During the past year of dealing with Covid-19, the way we work has taken a complete shift. Many people have been moved to entirely remote environments, and schools have also switched to virtual learning. In addition, many companies have given their employees the option to remain remote for good. There are many benefits to working from home; many people no longer have to worry about transportation issues to and from work or the frustrations of having stable childcare during their workday. However, there are times when employees have shown feelings of lack of motivation and isolation, especially with operating on new virtual services they have maybe never had to use before. Below we will take a look at some of the best ways to support employees that are working from home, as featured in an article on Forbes.
- Consistently check in with your employees.
Effective and frequent check-ins better promote healthy and productive remote work environments. There might be no more stopping by an employee’s desk to show them some face-to-face support, but you can still ping them with a video message or a virtual appreciation card to let them know you are thinking of them and appreciate their hard work. However, it is important to find a good balance because check-ins that are too frequent might be distracting and overwhelming for employees who are not used to that.
- Organize virtual networking events such as happy hours and holiday zoom parties.
Employees want to stay connected with each other even if it can no longer be face-to-face. When a remote culture is solely focused on emails and quick instant messages, it can start to feel robotic and disconnected. In addition, with working from home becoming a new norm, many employees are beginning to move around to different states and countries. Online happy hour events and holiday parties help bring people together again and give their minds a break from their work.
- Decrease busy work as much as possible.
It is crucial to remember that just because people are working from home, that does not mean that they have all the time in the world to do extra activities that are not very urgent or meaningful. They are still completing their work; it just so happens to be taking place in a different setting. In addition, some employees are still getting used to the online way of working, and it might even take them more time to complete their duties. Busy work can be frustrating and add unnecessary pressure to thriving in a different environment.