6 STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL WELLNESS WITH REMOTE WORKERS
By:
Support
August 28, 2021
COVID-19 has hindered global business operations and forced many employees to switch to online remote work. While it's a glaring reality that all of these precautions are in the name of health, it's quite clear that even as we attempt to keep this atrocious virus at bay, we must take care of day-to-day mental health and wellness. Employee wellness is a growing concern for managers and human resources. While many companies already have strong employee wellness programs, it's likely that lots of them are not intended to serve a remote workforce. Remote working has become a productive and acceptable way for individuals to generate more employment without the need to work from one centralized location. But due to this dreadful virus and its daunting repercussions, being physically present in an office/professional setting is not feasible for everyone. With the pandemic elevating normal stressors, it's never been more crucial to foster the wellbeing of remote workers. The blurred line between personal and professional life, isolation, and pressure to balance work and home responsibilities can affect psychological, physical, and emotional health. Without in-person interactions and socialization with co-workers, remote work can be especially isolating. In other words, remote workers are stressed. And that’s bad for the employees and bad for business, thus taking care of your employee’s wellbeing, irrespective of them being physically or virtually present is a need of the hour for any corporate organization.
Listed below are few strategies for successful wellness with remote workers
1. Conduct Wellness activities virtually – With the use of technology, employee wellness programs for remote workers can do almost anything a live on-site wellness program could do. Having a team organize and schedule wellness activities virtually to ensure the presence of every employee can help in maximum participation and involvement. 2. Provide a flexible incentive plan - Build a scheme wherein incentives can be earned by completing a variety of wellness program offerings. Allow remote workers to earn wellness incentive points without having to physically interact with other employees. In other words, let your remote employees earn all the points they can by doing those wellness activities that are virtual. 3. Set Realistic Short- term goals- Remote employees, just like on-site employees, need to have realistic goals. Goals that verge on the impossible will only serve to stress out and disengage employees. If you want to motivate your remote workers, work with them to create smart objectives that are stretching but not irrational. 4. Offer Corporate Wellness programs - Remote workers have a greater need for mental and emotional health programs as having a stable work-life balance can be a struggle. When an employee starts working from home, it becomes difficult to focus on other aspects of life as personal and professional lives begin to co-exist. Wellness programs should provide remote employees with greater access to wellness programming that focuses on stress management, sleep quality, work life balance, resilience, mindfulness, and other emotional health topics. 5. Encourage remote employees to switch off/cool down- Getting remote workers to switch off is a challenge that many people fail to anticipate. When you work in an office 9-5, it’s much easier to leave work in the office. When you work at home, creating this mental distance is a lot harder. Remote workers are far more inclined to stay online and do an extra hour or two of work in the evening. Thus, one should proactively create a culture of work during work hours only in the organization. 6. Host Regular Check-Ins- One of the most important factors to having a happy workforce is making them feel heard and valued. Your employees deserve to feel appreciated – even from a distance. It’s also important to plan out virtual get-togethers for non-work-related chats so that employees feel connected to their colleagues and office. Remote employees will feel more engaged and committed to the company and their role if they know you care about them not only as employees but as people. Above all, companies must remember that transparency and honesty is the key to cultivating strong employee engagement, in or out of the office. Build stronger relationships with virtual workers. Remote work is here to stay, so it’s important to take steps now to build wellness into your remote processes and team cultures. As you prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of your remote teams, you will see not only happier employees but more productive and engaged teams! To know more about Corporate Wellness Programmes for remote workers offered by Wellness Associates, click on the link below: https://www.wellnessassociates.in
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