Did your company go completely remote due to the pandemic?  Or did it recently switch to a virtual office setting to attract new talent and decrease overhead?  In either case, you may have noticed a few distinct changes with some of your staff.  Although they were exemplary team members in the office or highly productive new team members during their onboarding, they are now noticeably stressed, tired or temperamental in the virtual office.

What caused this change?

In the following article, we will discuss a few of the reasons some remote workers have difficulty adapting to or working continually in a virtual office, and we’ll highlight a number of effective ways your company can alleviate the negative impact of remote work and protect your staff’s mental health in a virtual office.

How Virtual Offices May Affect Mental Health and Wellbeing

Working from the comfort of home sounds convenient and accommodating.  No more commuting to work or distractions from office colleagues should equal a more productive and relaxing work environment.

So why are many of your employees struggling in the virtual office?

Their difficulty in adapting to or functioning in a remote work model may be due to their inability to separate their professional and personal life.

Simple things like commuting to and from work and in-person interaction with colleagues helped your staff experience a type of work/life balance.  Staff could adjust to the workplace mindset on the drive to the office.  On the way home, they could leave their professional responsibilities behind and unwind for the evening.

Working in a traditional office setting with colleagues allows staff to enjoy a more synergistic environment.  Most messages can be delivered with a quick visit to a colleague’s desk.  Teams can collaborate effectively on projects via in-person brainstorming sessions.  Body language and physical cues help them communicate better with each other.  Plus, office special events (such as holiday or birthday parties and other special events) contribute to healthful morale and camaraderie.

In a virtual office option, many of these work/life balance benefits are not present.  This lack of everyday interaction and accessibility can negatively impact your remote staff’s mental health and wellbeing.

If you have noticed a change in your staff’s behavior, productivity and even appearance, there’s a good chance this is due to the difficulty of continuing to work in or adjusting to a virtual office.

Their home may no longer feel like their personal space.  At the same time, the traditional workplace that nurtures in-person interaction, provides convenient access to people/assets/equipment, and establishes professional boundaries no longer exists for them.  

Read on for some suggestions that may help alleviate some of these issues. 

Ways to Improve Your Remote Staff’s Mental Health and Wellbeing

How do you prevent your employees from experiencing burnout due to the blurred lines between professional and personal life?  You do this by introducing new processes and resources that better suit your remote workplace model.

Most of your existing policies and procedures may still be tied to a traditional workplace setting.  Unfortunately, some of these “blanket” policies (such as sick/vacation time or core office hours) do not suit a virtual workplace model.  Adhering to certain policies that are more conducive to traditional workplace models may cause your remote staff to work longer hours, take less sick time, and/or feel like they are not trusted to work on their own. 

To create better work/life boundaries for your remote employees and protect their mental health, you company can introduce the following policies and resources:

Make Sure Your Remote Staff Has a Home Office

Sometimes separating work life from home life simply requires a more accommodating space.  While some of your staff may have an existing office space in their home, just as many do not.   Working at the dining room table, in the living room or another high-traffic space that’s prone to lots of noises, distractions or disruptions is no fun for these employees.

To correct these situations, you can provide your remote staff with a home office budget.  By either allotting a certain number of dollars to each employee or reimbursing their expenses, you ensure that each employee has suitable space to work more comfortably and confidently.

Instead of spending their workday sitting in a dining room chair at a makeshift desk in a poorly lit and ill-equipped living space, your employees can acquire the resources they need.  From desks and ergonomic chairs to equipment and accessories, you’ll arrange a more suitable work environment for each member (and lay the foundation for better work/life boundaries). 

Encourage Your Remote Staff to Take Breaks

Everyone needs to press the pause button every so often during their busy workday.  Taking frequent breaks lets the brain rest to improve focus, productivity, creativity and motivation.  Sadly, your remote staff may be working straight through their day with no breaks.  And technology may be to blame.

While email and messaging apps make it easy for your remote staff to communicate and collaborate with each other, these conveniences may also be preventing breaks.  Remote team members may walk away from their desk to take a quick break or eat lunch only to receive a message on their phone.

Rather than respond to the message after their break, many remote employees return to their desk.  Once they’ve addressed the issue or fulfill the request, the employee continues working instead of resuming their break.

To counteract this habit, encourage your remote employees to take their breaks.  One of the most effective methods is to introduce the Pomodoro Technique to their workday routine.

If you’re unfamiliar with this time management technique, we’ll explain how it works:

●  Employees break their workday into 25-minute blocks that are separated by 5-minute breaks (These work/break intervals are called “Pomodoros”)

●  After the completion of four consecutive Pomodoros, employees take an extended break (20-30 minutes)

The purpose of this time management system is for each employee to focus on their respective task, assignment or project for 25 minutes.  At the end of that time, they reward themselves with a break.  They can use this time to refill their water, walk their dog, check on their children, or enjoy any activity that allows them to take their minds off their work for a few minutes.  The end result is improved productivity and attentiveness and reduced physical and mental fatigue.

A great way to incorporate this system into your workday policy is using a Pomodoro timer or application for their computers or phones.

Invest in Wellness Resources for Your Remote Staff

Does your organization have a continued education and training program for employees?  If so, you may be able to use this program to support your remote staff’s mental health.

Show your employees that you care about their well-being by opening up the program to include health and wellness classes, too.  By broadening the scope of this program, you encourage remote employees to participate in meditation courses, yoga classes, stress-management seminars and other wellness programs.  Now they have opportunities to not only learn new professional skills but also techniques that elevate their physical and mental wellbeing.

Since many wellness courses and classes are available online, your staff can participate in them at their convenience.  This online component also allows team members who are still not comfortable with in-person activities to participate in these beneficial programs.

Conclusion

Virtual office models are not a new concept.  Many companies adopted this workplace model two years ago out of necessity.

Although some companies are now abandoning their virtual office in favor of returning to a traditional office, just as many businesses are currently introducing or retaining remote work options.  They’re choosing to go virtual to attract new talent and to accommodate existing employees who are not comfortable with returning to the office (and who may resign to accept remote work options elsewhere).

If your organization is continuing to work remotely or is implementing its first virtual office model, being mindful of your staff’s wellness should be top of your mind.

Even though you may still have many concerns about protecting your remote staff’s mental health after reading this article, we hope that the solutions it provides will help you enjoy increased employee engagement.

When the time comes to support your remote staff with new members, Elite Personnel will be there to help!