A strong, engaged workplace is built on employee well-being and mental health. But the stress levels among today's workers are rising, and remote workers are also susceptible. Even though there are benefits of working from home, there is a chance for added stress.

Longer hours and more meetings are typical for remote workers. According to a TELUS International poll, 45% of remote workers reported feeling less mentally healthy while working from home, and 4 out of 5 said it was hard to "turn off" in the evenings. Remote employment can be particularly lonely since it lacks sociability with coworkers and in-person encounters.

Therefore, these workers experience stress. And that isn't very good for both your staff and your company. To help you, here are six intelligent ways to support the well-being of your remote employees.

Set boundaries between personal and work time

It can be challenging to distinguish between work and personal time when you no longer have the physical break of leaving the office and commuting home at the end of the working day.

Since work is always available due to technology, remote workers frequently want to be reachable at all times to demonstrate that they are working just as hard at home. Due to the lack of physical separation, many remote workers could experience a perpetual state of work, which heightens already high-stress levels.

It's essential to encourage remote workers to draw lines between their personal and professional lives. Managers can accomplish this by encouraging boundaries for their workers' work and demonstrating trust. Your staff will feel free to unplug at the end of the workday and take that crucial time to recharge if you emphasize how critical this balance is. Check-in with someone you notice working or sending emails after hours frequently to ensure they can unwind or are under a lot of stress.

Recognize the signs of employee burnout

Even when there isn't a global pandemic, burnout is frequent. Your employees are now even more at risk due to the rising worry, unpredictability, and disruption in work and personal life.

If you pay attention to the warning signals, you can learn to spot when one of your staff members is having a hard time, help them, and ideally prevent burnout.

Keep an eye out for these warning signs of employee burnout:

These symptoms by themselves don't necessarily indicate burnout. However, persistent problems or a mix of these symptoms may show a more concerning tendency. Allow for flexibility and seek chances to offer your remote workers more help.

Lead by example

If you observe those around you acting in unhealthy ways, it might be too simple to adopt those same behaviors.

You must lead by example and prioritize your welfare as a remote worker leader so your teams will do the same.

You can accomplish this in several ways, such as by demonstrating your commitment to work-life balance. For example, making it known that you don't read non-urgent emails on weekends or evenings, take a complete lunch break, and won't be reachable during that time. It enables your staff to take the initiative while getting uninterrupted personal time. As a result, you and the team will feel rejuvenated and work harder the next day.

Provide an employee assistance program

Many employees claim that they frequently feel stressed out at work. Since they believe they can put on a brave front to coworkers and bosses over videos and calls, it might be simple for remote workers to suffer in silence and not ask for help.

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a fantastic resource that organizations may provide to their staff to ensure that no one suffers in silence. Employers can assist staff members with personal or professional difficulties affecting their well-being, mental or physical health, or performance through this confidential service. EAPs support various challenges, including child care, money problems, and legal issues. Assistance programs provide employers with a way to assist employees with any concerns they may have without involving the company itself and are provided at no additional cost to employees.

Set goals, but make sure they're doable

It can be challenging to monitor your remote employees' workloads. To meet the challenging targets, employees may work harder and longer hours and, as a result, may be under more stress. On the other hand, if your remote workers don't have any objectives to strive toward, they won't be motivated and will feel disengaged.

Set attainable objectives with your team members and work toward them. By establishing goals based on previous performance, you may increase employee motivation while removing any impossible deadlines they might have had to put in extra effort to meet.

To alter goals or make adjustments to ensure healthy stress levels, you must periodically check in with your staff to see how they're doing.

Show appreciation

One of the most crucial methods to demonstrate your concern and value for your team members is through employee appreciation. Find original ways to express your thanks to your staff. Share team accomplishments, highlight certain team members in meetings, and send individual emails or notes of support and gratitude.

Final Thoughts

Since remote work is here to stay, it's critical to take action today to include health into your remote team cultures and practices. Your remote teams' productivity and engagement will increase, and you will reduce talent attrition as you prioritize their mental health and well-being, resulting in happier employees.