The psychological wellbeing of a team is something that should always be at the forefront of any good manager’s thinking.
It’s been proven that businesses who put an emphasis on a healthy work culture end up with far more productive employees.
If you’re a manager or business leader, I’m sure you’re already thinking: yes, I’m doing this. But it never hurts to check yourself, and some of these work anxieties might not be on your radar, or are perhaps areas where your business could improve.
Here’s our list of four simple factors to improve the quality of life for your remote home-working team.
1. Set the culture to combat cabin fever
You can help your workers remain healthy, both physically and mentally, by making changes to the daily routine. Rather than assuming your people will be sensible enough to get some expertise and take a break from their desks, you can proactively make this a scheduled part of their working day.
While it might be a step too far to make jogging or workouts mandatory, you can include a slot in the team’s daily schedule where they’re encouraged to get up and go outside for a walk or some fresh air.
2. Work-life balance via team comms
It can be hard living and working in the same place, and many employees have found their personal time eroded by the creeping extension of work time.
One way to help your team establish healthy boundaries is to provide phones and don’t expect them to use their personal landline or cellphone for work purposes.
Their work/life balance is probably already under enough pressure, and this is a simple way to help them separate their home and work lives, allowing them to switch off from work during their personal time.
3. Establish a culture of healthy boundaries
As the person who your employees look up to, both for guidance and expectations, you can do a lot to help your team by being explicit about what is and isn’t expected from them.
Harvard Business Review offers these tips:
- Make it clear that their personal time shouldn’t be spent working
- Offer and encourage emotional support
- Ensure that the technology and information is available
- Schedule daily check-ins with line managers
4. Hidden cost of home working
Think about additional costs that they might be incurring. Many organisations are now saving money by spending less on business energy, but what about the distributed workforce?
Yes, your workers are probably saving on costs such as commuting and buying lunch at the office cafeteria. But they might also be dealing with unexpected new costs such as home heating during winter, because their home is likely never empty any more, meaning their gas or electric heaters might be running 24/7.
Productivity doesn’t have to suffer
And finally, let’s dispel a myth: focusing on the mental wellbeing of your team doesnt have to be at odds with business growth and productivity. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s possible to establish a remote home-working team that is also more productive than it was in the office.
So there you have it: some of these things might have been obvious to you, but perhaps you found some inspiration to help with a meaningful impact at your organisation.