> How to keep talented people happy: Sincere, prompt, frequent, praise
When I had an office job, I would have dismissed this. Now that I'm working remotely, I find I personally need praise more often than in-person gigs. It's harder to know how people feel about me and my work when I'm not there and not going to lunch with them. Critical feedback triggers larger fears about how I'm doing when received remotely, especially if it's text and not voice or video.
Totally. This is my experience as well. There are many cues we use in person to signal satisfaction or criticism which don't readily translate to a remote environment, so it's really important to be conscious about properly communicating them remotely. It's worth noting that praise from peers is also extremely valuable, so it's not just a managerial thing.
Nice general guide but fails to go in depth of what I consider the hardest issue for a smaller "virtual" company. International payment mechanics, International Labor laws & International Taxes.
A significant takeaway from this nice post is that being positive and kind - toward colleagues, customers, and people in general - keeps morale higher, which often results in better company results.
Some places I have worked have succumbed to mob behaviors, cliques of badly behaving (mostly men), or occasionally bro-coders that really put a bad mood on the company. I can't say how much it affected other employees, but it certainly reduced my enthusiasm and output.
And as with accepted leadership advice, praise many times more than you admonish; avoid admonishing as much as possible. Dale Carnegie gave some good advice on this.
When I had an office job, I would have dismissed this. Now that I'm working remotely, I find I personally need praise more often than in-person gigs. It's harder to know how people feel about me and my work when I'm not there and not going to lunch with them. Critical feedback triggers larger fears about how I'm doing when received remotely, especially if it's text and not voice or video.