COURTESY / KELSEY MATHESON
Kelsey Matheson is a public relations and influencer marketing manager at Ethos.
Updated: June 3, 2020
How to keep remote employees healthy, engaged and sane during the pandemic
By Kelsey Matheson, Ethos
Before COVID-19, working from home full-time wasn’t a day-to-day reality for most Mainers. Now, we’re almost three months into this new norm, and if we’re being honest, many of us are still struggling to cope with it.
Yes, we’ve gotten used to Zoom meetings and remote collaboration — but we’re still grappling with how to achieve work-life balance when there’s no separation between the two. This is especially true when we’re teaching kids full-time while taking conference calls and working to make ends meet — all while our loved ones and friends may be struggling or are on the front lines.Â
One thing that has made the remote workforce transition easier during this confusing time is my company’s leadership; they really recognize that we’re human and have gone way beyond expectations to let us know that. They know we many of us have limits to what we can achieve in a day and that we’re doing the best we can. And it's OK.
Below are four simple suggestions my company has taken to heart in support of employees’ health and sanity during this time:
- Remember it’s likely not just them at home. While many of your employees may have essential workers in their household, many also have loved ones at home with them 24/7. It’s especially important in those frustrating moments when your coworker isn’t responding to you quickly enough to remember that they may be feeding their kids or taking the dog out. Recently, an Ethos employee traveled 45 minutes to another coworker’s house to watch the kids outside — from a safe distance — so the other could get an hour of uninterrupted meetings done. Another person took 30 minutes out of her day to read a book on Zoom to another coworker’s son so she could finish a website design. Instead of viewing those moments as time wasted during the workday, our leadership commended them for getting creative and encouraged others to do what they needed to care for their personal mental health and their families. These little acts of kindness and understanding for other’s situations go a long way.
- Allow for schedule adjustments. Many companies have standard working hours to follow but working from home makes that line very fuzzy. Provide some schedule flexibility to allow employees to take care of the little things throughout the day (e.g., a load of laundry, making kids lunch, getting some exercise, or picking up groceries to avoid a one-hour line at the door, etc.). This may lead to emails at weird hours, but the mismatched workday will come out in the wash and your employees will appreciate your understanding and flexibility.
- Encourage breaks. When we’re all home all the time, it may seem silly to encourage others to take a day off, a stretch break outside, or a half day, but truthfully, this might be the time when we all need it the most. Encourage your teams to take time for themselves and don’t make them feel the least bit bad if they take you up on the offer.Â
- Be transparent. In a world of giant what-if’s, arming people with helpful information is key. My company has been hosting weekly Zoom check-ins to provide open and transparent business updates, allow anyone to ask questions, and simply see how everyone is doing. The meetings are typically on Fridays, and at the end of each meeting there’s a happy hour so that folks can connect socially. It’s been helpful and reassuring to know what is evolving and that our leadership team is so committed to keeping us informed.Â
No matter what your circumstances are right now, remember to give others (especially your coworkers and employees) some leeway. Mainers care for other Mainers, inside and outside of the workplace. Let’s do what we can as a community to come back from this stronger, safer and healthier than before.
Kelsey Matheson is public relations and influencer marketing manager at Ethos, a Westbrook marketing firm. She can be reached at kmatheson@ethos-marketing.com.
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Anonymous
June 3, 2020
Great article with some helpful suggestions!
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