With the whole world essentially put on hold, many businesses are having to work from home due to coronavirus. For teams that typically work together in an office, it can be a big adjustment to suddenly be working from home and having to manage your team from afar. It is a big adjustment for many people and can be challenging to say the least.

When working from home, there are certain tips and procedures that can help your remote development team stay productive and remain a unified group including remote sprint retrospectives. Even when you can’t work with each other physically, there are many ways to stay in communication and keep the progress moving. Here is a list of 5 tips that will keep you and your remote development teams working together and staying motivated during this time.

1. Have a team chat going. Whether you use WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook, or any other forum, having a team group chat is a great way to keep people up to date on what they should be doing, as well as adding a bit of fun and excitement to their days. It’s (almost) as if you were together in the office. Having a group chat can be a fun way to talk to each other about work or about other things, just like you would at the office.
2. Have a weekly Zoom happy hour. Okay, so it’s not your standard work function. However, a lot of times by Friday afternoon, team members are ready to blow off steam and will perhaps head out for a drink together after work. Well, since no one can do that now, hosting an online happy hour could be a great way to keep morale up and encourage team building.
3. Be sure to write encouraging recognition emails. Once or twice throughout the week, it is nice to receive some praise or feedback from something that went well that week. It keeps team members motivated and encouraged. Not to mention, people enjoy receiving acknowledgement for things that they’ve done well.
4. Share positive news. With the state of the world in unprecedented territory and no one knowing what to think or feel, some uplifting news is always nice to hear. Whether it is news about your job, about your city, or worldwide news, make sure it is encouraging and uplifting.
5. Allow them to choose a personal development activity. This is a great way to keep a remote development team engaged and motivated. Give them a choice of a personal development activity they would like to participate in and give them time to do it. This not only encourages them and motivates them, but it can also help them in their professional endeavors with the company.

When working from home, remote development teams must remain focused and encouraged to do a good job. These tips are a great way to keep your team motivated and engaged, as well as build community among them. They will enjoy it and their productivity will show it.