In a world that has grown smaller with the growth of international travel and technology, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of modern society as it spread quickly around the world.
The requirements of social distancing to limit the spread of the disease have severely upended modern lifestyles with restrictions on travel and businesses. With the massive disruptions, this has led to some companies launching remote work programs to ensure continued operations for themselves and their employees. .
Companies and their employees can take significant measures to help each other during this challenging time.
Here are some ideas that can help improve your remote workers’ well-being:
Maintain constant clear communication
For many, the greatest challenge is the isolation as a result of social distancing measures. As many employees know, going on leave for even a short time can mean that they’re bombarded with emails that can be overwhelming at the start. Employers can do a lot by touching base with their employees on a daily basis via easily accessible channels such as instant messaging, ensuring their workers stay abreast of developments at the workplace on a daily basis. Real-time remote support groups should also be established for any work-related concerns that employees may have during and in-between work hours.
Re-establish work-life balance
The biggest advantage of remote work can also be its greatest weakness. Whereas previous arrangements established daily travel routines in line with work patterns, remote work has eliminated the need for this routine and as a result, can lead to employees spending excessive time to the detriment of the employee’s well-being. This can be addressed by encouraging employees to establish fixed schedules for work and rest, and utilizing a spare room as an office away from common areas to encourage scheduling.
Provide well-being support
The isolation caused by social distancing can lead to or worsen health conditions in vulnerable employees. These include anxiety disorders and depression, which can lead to further neglect of their physical health. To address this, employers are encouraged to provide programs to support the wellbeing of their employees in programs such as remote counselling and advice services. These should be easily accessible to any worker that wants to avail of them and they should be encouraged to avail of these if there’s a need. Oftentimes, the mere awareness or presence of such support can give employees a lot to be motivated about.
Give your employees the tools they need
With the many things you can do online, Internet access has now become an essential utility much like electricity or water. Since remote work offers challenges such as security, power outages and lack of onsite support, employers should ensure that work computers are deployed with the necessary tools and settings to ensure that they remain productive.
Implementing a clear accountability and distribution program ensures that company assets are used properly and effectively during this time.
The folks at Utility Bidder are here to help keep you and your employees going during this difficult time.