It has been a few weeks now since we have been on lockdown and many of us started working from home (#WFM). The assumption is that most of the technical issues some companies were experiencing at the start have been ironed out. So now a little thought may need to go into the wellbeing of your remote workers themselves.

The novelty of #WFH, may have began to wear off for many remote workers with days melting into each other and loneliness and boredom setting in – even with work to preoccupy the mind.

Here are a few ways to keep your remote workers happier.

 

• Stay connected.

Spend time with your staff by holding regular meetings. it’s extremely important to make sure employees know what’s happening despite not being in the office.

It might be tempting to shield them from bad news, but it will keep everyone much happier if they feel a sense of transparency. Plus, the more good news you share, the more you’ll raise your staff’s morale.

Make sure communications is done by video rather than just voice calls. Seeing people can make others feel less isolated and more comfortable and connected.

Also start meetings less formally by taking an interest outside of work – helping to build and maintain relationships.

 

• Appreciate hard work.

Never miss an opportunity to recognise your staff when they’ve done a good job, particularly in front of team members. By also letting your staff know how their work fits into the bigger picture of the business, you let your people know just how valuable their work really is.

 

• Lead by example.

It’s impossible to be up beat 100% of the time, but negativity is infectious so its important to come to work with a good attitude every day and minimise complaints in front of team members.

 

• Get feedback

Getting employee feedback is a great way to boost employee morale. When you show employees that you’re listening, they will feel heard and are far more likely to be motivated.

 

• Make it fun.

Humans are essentially social animals and may miss banter in an office so try and recreate some of that fun.

We at Blue Saffron have a weekly virtual team meeting to discuss not only work-related topics but also a check-in to see how team members are doing. Here we introduced a mid week lunch competition where an online wheel is spun and the name it falls on receives a lunch delivery of their choice.

To help the team to connect further, we have also introduced a quiz as part of our weekly company catch up meeting – a great way to end the working week.

Some other examples companies have used include:

• providing kettle bell and dumbbells to staff for at-home workouts.
• Lunch time multiplayer online video games
• Donations to their chosen charities,
• Small monetary gifts to help spruce up home offices – from a desktop screen you plug your laptop into, to a pot plant you put on your desk.

 

As we all stay apart to stay safe and work remotely, remember, a team’s morale should be a top priority. Regularly communicating with your team, actively responding to feedback, and recognising accomplishments will go a long way.

Please take care and stay well.

Further Information

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