For many companies and employees, working from home is the norm once again. Whilst many people enjoyed the opportunity to WFH more often after the 2020 lockdowns – the ABS reported in February 2021 that at least two in five people (41%) worked from home at least once a week – 24/7 remote working can be a tricky situation for your team to find itself in. In these uncertain times, there are steps that managers and employees alike can take to mitigate the stresses and difficulties that WFH can bring.
Read below for our top five tips on how to support your team while they are WFH.
1. Keep Your Team Safe, Wherever They Are
Wherever your team is, and whatever their role, their safety is the number one priority. Perhaps you have a warehouse team on site, or a skeleton crew keeping things moving in the office. Whatever the case may be, you need to ensure that they can work in a safe and healthy environment. As well as enacting COVID-safe policy, providing plenty of face masks and hand sanitizer ensures that your staff can work without the added stress of a potential health risk. Even if your team is working remotely, offering masks and sanitiser whist they WFH can show that you care about their safety, wherever they are.
Total Image Group offer both disposable and reusable masks that you can provide to your team to keep them protected while they work.
2. WFH Daily Check Ins
A little extra communication can go a long way when you’re WFH. Use the technology at your disposal to maintain regular check ins with your team. Take the time to check in with everyone’s regular lives too – this helps to replace some of the missing incidental socialisation that the office environment offers. Staying in regular contact keeps everyone on task, communicating with each other, and maintains the social connection that so many might be missing.
3. A Cohesive WFH Look Makes A Cohesive WFH Team
From the comfort of the couch, it’s easy to slip into the habit of slipping on PJs to work. Whilst being comfy is definitely key, there’s plenty of research to suggest that what you wear influences how you think, feel and work. This means that getting dressed is an important step for employees getting into a WFH rhythm. Plus, just because you’re at home doesn’t mean that all workplace expectations need to go out the window. A Zoom meeting is still a meeting, and projecting professionalism is just as important as ever. How we dress makes a lasting impression.
Providing employees with on-brand t-shirts, hoodies or sweaters is a simple way to balance everyone’s needs; your team can keep cozy whilst still keeping an image in line with company values and maintaining that team connection. A uniform is also a simple way to keep all team members feeling connected and cooperative.
Why not also offer them other branded merchandise as well? Coffee cups, water bottles pens and accessories with company branding is an opportunity for remote employees to stay connected to the business. Plus, a little gift is an excellent pick-me-up for team members who may be struggling through lock down.
4. Encouraging Acts of Kindness
Did you know that being kind to others decreases loneliness? Whilst focusing on our own health is important, there are also substantial benefits to being actively supportive of those around us.
There’s plenty of stress, uncertainty and frustration in the air. A little extra patience and kindness from everyone creates an environment of understanding, and eases some of the pressure.
At TIG, we chose to reach out to our clients and offer cards with small daily affirmations, as a way of spreading the love, appreciation and positivity.
5. Team Goals & Activities
We all need something to look forward to, right? An abrupt transition out of office probably coincides with postponed office parties and cancelled personal plans. Without those events to shake up the normal routine, the daily grind can start to feel like inescapable monotony.
Add a little bit of excitement (and incentive!) with online social events and group goals for the team to participate in. Offer up trivia evenings, virtual cocktail parties, or dress-up nights as opportunities for reconnection and unwinding together.
And to everyone out there that’s WFH right now, just one final note from us: you’ve got this.
Book in a consultation call
Do you need help working out the best uniform range for you and your business? We can help! To ensure we direct you to the best person in our team to discuss your requirements – whether your uniform and promotional needs are now or in the future – let’s learn a bit more about you. We look forward to speaking soon!
