We’re all acutely aware of just how much the working landscape has changed in the last 2 years. The shift to remote and hybrid models has thrown up huge, unexpected challenges.

But once we mastered the art of Zoom, Teams, blurring the background to obliterate any embarrassing “scenery” and avoiding appearing as a cat/in our pyjamas, well, surprise, surprise, many of us quite liked not being in the office. And, according to a survey conducted by both myself and researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, more than 80% of both employees and managers would prefer either more or the same amount of remote working than they are currently experiencing.

In fact, about 30% of those asked – over 1,000 respondents in the US and UK – would either take a significant pay cut or look for another job if they were not allowed to work their desired number of days remotely, with the under-45s and women most keen on remote work opportunities.

That’s pretty telling. And it means that effectively managing remote workers and teams will probably remain a high priority for most firms, leading to the question of how do we continue to motivate, incentivise and retain remote and hybrid working staff?

The good news is that roughly half of managers believe productivity is higher amongst those working from home, compared to staff on-site or in the office. But the vast majority of managers and many employers still have concerns about remote working – from worries regarding workforce culture and work/life balance to lack of motivation, poor communications and micro-management. Isolation, which can have intense consequences on wellbeing, engagement and productivity, was also cited.

Over the decades the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) has documented the benefits of non-monetary rewards and incentives but undertook this latest research in the light of the seismic change in working practices.

Designing an incentive/reward programme can be complex and the coronavirus pandemic has completely changed the ‘game’: non-monetary incentives and rewards are even more crucial now when a significant part of the workforce is remote.  But  managers also really matter – one-to-one appreciation from a direct manager is, according to those surveyed, the most motivating form of recognition.

And among the most desired intangible rewards cited by employees were the ability to conduct interesting work, growth opportunities and autonomy. The material rewards highlighted as preferable included cash; gift cards; gifts; points and individual travel.

So how do we address both staff concerns and incentives in a changed world? Reward programmes are carefully designed to influence people’s behaviour, thinking or decision-making.  And those that actively encourage collaboration, peer recognition and appreciation, autonomy, accountability and a strong culture –  knowledge-sharing, teamwork, inclusivity, for example – will be extremely important in motivating the remote workforce moving forward.

Incentive programme designers should work alongside human resources and/or senior leaders to combine incentives with workplace environment changes that eliminate the downsides of working remotely.

Organisations that choose to eliminate the advantages of coming in to the office versus working remotely – who conduct all meetings on digital platforms, ensure those on-site don’t get preferential access to leaders or benefit from access to information, promotion, choice assignments, etc. – will send a strong signal that they have fully embraced the new world of work.

In managing and motivating the remote workforce, incentives and rewards have a vital role to play and it is more important than ever that incentive designers expand their idea of what constitutes incentive, reward and recognition. Designers should champion ways of using tangible and intangible rewards to promote a culture that brings and keeps the workforce together when much of it is working off-site.

Without this contribution from innovative incentive programme designers, companies will fail to maximise efforts to boost the intangible benefits of work, such as more camaraderie, collaboration, trust and appreciation, that are now even more prized in today’s remote/hybrid working environments.

For more information on the research see The Role of Incentives in Today’s Decentralised Workforce at www.theirf.orf by Allan Schweyer (Incentive Research Foundation) and Angela Fan, Emily Ford and Ji Hyoung Kang (Carnegie Mellon University).