The biggest challenges for staff working from home are often wellness-related, and that will be heightened during the challenging and sometimes anxious times of this pandemic.

Social isolation is often associated with poor mental health. Home workers may experience increased stress from a perceived need to be more productive, and from the absence of colleagues to drive motivation and morale.

Here are some top tips for you in supporting your teams:

1. Take a breath

   Your staff will struggle from time to time. You will too. Your staff working from home won’t be aware of what you are dealing with back on site. Your job as their manager is to focus on acceptance, resilience, determination, adaptation and action so that you can support them when they need it.

2. Be empathetic

   It is human nature to resist change in normal circumstances. These are extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances. Put yourself in the shoes of other people. We’re all in this together – make sure your home working staff feel part of the response plan too.

3. Provide clarity

   Define the new priorities, and keep updating, being clear on how each person will play their part. Be clear about what is expected from those working from home. Let people know to expect updates and changes on a daily basis.

4. Trust your people

   Focus on outputs not inputs. Work hard on trusting people to get on and do what they need to do without checking in on task progress regularly. Expect the best of your people – they will deliver. But also accept that they are alone at home and will struggle at times to stay focused and manage anxieties.

5. Be flexible

   Different people will perform better at different times and in different blocks of duration. Give them the flexibility to choose how they work. Establish when you need them to be contactable. Be clear about any deadlines so they can manage their time in their own way.

6. Keep communication channels open

   Make sure they get the same messages that people on site are getting. Keep a clear, unambiguous and consistent message across the team.

7. Collaborate

   Be creative in defining opportunities for people off site and on site to collaborate on tasks so that the team can continue to feel connected and work together.

8. Establish a virtual support group

   Using video conferencing will give home workers a sense of some form of human contact. Set up daily dial-ins at a set time. Encourage virtual social contact amongst home workers so that they enjoy connecting with colleagues on things other than tasks.

9. Provide feedback

   It is always demoralising to work hard and feel that it has gone unnoticed, and this will be heightened for home workers. Notice when a task is completed and give recognition for it. Help the home workers to feel motivated and recognise the difference they are making.

10. Check-in

    Don’t just check in with your home workers on tasks. Make sure that sometimes your contact is just a wellbeing check. Emphasise that support is available if they need it, even if it is just to chat through and process what they are feeling.