How Can Companies Support Work From Home Employees?
As employees continue to work tirelessly from the comfort of their own homes, companies need to get creative with how they support their team members from a distance.
In 2020, workplaces across the country announced temporary closures, asking employees to pack up and work from home for the following weeks. Over a year down the line, many offices remain closed, with some organizations moving to a permanently remote workforce. Now, as employees continue to work tirelessly from the comfort of their own homes, companies need to get creative with how they support their team members from a distance. Here’s how many are responding to these unprecedented times.
Regular Communication
In a traditional office setting, communication isn’t something that’s really considered – it just naturally occurs at the water cooler, in meetings, and by popping into each other’s offices. Now that staff are working remotely from their homes, it’s crucial to provide easy ways for your team to communicate – whether that be via an instant messenger application, daily or weekly video staff meetings, or a comprehensive email detailing what everyone is up to for the week. The most important thing is that these check-ins are done regularly and in a scheduled manner.
Offering Wellness Programs
COVID-19 and the shift from what was once “normal” has truly upended many lives – both mentally and physically. Now more than ever, it’s essential for companies to take care of their employees by providing the right means to wellness, whether that be through virtual workout classes or access to therapy. When possible, you may even want to consider granting extra “sick days” that can be used for a variety of reasons outside of dealing with a typical cold.
Monthly Allowances Offer Flexibility
Just because your employees aren’t needing to commute into the office for the time being doesn’t mean they don’t have new, unforeseen expenses. Whether they need to invest in work-from-home tech and office supplies or they are seeing a significant increase in utility bills, offering a small monthly allowance can be a great investment for organizations to make.
Uphold Work-Life Balance Boundaries
Just because your employees are in their homes both before, during, and after work hours doesn’t mean they have a more balanced life. In fact, many remote workers are reporting less of a balance since they can’t physically leave an office at the end of the workday to head home for a much-needed break! Try to uphold standard work hours as much as possible and encourage your staff to do the same. Lead by example where you can!
Encourage Dedicated Workspaces
Perhaps one of the best things you can do for your remote team is to encourage and help them to make a dedicated office space in their home. In an effort to make the transition as easy as possible, allow them to take home things from their office workspace such as office chairs, monitors, lights, etc. Using a dedicated office space will help your staff find a quiet and productive space to work and will allow them to develop a working boundary in their home to mimic “leaving the office” at the end of the day.
Quite a few businesses are considering a remote workforce to be the new norm going forward. In light of that, many are relocating away from larger, dense cities and looking for something to call their own.
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