CPA_Practice_Advisor_June_2020 - 18

THE STAFFING & HR ADVISOR

Tips for Boosting Morale
in Remote Teams
MOST SUCCESSFUL ACCOUNTING teams are powered by high employee morale. That's why
good managers place so much stock on keeping their teams engaged and motivated, and
on fostering a cohesive, supportive office environment. But what if the office is closed?

PAUL McDONALD

Senior Executive Director
Robert Half
paul.mcdonald@cpapracticeadvisor.com

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting departments across the country have
morphed into remote teams, with many employees working from home.
In this new reality, managers
need to be mindful of issues particular to remote work that might
impact morale, be it a communication breakdown or employees
feeling disconnected and isolated.
Here are 8 tips for boosting team
morale from a distance.
Check in often. Try to
stick to your regular
team meeting
schedule, using
video conferencing tools such as
Zoom, Sk y pe or
Microsoft Teams.
For one-on-one
check-ins, an instant
message work s when
you need a quick answer or have a
request, but a video chat will be a
more efficient use of time than a
drawn-out text exchange. Video can
also provide insight into how your
staff are faring: Body language, tone
of voice and general appearance can
be clues to an employee's stress level
and state of mind.
Enc ourage v ir t ua l
s o c i a l i z i ng. The
working relationships between your
e mp lo y e e s a r e
more impor tant
t han ever when
your team can't
meet in person. To
help maintain these
bonds (and fend off stress),

18

JUNE 2020 ■

make space for nonaccount i ng
conversations, whether it's creating
a Slack channel for sharing jokes
and memes or encouraging virtual
lunches over video calls. A regularly
scheduled - but optional - video
conferencing call, with "no shop talk"
as the ground rule, can also be a time
when team members share a laugh
and catch up on each other's reading
or video-streaming recommendations.
Stay positive ... As
a m a n ag e r, y ou r
energ y can set
t he t one i n t he
office, and it's no
d ifferent in t he
virtual arena. Lead
by example with
positive messaging,
optimistic language
and a dash of humor.
... but also empathetic.
Staying upbeat and
p o s it ive do e sn't
mean you should
ignore or downplay
t he c h a l le ng e s
your team is
fac i ng. O n t he
contrary, you may
need to deliver bad
news, making empathy
a powerful tool. The more workers
under stand how ever yone is
struggling to some extent, the more
likely they are to bond. If some team
members are working on notebooks
perched on ironing boards, this isn't

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the best time to show off your fancy
standing desk. Instead, talk about
some of the challenges you have
faced, and just as importantly, how
you overcame them.
I mp o s e st r uc t ur e .
Suggesting guidel i n e s a b out t h e
workday is smart
management that
will help remote
staff maintain a
healthy work-life
balance. Tell your
team you are keeping
nor mal hours and you
expect them to shut down at the end
of their work shift. Propose plenty of
room for flexibility - some people will
need to work odd hours at a time like
this - and the team will appreciate
you are looking out for them.
Be workload watchful.
Employees with too
much work on their
plates will quickly
get overwhelmed,
whether at home
or in the office. The
difference is that an
overstretched remote
worker is more likely
to f ly under your radar,
increasing the risk they'll burn out
before you can intervene. Watch for
clues (uncharacteristically poor work
or missed deadlines, for example) that
a team member is struggling, and step
in quickly when needed.

Say thank you. Every
e mplo y e e g et s a
boost from feeling
recog n i zed and
ap pr e c i at e d b y
their boss. For the
r e mot e wor ke r,
who may struggle
to feel "seen" even
at the best of times,
this is especially true. Saying "Great
job!" in a team meeting or sending a
thank-you note doesn't take much
effort but has a powerful energizing
effect on workers, especially whose
morale may be flatlining.
Paint the big picture. A
sense of accomplishment and pride in
the organization
are two of the key
f a c t o r s u n d e rpi n n i ng worker
happiness. Remind
you r st af f of t he
critical role accounting
professionals play in a
company's ability to navigate the current COVID-19 outbreak and resulting
economic downturn. If possible, share
with them examples of how their team
or individual efforts are contributing
to the company's resiliency.
Times are tough for everyone right
now, but shared experiences, however
difficult, can have a way of bringing
people together in unexpected and
lasting ways. Support your workers
through this challenging period, and
it could be you return to the office
with a more cohesive team. ■
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