Yasmina Rauber
Remote, in-office, and hybrid—COVID restrictions completely opened up a new world of working conditions globally. Now that we are in the wake of COVID restrictions, companies are still trying to find their footing with hybrid workers and striking the perfect balance for their employees’ well-being.
There is no one-size-fits-all for the correct working situation.
As a corporate trainer, I see businesses of all shapes and sizes grappling with their team members’ working arrangements. While some companies have particular requirements for their team members, others have more room to be flexible. Essentially, it’s a “whatever works best for you” situation.
The truth is that the future of work and what a “normal” workplace looks like have raised some critical questions. Now, more than ever, we are aware of the effect our work life has on our well-being: mental, physical, and emotional.
Therefore, as leaders and managers, we are responsible for designing and introducing systems that enable our workers to have meaningful and healthy work/life balances.
Whether your team works in an office every day, only some days, or entirely through a screen, there are some crucial practices I encourage you to introduce into your management style. Not only are these steps very easy to implement, but they also allow your team members to work in an environment that will set them up for success.
- Make sure your employees can set clear boundaries
As a leader, it’s your duty to ensure that all of your employees can set boundaries. These boundaries should apply to every employee, and they should be clear, concise, and more importantly, respected and followed by all.
Setting boundaries benefit you and your team in several ways. Firstly, it allows your team to get much-needed downtime from their role. A noticeable hurdle most professionals experienced during the beginning of COVID was the dissolution of the clear work/home boundary. Many people found they no longer had time to decompress and wind down from the work day work, which we know is where burnout begins to flare up.
As a manager, it’s your responsibility to set a workflow for your team, including working hours and expectations. Let your team know that once the day is finished, their work laptop and email should be put on hold until the next day. Rules are rules, and once they are out of office, either physically out of the office or simply signing off for the day, they should not be working.
Your team members’ work output and job satisfaction should be your top priority regarding workflow management. Respect and enforce their boundaries, and ensure that everyone, including other managers and team members, understand what they are.
This also means enforcing zero expectations for your team members to respond to non-urgent emails when it’s out of hours. No micromanaging, or worse, workstation monitoring that can leave a team member feeling like their privacy has been invaded.
These rules should go both ways. As I discussed in my article on ensuring your team’s happiness at work, trust is essential between a leader and their team. If they see you enforcing a healthy work/life balance and asserting your professional boundaries, they will feel comfortable doing the same.
- Only invite team members to a meeting if they need to be there
I think we can all agree on one truth in life: there’s nothing more irritating than being forced to attend a meeting that we really didn’t need to be a part of.
As a leader and manager, you need to be proactive in deciding whether a team member needs to be in every meeting or not. This includes stepping in, when necessary, to protect your team members from a non-essential meeting that could take away from their precious productivity time.
For example, if the meeting discusses an upcoming project, do you need the third or fourth-stage stakeholders sitting in on the discussion? Or, could you possibly just keep them in the loop and inform them of any upcoming stage progressions?
While it may seem harmless to allow your team members to sit in on this not-so-necessary call, it’s one of those small acts that tend to harm their productivity. Have you ever tried to watch TV and do work simultaneously? Chances are, just having the radio on in the background is distracting for you, and sitting in on a meeting is the same. Not only are you only half present in an unnecessary meeting, but you’re also cutting your productivity in half just by being there.
This step requires a little forethought on your part and will need to be revisited as projects and roles evolve and change. I suggest reviewing meeting notes regularly and noting down names that consistently do or don’t appear in the notes. For those who do have action notes from the meeting, ask yourself:
r’s mental health and well-being, whether they are in-office, hybrid, or remote.
In a late 2023 report by Mental Health America, Mind the Workplace: Employer Responsibility to Employee Mental Health it was found that of the employees surveyed, workplace stress and lack of support from their manager was affecting their relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. This lack of support and increase in stress is said to be the driving force behind 56% of workers saying they were actively looking for a new job compared to 40% of those polled pre-COVID.
It’s no secret that stress decreases workers’ effectiveness and productivity due to its effect on concentration. If you’re overworked, stressed out, anxious, or your mental health is suffering, so does your work.
Start to conduct regular check-ins with your team members, either via Zoom or in person. I prefer in-person as I feel you can connect with the other person better, but a digital call can offer the same support.
As we are now well and truly in the twilight of COVID and isolated working conditions, prioritizing customization is key. If a team member believes that they should be able to work in a hybrid setting, you should see if this customized condition can be implemented. Likewise, if someone prefers to work in the office and not from home, this should be considered too.
Flexibility, communication, and dedication will do wonders for the morale, mental health, and all-over well-being of your team. I highly recommend reading my article here, discussing other methods to ensure high staff retention through staff happiness.
It’s undeniable that COVID and the rise of remote work have changed the professional landscape forever. However, I truly do believe that this seismic shift towards hybrid work, prioritization of employees’ mental well-being and happiness, and the new normal of setting up boundaries for work/life balance are positive changes.
As a leader and manager, it’s up to you to make this work for your team. Give them space, help them when they need it, and let them do their job well.
For more guidance on boosting the happiness of your employees, you can find out more about work-life balance & 12 Areas of Health & Wellness Training.
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YASMINA RAUBER of YAS COACHING
My mission is to guide women to gain true confidence, career clarity, and leadership success. As a corporate trainer, I educate businesses on equality and inclusivity and support them every step of the way as they journey into a new business paradigm where gender biases are a thing of the past.
Discover more about my journey, my mission and values, my certifications, and how I coach management and leadership on my website: www.https://yascoaching.com/
