Workplace Wellness in a Remote Setting

The pandemic has brought much of the workforce from office buildings to home offices. Many company leaders have had to improvise new ways to run their businesses and shift their means of conduct online. Employee wellness has been a rising concern for team members that have switched to remote work. A recent 2021 study by Owl Labs states that 74% of employees surveyed said that remote work was better for their mental health. In addition, 76% said that working from home would make them happier post pandemic. So what can you do to better adapt your business to the needs of remote workers and keep them engaged, collaborative and increase productivity?

Review Your Company Policies

Many organizations have guidelines in place, such as onboarding or team building, that were made with in-person social interaction in mind. The remote workforce requires a restructuring of your policies to engage remote employees and provide a means to maintain and uphold their health and wellness. 

It helps to add guidelines for virtual meetings as well. For example, at Digital Mules, we employees conduct one-on-one meetings called “coffee chats” with different members monthly to encourage socialization and build relationships within the company, which helps keep employees engaged. Companies can also utilize a wellness platform, which is a software that supports mental and physical health, stress management, and wellness of remote employees.

Work Life Balance

During the pandemic, 70% of remote employees also have dependents that need their care. While some schools remain remote, most employees have had to play a more active role at home as well. Being able to balance work and family has been a rising demand for remote workers. 

Employees feel that working remotely with flexible hours promotes healthy habits for them that support not only emotional well being, but productivity as well. In fact, 83% of surveyed remote employees said that their productivity level is either equal to or higher than when they were on site. Many employees have adapted their lifestyle to at home remote work. 52% of male, and 60% of female say they quit their current jobs if they are not allowed to continue being remote workers. It is important for companies to prioritize a work life balance, and help employees feel safe at home in a remote work environment. 

Benefits to Remote Teams

Team members have invested their own money into upgrading the quality of life of their home work environment, such as higher quality cameras and computers. Some companies will even offer their remote employees stipends to set up a work environment at home. This is nothing compared to what the company saves through lower maintenance and commute costs. The average annual cost of on site employees is $18,000 per worker. Working from home also saves time that would be spent commuting to and from the on site location. 

Some industry experts are even starting to move their company headquarters online. Not only does this save money spent on commercial locations, it helps remote employees combat social isolation. When a business is centered online, social interactions occur through virtual meetings, which saves money on travel in addition to reducing the stress of employees. Companies can opt for weekly or monthly meetings to keep remote employees engaged and collaborative in an online environment.

Workplace Wellness with Digital Mules

Managing the employee wellness of remote workers has become an important aspect of the workforce. Through changes in policies and guidelines, companies can efficiently migrate their labor force from the main office to the home office, saving them time, and their employees emotional health, especially during challenging times such as the ongoing pandemic. 

Is this going to be the norm even after the pandemic subsides? Future Workforce Report predicts that the amount of remote workers will double within 5 years. Companies have been finding success with transforming their workforce into hybrid and remote environments. Moving your company online doesn’t have to be difficult. At Digital Mules, we specialize in establishing, maintaining, and expanding your online brand. Find out more about how we can be of service to you and your brand by contacting us today!  

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