Teleworking: it’s an integral part of many people’s professional routine. Working together and managing from a distance is therefore the new reality. This has both advantages and disadvantages, which we should not underestimate. As an employer, how do you protect the well-being of your teleworkers?
We have started to organise working (together) differently with the switch to hybrid working. For one employee, it feels like an improvement; for another, it’s had a negative impact on their mental well-being. “The new approach requires adaptation from each individual, team, and company. But not everyone can process change as quickly or as easily,” says Koen Van Hulst, Psychosocial Aspects Coordinator.
Many people prefer to stay with what they know, even when change brings benefits with it. The fact that the new approach affects the organisational, individual, and team levels doesn’t make it any easier. “Team-out risks, difficulty with disconnection, or increased stress are just a few examples of creeping dangers. We must therefore be extra vigilant about the impact of teleworking on the mental well-being of employees. Organisations that are unable to identify the emergency signals risk seeing people drop out,” warns Koen.
How can an organisation arm itself and reach out to vulnerable employees? “Be proactive about engaging in dialogue with employees who are having a hard time. After all, it’s dangerous to wait for complaints to start bubbling to the surface. For example, employees who don’t want to appear weak may not come to you voluntarily with a problem. That’s why it is important to recognise the signs and to intervene before things start to go wrong.”
When live meetings are replaced by virtual sessions and conversations at the coffee machine are reduced to a short message or email, it’s not easy for colleagues to maintain those connections. As a manager, however, you must continue to support and motivate your team. But thanks to our ‘Remote leadership’ training course, managers learn how to successfully coach their team while teleworking. Moreover, we offer tips & tricks to protect and boost your own mental well-being as a manager and that of your teleworkers.
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