Supporting the Mental Health of Your Remote Employees
It’s easy to keep an eye on your employees’ health and well-being when they are located in the same building as you. You can check up on them, support them if they need it, and look out for any signs that they are not okay. However, doing the same for your remote employees may be a little more difficult.
Given their isolation from the rest of your staff and a lack of social interaction, they may also be the most in need of support. If you’re trying to think of how to support your remote employees’ mental health, here are a few ways to go about it.
Be Sure of Your Methods
You may have found success with managing mental health with your on-site team, but those same methods may not work with staff members you don’t see every day. Be sure of your strategies, and consider mental health training if you believe you can learn new skills to benefit your team.
You may even see the value of having experts in the field conduct mental health sessions with your remote team. Over a video call, they can learn about different techniques and tools they can use to gain a sense of well-being.
Make use of Technology
If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we have an abundance of technology at our disposal. As it turns out, we’re ready to use it, since Google searches for remote teams have increased 1,000%+ in recent months. While this technology allows us to work from anywhere in the world, that’s not all it’s suitable for. You can use it to ensure your entire team, both on-site and remote, remain connected with each other.
Use instant messaging platforms like Slack, which is a free tool, or conferencing software like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Zoom. There’s no reason you can’t have face-to-face meetings with your remote workers to make them feel like one of the team. These simple tools may even remove some of the feelings of isolation that remote workers may sometimes experience.
Create Team-Building Activities
Many business owners and managers may struggle to keep their remote team engaged. While it may be challenging, it’s not impossible. You simply need to remember that it doesn’t have to be all work and no play.
Create a platform where your entire workforce can have a digital water cooler chat session. Ask your workers to share photos of their workspaces and even pictures of their pets who share their company during the day. There are plenty of online fun things you can do.
Check in
Social media and the online world have enabled us to have frank, open discussions about mental health. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone feels comfortable talking to their managers about their feelings. Ensure your remote workers know the virtual door is always open.
Check in, ask how they are doing, and see if they need any support. You may even like to ask them if there’s anything they need, such as support numbers, training, or items for their home office to make them more comfortable.
In this current age, mental health support is more important than ever before. While you’re focusing on your on-site staff to ensure they have everything they need, don’t forget to use the current technology to cater to your remote workers’ needs, as well.