How do you address employee wellness issues related to remote work and hybrid models?

> Foster a sense of belonging through virtual team-building activities, social events (both online & in-person for hybrid models), and clear communication channels to combat feelings of isolation. > Encourage healthy work-life balance by setting clear expectations, offering flexible schedules, and promoting tools that prevent after-hours work intrusions. > Provide resources like mental health hotlines, ergonomic equipment subsidies, and online wellness workshops to address stress, burnout, and physical health concerns.

Despite the predicted ￡75bn per annum spend on workplace wellbeing by 2030, a mere 8% of employees stay engaged with wellbeing programmes long-term - at home or in the workplace. The primary need is to build a supportive, psychologically safe workplace, where people are not afraid to bring their whole self to the work they do: - Meaningful work - Clear and transparent communications - Accessible support and training - Opportunities This should be the baseline. Fostering clear and open communication is vital. Understanding how and when people like to work (early birds, night owls, in blocks, with short or long lunch) helps understand working patterns. Ensuring check-in calls, and face to face time to feel connected.

If your vendor has clear ROI you can let your employees know what the expectation is for the program. It gives people a guiding line to go towards. SO people will follow if they are led.

I recommended developing a workplace charter. If you’re a team of one or a team of 10, you need a set of norms that help set boundaries around work expectations. Such a charter is a short document and shouldn’t be more than one page. Getting buy-in from your teams will show leadership, demonstrate that you care about their well-being, and ultimately could reduce employee turnover which will positively impact your company.

To effectively address employee wellness in remote and hybrid models, establishing clear expectations is key. However, fostering a strong sense of community, culture, and team cohesion is equally crucial. Frequent communication, setting measurable goals, and providing feedback help maintain clarity and reduce stress. Moreover, building a supportive culture through regular virtual team-building activities and respecting personal boundaries enhances trust and connection, crucial for team cohesion and overall employee wellness in remote settings.

Remote and hybrid workers all deal with different types and levels of stress each week. While having a one-size fits all approach may have worked in the past, it no longer moves the needle with a company's mental health and wellness. A robust employee assistance program allows for employees to feel better connected when proactively working on their own mental health and wellness sharing what tools and resources they like the most or have worked best for them. Weekly or monthly team meetings is a great time to carve out 10-15 minutes for employees to share what tools & resources from their EAP work best or are most interesting to them. This also allows members to help co-create tools and resources while helping them feel more connected!

> Maintain open communication about workload and deadlines. > Trust employees to manage their time effectively, reducing stress and boosting morale. > Ensure a seamless work experience regardless of location. > Offer equal access to training, meetings (with hybrid options), and recognition programs to avoid feelings of exclusion. > Recognize and celebrate achievements of remote employees publicly. This fosters a sense of accomplishment and validates their contributions.

> Set clear expectations for work hours and communication. > Offer flexible schedules to allow for personal needs and create a culture that respects "off-time." > Organize virtual social events, encourage team collaboration tools, and plan in-person team meetings (if applicable) to foster connection and belonging. > Offer resources like ergonomics consultations, mental health benefits, and online fitness programs to address physical and mental well-being.

To enhance the wellbeing of remote or hybrid working employees, the below aspects need to be considered. 1. Dedicated Wellbeing team 2. Curated program objectives 3. Digital Interventions to address the issues 4. Virtual meetups and wellbeing hurdles.

In my opinion, Creating awareness is the most important aspect of. Before providing any offerings, create an awareness around them, let the employees know the offerings, needs and do they actually want the same. Let the employees come to you. Create a demand for the same and you will see more adaptability and engagement from the employees itself.

The evidence is abundantly clear - when companies prioritize employee well-being, a multitude of advantages follow suit. These include enhanced productivity, decreased turnover, and heightened engagement levels. Investing in our employees' well-being is a surefire path to success! Enabling your employees with the necessary resources to bolster their mental and physical well-being is of utmost importance. We've found that introducing a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program is a pivotal measure through which organizations can elevate both employee welfare and overall company performance. This has been shown to pave the way for a healthier and more successful workplace!

Good companies need to have a well thought out, robust ergonomic program. Providing access to well designed ergonomic furniture and educational material goes a long way to supporting your hybrid workforce, which benefits productivity and wellness.

Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular one-on-one check-ins between employees and managers to discuss workload, challenges, and well-being.

The mental support needs to be apparent. Especially for those who work from home. People need to know they're. supported even if they're not in the office still.

Not just a buzz word anymore. People who are hybrid or mostly work from home do sometimes get lonely. SO having a system that is also there for those employees is vital.

Tons of exciting recent research confirms the link between physical fitness and mental health! Regular exercise reduces stress, improves mood, boosts cognitive function, enhances self-esteem, and aides in sleep patterns thus promoting better mental rest and rejuvenation. Let's prioritize employee well-being by promoting more physical activity at home and the workplace!

Start by focusing on supporting employees to simply move more and sit less during the day. Physical activity doesn’t always have to be structured or planned. Instead, you can encourage “movement snacks” throughout the day. Movement snacks are small amounts of physical activity that can add up over time. Some people use the Pomodoro method to break up sitting time for a few minutes every 20 or 30 minutes. Using a timer is a great way to remember to break up sitting time throughout the day and add in small amounts of movement. Also encourage those working from home to do a short walk after a meal. We know that walking after you eat is way to improve your cardiometabolic health and can provide an opportunity for more social time.

Offering virtual health screenings to remote employees can have several positive impacts on their motivation and sense of belonging within the company: 1. Employee Care and Well-being: Providing health screenings demonstrates that the company genuinely cares about the well-being of its remote employees. It shows that their health and wellness are a priority. 2. Sense of Inclusion: Remote employees might sometimes feel disconnected from the company culture and their colleagues. By offering health screenings, you show that remote employees are included in the same wellness initiatives as on-site employees. We all want to be included and this is a great way to build the culture at your work.

How can we start our day right? Drink a big glass of water. Among other things, a cold glass of water gives nutrients to our cells, especially for our muscles. This helps reduce muscle fatigue and increases energy. Get your body warmed up. Some simple bodyweight movements like leg swings, arm raises, lunges, trunk twists and squats will be helpful for our flexibility, and are good for our back. Spend at least 15 minutes walking around your neighborhood or pacing in your house. What about after work? Incorporate some physical activity, whether it’s walking, running or biking around your neighborhood. Make it fun — involve family and friends in person or virtually, set it in your calendar and make it a part of your wind down.

Physical activity has numerous known links with all areas of wellbeing, hence why the best programmes are holistic in focus. Get creative in ways you can encourage this, even if for a few minutes at a time. Gamification and competition are great ways to go and there are a multitude of options at your disposal. Develop a culture that promotes regular break taking. Breaks have numerous advantages outside of the physical realm, but do offer outstanding opportunities to get some additional activity in.

Absolutely some wellness programs help people unlock new hobbies they didn't know they had. Some new interests people then receive because of these programs, allowing them to learn and get better on their own time frame.

Enhancing skills and development addresses wellness by boosting job satisfaction and engagement. Offer opportunities for professional growth through online courses, webinars, and workshops. Encourage employees to pursue certifications and participate in skill-building activities. Investing in employee development helps them feel valued and supported in their career progression. Continuous learning and development foster a sense of achievement and motivation, contributing to overall well-being and retention.

Ongoing training and professional development are crucial for employee engagement and satisfaction, especially in remote settings where opportunities for spontaneous learning and mentoring are less frequent. Offer online learning platforms, virtual training sessions, and opportunities for career advancement that employees can access remotely. Encouraging skills development not only supports professional growth but also helps employees feel valued and invested in.

Continuous learning and development are vital for employee engagement and career growth. A LinkedIn report found that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company if it invested in their career development. Offering online courses, webinars, and virtual training sessions can help employees upskill and remain competitive. We implemented a monthly professional development program with guest speakers and workshops, which resulted in a 20% increase in employee engagement and skill acquisition. Providing these opportunities demonstrates a commitment to employee growth and development.

Since things are remote it may be easier to ask for feedback honestly. Since you know everybody is online already and a lot of programs can be done virtually, this gives an extremely valuable opportunity to ask what they do and don't like about the program.

Allowing staff to provide feedback and input is a great way to let them feel connected towards the programs being offered and also an opportunity to hold themselves accountable to focussing on their own wellbeing.

This is a great way to ensure people feel connected and engaged to the offering as you give them a voice. Vary your approach to feedback to maximise engagement: have some known and some anonymous methods, offer incentives. Be sure to summarise and share the findings, whilst being mindful the way you do this will depend on your work/workforce etc. Finally, Act! It's pointless gathering data if you then do nothing with it!

Regularly soliciting feedback from employees on their work environment and wellness initiatives helps identify what is working and what isn’t. Use surveys, suggestion boxes, or regular one-on-one meetings to gather input. Actively involve employees in the development and refinement of wellness policies and practices. This inclusive approach can enhance the effectiveness of wellness initiatives and ensure they are responsive to the needs of all employees.

Soliciting feedback and input from employees is crucial for addressing their wellness needs effectively. Regularly survey employees to gather their opinions on remote and hybrid work arrangements, wellness programs, and any challenges they face. Use this feedback to make informed adjustments and improvements. Involving employees in the decision-making process ensures that their needs and preferences are met, creating a more supportive and responsive work environment that prioritizes their well-being.

Remote work is here to stay, and the best companies will make sure ALL workers feel valued. Here's an easy way to do it. Start with 1:1s. 1. Add wellness at the top of the document. 2. Ask an open-ended question. 3. Ask how are you? Listen. 4. Pay full attention. 5. Watch for clues. Look for what they say and don't say. For this to work, they've got to trust you. Otherwise, all you'll get is a generic "I'm fine." And that doesn't help anyone. If you notice, something, inquire gently. Say: A. Is everything ok? B. I am here to help. How can I? C. What do you need from me to thrive? All folks want to feel, seen, heard, and valued. A. A

Wellness Programs: Offer wellness programs that focus on mental and physical health, including virtual fitness classes, mindfulness sessions, and wellness challenges. Ergonomics: Provide guidance and resources to help employees set up ergonomic home offices, reducing the risk of physical discomfort and injuries.

Trust must be the foundation of employee wellness. Though providing individuals with suggestions may encourage ideas around their wellness practice, at the end of the day what works for one person may be disastrous for another. Employee wellness must be built on a recognition and trust in employees to know what works best for them. This means leaning into a hands-off approach where an individuals time and freedom of choice are respected. Boundaries are key.

Don't fall not the trap of assuming that a wellbeing offering designed for face-to-face settings will apply seamlessly to hybrid or remote employees. We know that long-term wellbeing programme engagement is low, so be creative to ensure that remote staff can access initiatives that occur in the office. Ensure you engage hybrid/remote employees as you would a colleague in the office, but take care to do this in an appropriate way for them (both in their working location AND personality)

Consider implementing structured wellness programs that address the unique challenges of remote and hybrid work. These programs can include virtual wellness workshops, mental health first aid training, and access to digital wellness platforms. Additionally, ensure managers are trained to recognize signs of burnout and provide appropriate support. Foster a culture of flexibility where employees feel comfortable adjusting their schedules to balance work and personal life. Comprehensive wellness programs and supportive leadership are essential for maintaining a healthy, engaged, and productive remote workforce.