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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.