Let’s take a quick poll. Put a hand up if you’re feeling burnt out from remote work. You’re not alone. More employees are working remotely now than ever, and are suffering from burn out. Even though people are starting to adjust to the new routines of working remotely, they’ve now taken on the task of educating their children in the same space and being the support network for their children otherwise obtained in school. Not only are children socially isolated but studies show despite working from home employees are starting to feel socially isolated from their teams and detached from their work. Adjustment to remote work has been a change for millions of people in the workspace. And with this change, employee wellness has been affected severely.
Talk To Your Employees
Take time for water cooler chit chat. A few minutes of time at the start of a meeting to chat with your employees about more than work goes a long way for employee morale. Your employees have shifted focus and are dealing with a number of things beyond work. A quick chat to ask about what personal projects your employees are working on is a great way to maintain social connection and discuss what used to be watercooler topics.
If you don’t have time for a lengthy call, schedule a few minutes into every meeting with your employees to check in with them. Promoting continuing education courses (work-related and not) or exploring hobbies is one way to keep your employees focused on the positive.
Happy Hour?
Just because the bar is closed, doesn’t mean happy hour isn’t happening. Zoom happy hours are a great way to maintain social connections and give your employees something to look forward to at the end of the week. During these “Happy Hour” calls limit chatter about work and work-related topics and pour yourself a heavily mixed drink. The difference between real Happy Hour and remote Happy Hour is the drive home.
Provide Resources For Your Employees
Your employees might not know where to look for resources for furthering their education. Take the time to send them resources and links to ways they can educate themselves or build a new skill. If your employees are looking to refine an old skill or gain a new one, there is a number of resources available to you and your employees through EDx.
Check your employee health program. A number of programs available have included mental health services as an emergency response to Covid-19. Even if your employee health program doesn’t have any there are other websites like betterhelp offering counseling services at this time.
Call Another Co-Worker
Employees feeling isolated might not be communicating with their teams as much as they used to. Think about who you used to grab lunch with before lockdown started. Were they on your immediate team? When was the last time you spoke to them? A call to a coworker doesn’t have to follow the same protocols of a Zoom meeting, this call could just be a quick 20 minutes to catch up on non-work-related topics or to communicate a cross-department plan.
Work With Your HR Department
The role your HR manager used to play has evolved since the start of the pandemic. Work with HR and management teams to ensure your employees understand what is expected of them during these remote times. The conversations between management and HR will also allow your team to develop a better way to gauge how your employees feel about your businesses’ response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Ask Your Employees
Send around a poll to ask your employees how they feel your business did in response to Coronavirus. If you’re considering reopening your offices, ask your employees about their feelings and what your business can do to help these employees feel safe. Asking employee input during this time will help everyone at your organization feel better about the transition back to the office. If you find out that 50% or more of your workforce is not comfortable returning to the workplace then you may be faced with productivity issues that were otherwise not present while employees were remote.
Speak to your employees and communicate with your team regarding your reopening strategy. Some employees may be more willing than others to return to the office. Discussion with everyone at your workplace will help your employees feel valued.
If you have any questions regarding reopening your business, or how you can better discuss this topic with your workplace, contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444. If our Risk Advisors cannot answer your question they will do the best they can to help you find the answers you are looking for.
