Working from home is a dream come true for many people. The ability to take care of personal business during the day and then work on projects in the evening is a perk that many employers can’t offer.
According to recent data, since 2009, the number of people who work from home has risen by 159%. In fact, there’s been an uptick in remote work among millennials as well!
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many companies have implemented some type of remote working. Human resource departments are being challenged to manage a distributed workforce of remote workers as a result of this massive expansion. Companies are looking for ways to keep their employees engaged, motivated, and productive while they’re working from home.
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips for keeping your remote employees happy and productive! We’ll cover some tips and tricks that you can use as a manager or employee to ensure your team stays happy during these uncertain times.
Importance of Looking After Your Employees in a Remote Work Set-up
In a remote work setup, you don’t get to see your employees daily or even weekly. This can make it difficult for managers to gauge their mood or how productive they are being in an office setting.
When companies’ HR departments have no contact with their workers unless something goes wrong, it’s easy for them to lose sight of what matters most: people! By staying connected and looking after your employees’ needs while working from home, you’ll be able to keep them happy and motivated.
A vibrant, engaged workplace is built on mental health and employee wellness. However, today’s workers are increasingly stressed, remote workers aren’t exempt either. While remote work has numerous benefits, it can also lead to increased stress.
-
Communication is key.
Make sure employees have a way to easily and quickly communicate with one another, as well as management. This can be done through a messaging app, video conferencing software, or even just good ol’ fashioned email.
If employees feel like they’re not able to communicate with their team, they will become disengaged and unproductive. It’s also important for managers to be clear about expectations and deadlines. Having regular check-ins will help ensure that everyone is on the same page.
This is especially important if you’re a remote worker. You can’t expect your employees to understand what’s going on in their department or company unless they have access to the right information through communication channels such as Slack, email, phone calls, etc.
One way we recommend doing this is by having weekly status updates with your team members so we know what’s going on and where things stand! This will also help keep people motivated because there are clear expectations for them each week, which makes it easier for everyone involved when planning out work assignments accordingly.
-
Encourage them to take breaks.
It’s easy for remote employees to get lost in their work and spend hours on end at their laptops. Encouraging your team members to take breaks will help them stay productive and healthy.
There are a few ways to do this. You can have specific break times each day, or you can encourage them to take a break after they’ve completed a certain task. Breaks don’t need to be long either! A five-minute walk around the block or stretching for a couple of minutes is all it takes to reenergize someone.
If your employees’ struggle with taking breaks on their own, set some ground rules and enforce them. This will help your team stay productive while working from home.
As a manager, it’s your job to find out what makes your employees happy and productive. Because working from home might be isolating, make sure they’re getting enough rest.
-
Provide them with the tools for a comfortable and distraction-free workspace.
Encourage your team to create a workspace that is comfortable and distraction-free. One way to do this is by giving them an allowance for office supplies or encouraging them to purchase items they might need with their own money (and then reimbursing them).
Another option would be setting up an online shopping page where employees can select from different types of chairs and desks so you know what type of furniture will work best in each person’s home environment! This way there won’t be any surprises when someone comes into work one day expecting something else entirely because everything has already been planned out beforehand!
-
Make health care for physical, emotional, and mental well-being accessible.
Regardless of the remote setting, provide your staff the tools they need to take care of their own health, whether it’s physical, emotional, or mental. Occupational health should still be a priority, in spite of the distance.
Employees should feel like they can talk about any concerns with their managers without fear of repercussions. This could include things like having access to therapists or counselors through a Connected Health Platform or video conferencing platforms such as Zoom; creating a safe space where employees are encouraged to share how they’re feeling on any given day/week; providing mental health resources in case someone is struggling with depression, anxiety, etc.
If your team member(s) struggles with health issues on a regular basis, it’s important that they feel supported by their manager/team leader so they can continue doing their job effectively. Connected health services should remain accessible as employees take steps towards getting better themselves.
-
Celebrate their accomplishments, both big and small.
No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes from time to time. What’s important is how we handle those situations.
When an employee does something great, celebrate it! Send them a congratulatory email or give them a shout-out in a team meeting. This will show your staff that you’re paying attention and appreciate all the hard work they’re putting in.
On the other hand, if someone makes a mistake, don’t dwell on it. Help them learn from their mistake so they can avoid making them again in the future. Everyone makes mistakes, and as long as they’re taking steps to correct them, they should be praised for their efforts!
At the end of the day, keeping your remote employees happy comes down to showing that you care about them as people and not just workers.
When an employee feels appreciated, they’re more likely to go above and beyond for your company! It’s important that managers remember this when managing remote teams because it can be easy to lose sight of what makes a person happy or unhappy at work – especially if they’re working from home all day every day by themselves.
So make sure your employees know how much their contributions mean to you so they’ll continue doing great things on behalf of the organization!
-
Keep an open mind towards new ideas and suggestions.
It’s easy to get stuck in your ways, but it’s important that you keep an open mind towards new ideas and suggestions.
Your employees might have some great ones! So listen carefully when they speak up; take notes on what they’re saying so you can remember details later on down the line if necessary – no one will expect perfection from them because everyone makes mistakes sometimes too.
The heart of a strong and efficient workplace is employee wellbeing. However, today’s workers are under extreme levels of stress — remote workers are no exception. Contact us today to find out how you can take care of your employees, even at a distance!
