Five Ways To Look After The Wellbeing Of Your Remote Team

People’s lives can be enhanced by remote working. Working remotely saves time and adds flexibility to schedules. Remote staff skips the arduous and stressful daily commute. There are downsides, however. People who work remotely may feel isolated and have difficulty balancing their work and personal lives, which can negatively impact their well-being.

The responsibility of employers is to ensure their employees’ well-being, wherever they are.

Employees with good health are not only happy but also engaged and motivated. Business productivity is also improved by fewer sick days. It just takes different measures to ensure employees are supported in the right way when they are working remotely.

Follow these simple steps to support the well-being of your remote workers: 

Boundaries Between Work And Personal Time

It can be difficult to divide work and personal time when you no longer leave the office and commute home at the end of the working day.

Because of technology, work can be done anywhere at any time, so remote workers can often be responsive at any time to show they work just as hard as they do in the office. Many remote workers are constantly in work mode because of this lack of separation, further adding to their existing stress levels.

To create a healthy balance between personal and work life, remote employees should be encouraged to create boundaries. In order to achieve this, managers should show their employees that they trust them and to set limits on their work. As long as you communicate how important it is for employees to take the time for themselves to recharge at the end of their working days, it will make it easy for them to unwind at the end of their day. Check-in with people who work or email out of hours regularly to ensure they are not suffering from high levels of stress and struggling to switch off.

Have Regular One-To-Ones And Really Listen

The ability to seek support from someone should you experience any difficulties is a vital benefit of working relationships. It is tough to maintain a strong employer-employee relationship when remote employees are on-site, so they feel comfortable approaching managers with any problems.

One-to-one meetings should be scheduled with remote employees, at least weekly or biweekly if they don’t already have these. Consider making one-on-ones a habit, or asking your staff if their frequent one-to-ones cover all the issues they have been dealing with.

Listen to both what is being said during these chats, as well as what is being said behind the pauses. Is their work a positive reflection of their personalities? How do they describe pressures or anxieties? Is there anything particular they are avoiding?

 Finding out if anything affects someone’s well-being can be found by listening carefully to what they’re saying.

Through a discussion of your goals and progress, you can also gain valuable insights into your wellbeing. A lack of progress or falling behind on goals can be a sign of high-stress levels or burnout among your staff.

The one-to-ones help build trust among your employees, so they can speak openly and freely about their concerns. As a result, you can work together to resolve any issues and alleviate their stress.

Lead By Example 

If you see those around you operating in unhealthy ways, then you are likely to follow suit.

As a remote manager, you should set an example of wellbeing and make wellness a priority within your own team.

In order to achieve this, you can demonstrate that you value your work-life balance and make it clear that you won’t check any non-urgent emails during the evenings and weekends, or that you take a full lunch hour and won’t be reachable during that time. You can follow their lead and allow them to spend uninterrupted time with their family. You and the team will be more energetic and productive as a result.

Remember That They Need To Have Breaks 

It’s easy to sit and work at home for 8 hours straight without taking a break when there is no buzz in the office at noon that announces lunchtime, and no colleague is calling you over to the kettle for a chat at 3 p.m.

Without breaks, working for long periods of time increases stress levels and decreases productivity – as well as taking a toll on physical health.

Establish a system for letting employees know when they are taking time off during the day. People can mark their calendar when they are taking a break, update their status on their instant messenger, or tell their team that they will not be available.

It is good to take a break after a stressful day. Regular breaks will enhance mental and physical wellbeing by making them an integral part of the working day.

Activities For Fitness And Wellbeing Should Be Free Or Discounted

It can be difficult for remote workers to maintain a sense of accomplishment and activity without a daily commute and running from A to B at the office. As exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, this can have a huge impact on not only our physical health but also our mental wellbeing when it comes to our mental wellbeing.

As an employer, you are able to offer employees a wide range of health and wellbeing plans. These include discounted gym memberships, activity monitors, or even online physiotherapy, and this will ensure that the remote working environment is as conducive to good health as possible.

As part of this area, we should also include simple things such as a virtual coffee break with colleagues, online games/activities that would normally occur in the office, and even hold a virtual holiday party. 

The fact that you make these activities available to your employees at a discount or for free makes them accessible regardless of their current situation. Employers can make sure that they do everything within their power to ensure that their employees are as healthy as possible both physically and mentally and help them stay that way.

These five tips should help you look after the well-being of your remote workers. Do you have any other tips that are working for your team? Please share a few of them in the comments below,