While this model of work has encountered many challenges, it has proved to be a very welcome change for workers seeking flexibility and a new way of managing work-life balance.
But remote work is not the same for everyone.
As some businesses can only be done in the office and some employees enjoy the resources and socialization offered by an office, many companies have adopted a hybrid work model, which allows for the best of both worlds (total remote and face-to-face work).
Business leaders must learn to embrace this new style of work and determine best practices that will create a healthy and thriving culture, even when employees are out of the office.
What guidelines should you implement as a supervisor/manager for employees who also work from home?
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1. Define a healthy work-life balance
Working in the office offers a daily routine that has proved difficult for many to replicate while working at home.
Maintaining healthy practices and making a clear distinction between work and home life is essential to make the working environment healthy and balanced.
According to the Harvard Business Review, well-being is one of the most recent metrics companies will use to understand if their employees are improving. Business leaders must actively work to ensure that mental health preservation tactics are part of their employees' routine. If leaders don't take this step proactively, employee burnout is likely to increase.
For example, offering regular time management training sessions is a tactic to ensure employees focus on high impact work.
It may also be helpful to provide time management resources to enable employees to prioritize their work and manage their own businesses to be as efficient as possible.
Companies should also invest in the training of leaders and managers to better support workers. Taking a proactive role in helping employees maintain healthy habits should be common practice in many companies.
2. Create a sense of belonging
Hybrid and remote work can break down an employee's sense of belonging and connection to a work group and can negatively impact team cohesion. This is true for new team members who may have experienced a completely remote integration process during the pandemic.
While Zoom and other similar tools can be fun and help colleagues reconnect, they can't fully replicate the sense of community that in-person interactions provide.
Prioritize opportunities to connect in person, especially when related to new hires, and encourage collaboration and fun to create a vibrant work environment.
Create active plans to engage employees both in person and remotely, with a greater emphasis on the remote end of this connection.
If employees are reluctant to share personal problems with you, displaying emotional intelligence in your conversations can help build trust. This will also give you a greater opportunity to help them feel part of the business project.
3. Learn to embrace the different lifestyles of employees
Companies that promote a work-life balance need to make sure they deliver on their promises. Employees are increasingly looking for companies that adapt to their lifestyles and habits and are unwilling to adapt their lifestyles to fit the corporate culture.
Over the past couple of years, people have a new understanding of how their work affects their personal values and way of life. Some will appreciate the extra family time that remote work or flexible hours allow, others may miss out on social interactions in the office.
With a hybrid work model, management teams should be open to the idea of an asynchronous work schedule that employees can adapt to their daily lives.
The hybrid working model is destined to last over time. It is essential that your employees are prepared to perform at their best and that they feel a sense of connection both in the office and at home.
In addition, workers are more interested than ever in welfare benefits. To keep your employees happy, healthy and engaged, offer them flexible work patterns, mental and physical wellbeing benefits, and new techniques for maintaining a vibrant corporate culture.
4. Voxloud cloud PBX
In the age of smart working it is important to equip your team with the right means, so that communication is fast and immediate. This allows you to:
- Facilitate teamwork
- Improve internal coordination
- Facilitate the exchange of important information
- Improve communication with customers
Voxloud has created a unique cloud PBX that is extremely easy to use… and that is activated in just 59 seconds!
With Voxloud, your communication is at your fingertips: just download the app on your tablet, smartphone or PC and you can easily manage all the channels of your corporate communication from there.
Simple, fast, essential: VOXLOUD is all of this.
