Empathy is essential for human relationships. This article explores the sustainability of being human in an increasingly virtual and artificially oversaturated.
With colleagues stationed away from each other, wellness can become a major concern. Here are tips for remote teamwork and wellness success.
More than ever, individuals are working remotely, even collaborating on projects with colleagues. While not all remote workers need to sit in front of computers, they are all isolated to some extent, with few colleagues joining them at their work stations. Most of them work from home, away from corporate offices.
Teamwork project management has become an acceptable way for people to be employed without working in a centralized location.
However, some organizations don’t offer wellness programs to workers in this environment, as most wellness perks are available to employees in centralized locations with onsite colleagues.
Employee wellness has an impact on online teamwork. Each employee contributes a percentage to the success of your business, so if one is not motivated at their best, the project may not offer the results you wanted.
Some of the reasons of why you need employee wellness programs includes:
The right teamwork effectiveness model should include wellness for employees and provide a conducive working environment even for those in a remote work setting.
If you want to ensure your employees thrive while working remotely, here are actionable tips you can incorporate into your company culture:
Even when working remotely, your schedule includes meetings. You may not want more obligations, but a few minutes to take a pulse-check could help your team get the motivation they need to deliver and avoid the risks of working in isolation. Genuinely connect with your employees and ask how they’re doing.
Some managers focus on project deadlines or career growth, but questions about employee wellness are equally important. Check on the employees to ensure their energy levels are good. Also, suggest your support for them to have the best working experience. Investigate if they take enough breaks to focus on themselves, as this could affect how they feel about their job.
Let them talk about anything that’s happening in their lives. This could be the perfect opportunity to help your employees release the pressure.
When you foster caring communication with employees, you’ll not need to focus much on their teamwork skills as they’ll feel motivated to collaborate on projects. If your employees are hesitant to share about their struggles, offer your own experiences to show them everyone deserves support and make them feel confident sharing about their issues. Or create pulse where they can answer anonymously, to give them a safe space to answer how they are truly feeling without feeling scared of being exposed at the company.
2. Establish a Company Wellness Program
Your company probably offers essential employee benefits, including insurance. While these benefits are important in encouraging teamwork and collaboration, you also need to invest in programs that cater to the wellness of your employees. Effective wellness programs often include activities like virtual exercise groups, guided meditation sessions, emotional support services, and virtual exercise groups.
Creating healthier and happier employees is a good decision, but it’s also beneficial to the business. Investing in employee wellness can be recouped through avoided medical costs, which also lead to productivity loss.
Through wellness programs, you can also bring employees together and build a positive environment. A successful wellness program leaves a positive impact on company culture. Find what you can use to customize wellness programs for your teams to ensure they are happy working on projects. There should be teamwork and funny interactions that make working with their colleagues feel more like fun than work.
3. Make Time Off Mandatory
Although you may understand why teamwork is important, you also need to learn about the impact of company wellness programs. These programs are an excellent solution if you want to maintain employee wellness while working remotely.
Time off helps employees decompress and look after themselves. Some companies offer paid time off, but they forget to encourage their teams to use the program. That should never be the case.
Managers should make time off mandatory, so employees don’t have to be reminded to take a break. Lead by example and always take your time off. Don’t respond to messages during this time. Someone else should be responsible for those duties. Remind your employees they can also do the same.
By incorporating wellness into the fabric of your company culture, you help your employees feel better and support the company to achieve its goals as everyone is motivated to work. Everyone will be thankful as the company views them beyond the tasks they have to complete daily. These tips can guide you toward improving your company culture to ensure a better working relationship with teams that work remotely.
Emily Moore is an English and programming teacher with a passion for space and blogging. She believes current space investment and research should focus on conserving our planet’s resources. With satellites in orbit, it is easier to obtain relevant data on any changes in the environment. This, in turn, should help people quickly solve any problems.
How can you improve your remote company culture?