en
Jobs

Let our industry specialists listen to your aspirations and present your story to the most esteemed organisations in the UK, as we collaborate to write the next chapter of your successful career.

See all jobs
Candidates

Together, we’ll map out career-defining, life-changing pathways to achieve your career ambitions. Browse our range of services, advice, and resources.

Learn more
Services

The UK's leading employers trust us to deliver fast, efficient hiring solutions that are tailored to their exact requirements. Browse our range of bespoke services and resources.

Read more
About Robert Walters UK

Since our establishment in 1985, our belief remains the same: Building strong relationships with people is vital in a successful partnership.

Learn more

Work for us

Our people are the difference. Hear stories from our people to learn more about a career at Robert Walters UK

Learn more

How to prioritise the wellbeing of your remote team

With many businesses hadnow embracing the idea of remote working,  for managers, protecting your mental health, and that of your employees is paramount when working from home. We take you through the practical steps that can be taken to safeguard the wellbeing of your team when working remotely.

Think about the tools your team needs to do their job remotely

Frustrations can grow within the team from not having the necessary tools to perform their jobs to the optimum. Think about what you offer in the office - such as back supports, dual screens, ergonomic keyboards, additional screens and noise cancelling headsets - and touch base with your team to see whether their home set-up significantly hinders them in any way. Offering what you can to your employees will make them comfortable, boost productivity and raise morale.

Take a look at our guide to gear up your business for smart working

Know when and how to communicate

From establishing a communication structure, checking in with individuals, showing appreciation and gaining valuable feedback, be intuitive about the ways you can reach out to your team remotely to make them feel connected, secure and a valued member of your team.

Take a look at our top tips to communicate with your remote team.

Recreate the team ‘social scene’

Uphold the sense of community your team had in the office and think about some of those ‘rituals’ that you can mirror remotely. There’s no reason why you can’t continue having ‘virtual coffee breaks’ or ‘sandwich and Skype’ team lunches to keep your team camaraderie intact and make sure it’s not all about work chat.

Encourage a positive work-life balance

Remote working causes the line between working and home to become more blurred, so make sure you instil the importance of unplugging and maintaining a healthy balance among your team. Practices such as setting diary reminders to encourage your employees to wrap up the working day, setting aside full lunch breaks to displace from work and silencing email notifications in the evening can encourage employees to take valuable personal time and withdraw stress from their system.

There’s no reason why you can’t continue having ‘virtual coffee breaks’ or ‘sandwich and Skype’ team lunches to keep your team camaraderie intact and make sure it’s not all about work chat.

And practise what you preach! It’s important you look after your own wellbeing so you can also be there to support your team. Sharing your own self-care strategies can help your employees follow your example.

Be alert to red flags

Fewer emails, a lack of response or complete withdrawal could be telling signs that a team member is struggling. Be mindful and alert to the symptoms of mental ill health and ensure all your team are aware that you have a compassionate and supportive relationship to mental ill health and that you are there to support and guide as may be necessary.

Establish a structure

Providing clarity and direction can help teams to focus and feel supported when adjusting to a new way of working. Discuss with your teams how you'd like to run supervision, check-ins, and work signoffs remotely.

Structure should provide staff a clearer sense of direction, but it shouldn’t be constricting so don’t pack the working week with check-ins. Trust your team to work autonomously and make them feel empowered to use initiative and perform to the fullest. 

Encourage team to utilise support tools

As a manager, be aligned with the organisation’s wellbeing strategy and ensure you are aware of all the support your business provides to people who may be struggling with their mental health. From video counselling sessions, virtual exercise classes, to mental health apps such as Headspace and Calm, knowing the spectrum of resources at hand will mean your equipped to provide the best advice when it’s time to talk.

Be understanding of childcare/family

Be mindful that some of your team will be juggling remote working with childcare or caring for family members at home. This can trigger feelings of guilt and cause employees to lack focus when having to prioritise one over the other. Maybe you’ll be able to relate – so share a structured working from home plan that can keeps them and their families happy and content.

Take a look at our top tips for remote working parents.

 

Share this article

Related content

Submit a vacancy
Salary Survey
Hiring advice
Get in touch

Find out more by contacting one of our specialist recruitment consultants

Related content

View all

Salary benchmarking vital for success

Salary benchmarking allows companies to establish whether their senior executives’ remuneration packages are in line with the rest of the market. Here, we explore it in more detail. Why do firms need a salary benchmarking service? In some cases, they don’t want to risk losing their top executives to

Read More

Managing poor performance

As a manager you are responsible for the overall output of your team and how it impacts the wider business. This means that it is vital that any performance issues from your employees are addressed promptly and effectively to minimise the impact to the organisation. We discuss how best to manage poo

Read More

Onboarding remotely: how to support your new hire

How can your new starter access the same level of support from home? In the Robert Walters remote onboarding series, we equip you with the toolset to make the shift to onboarding new talent remotely, overcoming the barriers that come with an absence of human, tangible interactions. From checking in

Read More

I'm Robert Walters Are you?

Come join our global team of creative thinkers, problem solvers and game changers. We offer accelerated career progression, a dynamic culture and expert training.