Remote work has been on the rise since the pandemic hit in 2020, and although it’s presented great flexibility in terms of where people can work from, it’s also presented unique challenges for employees. These challenges include feelings of isolation and loneliness, distraction, technological issues, and lack of structure and communication, amongst many others.
As remote work continues post-pandemic, one of the main concerns for employers is how to keep their remote workforce happy. In this blog, I’ll explore some strategies that employers can use to do so. Let’s dive in!
Strategies to Keep Remote Workers Happy
1. Practice Clear Communication
One challenge for remote workers is that they feel they aren’t sufficiently communicated with. When your employer isn’t communicating well, and when you’re not physically present in the work environment, it can be easy to feel out of the loop and disconnected. This is why clear communication from the employer is so important. To practice clear communication, employers should establish communication channels and protocols, such as regular check-ins, team meetings, and one-on-one sessions. This will ensure that remote workers feel supported, connected, and like they’re on the same page as in-person employees.
2. Establish Team Building Activities
When you’re working remotely, it can be easy to feel isolated from your team. You’re not in the same location as your coworkers, so oftentimes, it’s natural to not have that same level of connection that you’d have with people if you were in an in-person environment. As a result, it’s extremely important that employers recognize this and commit to establishing team building activities. Doing so will help remote workers build a sense of community and belonging with their coworkers, which will be beneficial in maintaining their happiness.
3. Offer Flexibility
Offering flexibility is another way that employers can help keep their remote workforce happy. Remote workers evidently enjoy location flexibility, so it’s only reasonable to assume they’d enjoy flexibility related to work hours and schedules as well. As long as employees are completing their work on time, they often enjoy the option to set their own schedule and work during their preferred hours. Oftentimes, this is beneficial for the employer as well, as it allows employees to utilize their time to the best of their ability, helping them be more productive. Offering flexibility to remote workers is a great way to keep them happy, and this should be noted by employers!
4. Emphasize Employee Wellness
Last but not least, employers can keep their remote workforce happy by emphasizing employee wellness. This could include implementing a wellness program, shipping remote workers healthy snacks every month, offering mental health resources, and so on. Doing things to support employee health and wellness will help remote employees feel valued by their employer, even if they’re not physically present in the work environment. It will show employees that their company cares, and this truly goes a long way.
Conclusion
Keeping a remote workforce happy requires effort and planning on the part of employers, and isn’t always the easiest task. However, it’s well worth it to invest in employees’ happiness, and by practicing clear communication, establishing team building activities, offering flexibility, and emphasizing employee wellness, employers are well on their way to doing so!
BetterYou
If you’re an employer and are looking for ways to both establish team building activities and emphasize employee wellness, check out BetterYou! If you’ve never heard of BetterYou, it’s an app that aims to support employees in their physical and mental health journeys, all while offering people the option to do challenges with one another. BetterYou can be helpful in the sense of pushing people to be healthier individuals, all while allowing them to build community with one another. With this, it could be the perfect fit for keeping your remote workforce happy!
If you’re interested in learning more about BetterYou, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to connecting with you!
