Working from home during a pandemic can be a difficult adjustment for some people. They may feel less motivated, lonely and struggle to be productive. In this blog post, we will discuss seven ways to boost your employee’s morale while working from home!
Make a plan
Working from home after coming from an office environment is a significant adjustment. So the plan should look different too. It would help if you worked with the employee to develop a schedule that works for them based on their needs.
Remind them to take breaks
Encourage employees to take breaks throughout the day. It is in your best interest and theirs to make sure they are as efficient and productive as possible. Breaks are essential for mental health and productivity. It’s easy to become overwhelmed while working from home – especially with the pandemic raging all around you. Encourage your employees to take regular five minutes (or more) breaks away from their workspace. This can help boost morale, reduce stress and refocus on what’s important.
Encourage interaction with co-workers and friends outside of work time.
Remind your employees that they aren’t alone – there are other humans out there who can be their support system. Try to encourage them to interact with others in a way that is covid safe. Please encourage them to connect with others through their social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. This can boost morale by reminding the employee that they are not alone during this difficult time.
Keep them busy
It is crucial that you keep your employees busy with work tasks when they are at home. If they have too much spare time on their hands, it could lead to feelings of loneliness and depression, affecting productivity levels. It could also be a slippery slope to laziness. If they feel the expectations are low, they might start slacking off more and more and hope you won’t notice.
Communicate often
Make sure that you communicate with your remote workers as often as possible so that they don’t feel like they’re being ignored or forgotten about. Schedule regular meetings and check-ins with them both for work-related discussions and more personal conversations about how they are coping.
Adjust your expectations
Working from home during a pandemic is a situation none of us have ever been through before. So it is vital to prepare yourself for the unexpected. You may have someone on your staff who isn’t quite coping as well with this situation as you expected, so be flexible and understanding of that. They may need some time to adjust to these unusual circumstances. Also, remember that we have no idea of their family situation or if they are suffering financially right now. This is particularly important for staff who face the challenge of working with kids at home and may need additional flexibility regarding their work hours.
Acknowledge their achievements
While working in an office environment, we often experience small morale boosters from colleagues and bosses that may be a simple comment like ‘good job’ or ‘great idea’. Working from home, we won’t receive those same comments and little boosts of confidence. So try and acknowledge their achievements regularly – even if it is just via a quick SMS or email. It will help boost them up when they need it the most and reassure them that they are still achieving great things and their efforts are not going unnoticed.
What are some ways you boost your employees’ morale while they work from home during a pandemic? How do you maintain productivity levels among remote workers?
Book A Free Online Mental Health Session
At Breed Australia, we offer free mentoring sessions to our tenants, which are so important during this time. We also host a range of free interactive sessions focusing on your wellbeing and how to build your mental and emotional resilience during lockdown.
There are two sessions available to book now.
Tue, 5 October 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM AEDT.
Thu, 7 October 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM AEDT
The Breed Australia team really care aout our tenants, that’s what makes us different, so why not get in touch about our office spaces for rent or our virtual office and virtual reception services. Call the team on (02) 9853 3200 or email reception@breedaustralia.com.au.
