4 Tips for Establishing a Healthy Remote Workforce

As we know, remote employees have become the new normal for many businesses. And while many employees have expressed that they enjoy certain aspects of remote work like flexibility, the collaboration of onsite work is missed. The transition to remote work has been difficult as well, and employers need to try and maintain a healthy workforce, as well as ensure employees are balancing work and personal time throughout the day. Here are a few tips business owners should implement in order to establish a healthy and productive remote workforce.

Trust is Key

It’s important that remote employees don’t feel as though they need to prove they are being productive. This is especially important for those employees that have family and children at home now too. As an employer, it’s important to realize that remote employees might need to adopt a more flexible schedule instead of a typical 9-5. In fact, many employees have noted that they are more productive when they can follow their own schedules. Take the time to understand your remote employee’s needs and construct a strategy to work with them.

Schedule Times to Communicate

Many people have found themselves feeling isolated or disconnected from others lately, and that goes for remote employees as well. There is a void where face-to-face conversations used to occur, which can lead to low morale in a workforce. Setting up a weekly team meeting to talk about how everyone is doing can promote a healthy communication schedule for everyone. It’s also important to establish team norms in terms of sharing data and critical information. This will help remote and onsite employees establish a system for sharing and receiving information, resources and insight around tasks. This can help lessen the emotions of confusion, limit misunderstandings, and ensure communication with remote staff stays productive.

Invest in Resources

Remote workers need reliable technology in order to complete tasks, as well as keep company information secure. Organizations should commit to supplying resources for employees the same way they would onsite. If you frequently use video chat, make sure remote employees are set up to be included on important meetings and conferences. Also, it’s important to offer remote employees with security and privacy training so they understand how to secure data that is inevitably going to be on their devices at home. This will help you foster and create equal access for employees to work remote safely and efficiently, and further established a healthy workforce.

Be a Leader

This new norm has brought about a whole new system for businesses. It’s common for remote employees to fall into a rut or feel unmotivated. Building a workplace culture that proactively embraces remote workers is crucial to long-term success. Remember to recognize remote workers for their contributions regularly, and take the time to share achievements or opportunities for your remote workers to succeed. This continuation of virtual communication can help boost employee morale, productivity and feelings of inclusion around your workforce.