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More and more remote working - since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, a lot more people have started working from home. While some people see working from home as less stressful, reports (pdf) suggest that mental health is on a decline due to this.
Even the World Health Organization has stated that more people could experience higher stress and anxiety levels this period.
We believe that employees have a crucial role to play in supporting the mental health of their staff.
So, this article will touch on remote workers and how to support their mental health. By helping your employees' mental health, you not only keep them sane, but you could also increase their productivity as they adjust to an unfamiliar new reality.
Change your expectation on productivity.
Working remotely can be stressful for when employers expect the same level of productivity from their employees.
But, if you want to support your employees during this time, then first of all;
- Don't expect employees to complete the same level of work at home as they could at work.
- Send out a message to your employees appreciating them.
- Ensure you explain to them that it's not business as usual.
- Stay up to date with training on psychological first aid. This will come in handy if you need to reach out to any employees.
- Encourage your staff to focus on their well being.
Remember, as a manager; you have a role to play in fostering self-care in their employees. Encourage your staff to eat, rest well, and do activities that could alleviate their stress.
By doing this, you build an organisational culture that could help remote workers reach out to management if they feel their mental health is being threatened.
Empower your staff
As more people are going into remote work because of the COVID19 pandemic, feeling frustrated will be expected. So, as an employee, encourage your team to share their knowledge online.
There are platforms like Pick The Writer, where they could offer their professional expertise. They can share their professional knowledge through various online platforms with those who need it.
By empowering your staff to share their knowledge and think creatively, you are giving them other areas to focus on, which will help their mental health.
Share mental health resources with your staff.
Another way to support your staff who are remote workers is to share resources with them. By resources, we mean mental health resources.
Reach out to your employees and ask them if they need extra support from your company. Tell them what free services your company renders to the staff. It could be psychosocial support, self-help resources, cognitive-behavioral therapy, etc.
Side note; make sure any free resources you share with your staff are research-based and from trusted sites.
Go virtual with socialisation
Our next tip on how to support your employees' mental health is to create a social space. In a regular office setting, employees can socialize and have everyday conversations with their colleagues. But, as they are all working from their houses, that is now impossible.
These mini socialisation your employees usually do around the water cooler gives them a sense of belonging and helps their mental health. It also helps them stay productive as it's like a mini recharge before they go back to work.
So, now imagine how they are doing with the absence of these socialisations.
Create a space where your remote workers can come out to support each other. This space could be in the form of online groups, forums, or channels.
In this social space, they should speak openly to each other about remote workers' experiences.
Communicate with your employees
Finally, if you want to build a supportive environment for your employees, communicate. Demonstrate to your staff that you are capable of communicating effectively with them. You can;- Share updates on the pandemic.
- Give information on what the company is doing to combat the effect the pandemic has on it.
- Share advice staff can follow to secure their safety.
- Inform staff on their welfare and well-being packages.
- Ask staff about their mental health before the commencement of every meeting, and genuinely listen to them.
In conclusion
Supporting your remote workers during this period is what every good company will do. However, it might be challenging to support your employees' mental health if you don't know what to do. So, follow these five steps to ensure that your remote workers have all the help they need during this period. Author’s Bio
Dominic Beaulieu is an expert writer who specializes in creating various training and professional upgrade courses, materials and manuals. He mainly writes on development, digital marketing, design, business strategies, etc. This breadth of specialization allows him to write expert columns on the most pressing topics in today's society and creating writing reviews in EssayAssistant .
