Improve Your Team's Work From Home Experience

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that working from home is possible… And also that it comes with a whole new sets of benefits and challenges that many companies haven’t had to deal with before.

Along with benefits such as reducing overheads, improving work life balance amongst a throng of other things - it also has its downsides, such as not allowing a separation of work, loss of focus or feelings of loneliness and isolation.

With Twitter permanently allowing their workers the flexibility of a WFH option, and companies like Google extending the working from home format - there’s no doubt that what we thought might have been a phase is not necessarily going to go away. So what can you do to keep up with this new change in working structure and keep your employees happy?

Check in with employees more frequently

Without the casual water cooler bump-in or the hallway crossovers, it means that any level of interaction you once had on the daily has now all but disappeared. It’s important to not only set up virtual ways of connecting with your employees - such as through Zoom and Teams chats - but to also set up scheduled meet ups with your team. This keeps the dialogue open and gives a chance for your team to continue to connect on a regular basis. However, be wary of organising too many meetings or check ins, as this can just become distracting & stifle productivity!

Virtual happy hours and networking

Now that physical barriers are not a problem and people are used to connecting virtually - take advantage of this to bring teams who may never meet, together. This is especially useful for companies whose teams span the country and are unlikely to be together all at once. These can be virtual lunches or even Friday afternoon drinks. There’s no better opportunity to connect than now.

Encourage boundaries

For parents with young kids, the shift to working from home (and home schooling for some!) means that their structures can be adapted to what works best for them and their family. It has made it so much more possible to start earlier, take time off throughout the day, then resume working later in the evening.

To keep your workers happy, encourage them to set schedules throughout the day and to communicate this with the team - that way your team can get things done, and your worker can still juggle their family life without the stress of the rigid schedules that used to exist.

Support wellness remotely

Physical, and especially mental wellbeing has become not just a ‘good to have’ but a ‘must have’ for forward thinking companies. When working from home, there’s no doubt that it can become quite lonely, as the meaningful interactions you once had with your team is greatly minimised.

By prioritising your employees' physical and mental health, you not only improve their workplace satisfaction and happiness, but also reduce turnover and improve productivity.

Remote wellness can come in many forms including guided meditation, yoga sessions, recommending fitness apps or even encouraging the use of leave for staycations to help your workers destress.

Bolster professional development

One of the issues that may come with working remotely is that employees don’t feel like they have much of an opportunity to grow professionally. By utilising your virtual resources, there are plenty of opportunities to encourage further development.

Whether this is covering the cost of online training courses, or creating internal virtual training sessions - your commitment to your team's development will help to foster confidence in employees that the company is committed to their progression. Working from home can become rather repetitive, so by stimulating and engaging your team through development courses, it will not only benefit an individual, but the whole company.

Care packages & gifts

There’s nothing that shows your employees you care than little perks and work from home treats. Where this may have once come in the form of a mobile masseuse, donuts or free lunch at work - now you can turn your attention towards all the amazing small businesses that create care packages and treats for homes.

Our snack boxes have been a hit for companies big and small who are wanting to keep their employees happy. We make it a cinch to deliver to multiple addresses and can tailor the snacks to any sort of dietary preference or requirement.

There’s no doubt that the way that we work has and will be changed forever. And in the face of that, the only thing you can do is to adapt and find ways to improve your current working environment. Whether you’re adapting a hybrid working model in the future or you’re hoping one day all your staff can return to the office - make sure you implement some of these tips to keep your team happy and motivated through all the challenges that arise with working from home!