will be a lot better off for it.