10 Ways on How Organizations Are Changing Lives Beyond Borders: Remote Work

Focusing on employee wellbeing is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have for any organization, especially in distributed teams. While remote work brings flexibility, it can also lead to isolation, difficulty disconnecting from work, loneliness, burnout, anxiety, and so on. So, organizations that want to succeed as distributed teams must ensure that their remote employees are taken care of. 

If you’re an HR leader concerned about your remote employees' mental health and wellbeing, this is what you can do. 

The psychological challenges of remote work

Among others, loneliness is one of the major concerns among remote workers. The blurring line between work and personal life is another challenge for employees who work from home. While in an office setting, employees can take breaks, employees who work from home usually take fewer breaks. 

And even if they do, they’re mostly doing home chores. So in a way they are working all the time. This is concerning. Bringing focus and complete attention to work is easier in an office setup. You can walk into a cubicle or expect your coworkers to respect your need for focused work. But at home, there’s always a distraction — be it attending to household chores, immediate attention needed by your child, or loud noises from nearby construction sites during meeting hours, you get the gist. 

All these can significantly impact your focus, resulting in a drop in productivity. The constant juggling between home and work life can cause stress, affecting self-doubt and self-esteem.

Ten things that HR leaders can do

Organizations that promote remote work and have distributed teams must address and support the mental health needs of their employees. 

Understand what the employees want

Not every employee is the same — neither their problem is similar. So, a “one size fits all” approach won't work when it comes to employee wellness. Begin with understanding their needs and what they want. One way to do that is by creating anonymous surveys with targeted questions. 

Develop key focus areas

Once you have your survey reports, analyze them to understand what the employees are looking for. Design your key focus areas that you want to improve. This could include offering a distributed workload to minimize stress, offering mental health resources to guide the employees better, or arranging virtual coffee chat sessions for employees to reduce social isolation and loneliness.

Fix a budget

Fixing your employee wellness budget is important because you don't want to deplete your entire healthcare budget on employee wellness alone. Having a fixed budget will also help you to determine what you can do within the budget limitations. This will also help you get leadership buy-ins.

Communicate and spread awareness

Before you roll out such employee wellness programs for your remote teams, it's important to spread awareness among employees about the benefits of the program and how they can access it. Clear communication and openness to feedback are key to success in such employee wellness initiatives. 

Quick employee wellness tips for managers

It's common for distributed teams to work in different time zones. As managers, you must set a standard work hour that overlaps a few hours for every employee. That way, everyone will be on the same page. Communicate your plans. Even better, set the right expectations at the time of hiring.

Encourage team collaboration

Remote team members often work in silos. Managers must encourage team collaboration by arranging weekly virtual coffee chats where team members can just talk among themselves outside work. This will help team members bond and collaborate. 

Providing access to mental health resources

Providing access to mental health resources, including teletherapy services and wellness apps, shows tangible support from the managers. Investing in mental health platforms like Manah Wellness and extending it to their remote team members is a great way to promote employee wellbeing across boundaries. 

Consider flexible scheduling for the win

Implementing flexible scheduling allows employees to work when they're most productive and maintain work-life harmony, reducing stress and burnout while improving overall mental wellness.

Conduct regular check-ins

Managers can schedule 1-1 check-ins to gauge how their team members are doing frequently. This can help them understand issues that bother them and how the organization can help improve their working condition and productivity. For example, in case of burnout, managers should also proactively work with HR to develop a personalized wellness plan that might include reduced meeting schedules, mental health days, or temporary schedule adjustments to help the employee recover. Maintaining clear and transparent communication at all times is highly recommended. 

Maintain healthy work-life boundaries

Managers must encourage employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance. They can lead by example. For example, turning off emails during vacation time, respecting offline hours, etc.

FAQs

How can organizations support employees who live alone and struggle with severe isolation during remote work?

Organizations can provide mental health support through counseling services and create virtual buddy systems where employees are paired up for regular social interactions. Additionally, companies can organize virtual social activities like game nights, cooking classes, or book clubs to foster meaningful connections among remote team members.

What should managers do if they notice signs of burnout in their remote employees?

Managers should immediately schedule a private conversation to discuss the workload and potential solutions, such as redistributing tasks, offering time off, or adjusting deadlines.