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Working remotely: 6 tips to maintain high involvement

Apr 22, 2021 — Annemarie Brandsen

In the new normal, working remotely is the norm. This triggered many positive effects. For example, people are often far more productive at home than at the office and experience a positive work-life balance. However, there is also a downside: the lack of personal contact with colleagues can lead to people feeling lonely. In this blog, we list six tips to help ensure that the positive effects take precedence.

When the pandemic led to a wholesale switch to working remotely, many people suddenly discovered its benefits. No longer stuck in traffic jams and to be better focused. Many remote workers have found a better work-life balance because they now have more freedom to divide their time, now and then go for a walk or do some household chores.

Fatigue is increasing

However, in the meantime, many people who are working remotely are also experiencing remote working fatigue. Primarily through the lack of personal contact. Many people who work remotely feel lonely. Several other drawbacks are also becoming apparent. Some people have difficulty dealing with the boundary between their work and private life. They work longer at home and open their laptop again during the evening.

Include welfare as part of a strategy

In the future, people will want to retain the benefits and not be affected by the drawbacks. It, therefore, looks like we are going to continue with hybrid working. This means working at home, on the road, and in the office.

However, ensuring that hybrid working can function in practice without compromising the welfare of people who are working remotely requires a strategy. Of course, no two organizations are the same, but a couple of tips are always helpful to increase involvement and avoid fatigue.

Include moments to enquire how someone is doing. Ask if people have sufficient screen breaks and take enough exercise.
Introduce a buddy system and form couples who keep an eye on each other.
Create moments for small talk before a meeting or at the end of the week with a virtual Friday afternoon drink.
Avoid that people working from home feel less included. Go out of the way to make them feel valued.
Arrange for people to occasionally meet each other in the office without it becoming too busy. This ensures the much-needed variety.
Organize workplaces in the office to meet each other at a distance to brainstorm, eat together or just chat. This results in renewed energy and dynamics.
Find time for remote team building exercises. Connecting and getting to know teammates outside of meetings is important, too.

Gain experience and find the right balance

The new hybrid working is all about finding the right balance. It forces everyone to think about when a physical meeting is necessary and when a virtual meeting is better. Only one thing helps to identify what works: gaining experience.

Would you like to know more about how you can ensure that employees continue to work effectively? Or about which strategic choices are appropriate? Watch our talk show ‘The digital transformation’ in which we discuss these issues with the experts Noreena Hertz, Edwin Prinsen, Patrick van der Duin, Jan van Ginkel, Tim Toornvliet and Kathelijne Drenth.