Creative Coaching

Creating a Better, Healthier Remote Workforce

At Creative Coaching we would like to posit a different view … that there is only life and it is important to create balance in it!
 
Radical, huh!? Well, not really. You see, we believe that our lives, all our lives, have many facets – work, play, health, fitness, family, friends, travel, other areas of exploration, the list could be endless - and so it stands to reason that for us to have a balanced life, we need to pay attention to all these elements in equal measure. Looking at our entire system – not just bits of it.
 
So, how can we model that for our people when we are leaders, making sure that they have a meaningful work experience and that they are encouraged to pay attention to the things outside of work that are important to them?
 
With many now working and collaborating from home, we have thoughts of a few things that may create connections on a more personal level for our team members to help them focus on their health and wellbeing and especially to counter things like:
 
- being too sedentary for long periods
- eating poorly due to constraints on time or facilities 
- experiencing stressful situations and challenges 
- being tied into calls the whole time
 
How about encouraging team members to have healthy snacks to hand when working from home? A well-stocked fruit basket not only offers a way for team members to get one of their 5-a-day, it also brightens an environment.
 
Or a generic fitness reimbursement that they may use however they like, for a membership, a class or to purchase home fitness equipment. 
 
Another option could be to create a wellness community online to encourage people to get more active. You could set daily, weekly or monthly challenges as team building exercises.
 
And, making sure there is a company-sponsored telephone or online support service providing someone for team members to talk to in confidence to help them through difficult times like the current coronavirus pandemic, the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, failure at a personal project, or any number of other life events. 
 
Encourage virtual coffee breaks where your team members can take a breather and chat over a video call. Emotional health is the foundation of employee morale.
 
Also, really worth considering are the neuroscientific benefits of mindfulness meditation so we might consider bringing in a guide to lead virtual meditation sessions for remote workers. Or we could consider offering each person a fixed budget for an app such as Headspace or Calm that they can use in private. We’ll still reap the benefits of a healthier team if they meditate alone or together. Many mindfulness and meditation centres are now offering their sessions via live streaming. 

Taking Action

However we choose to support the mental and physical health of our remote teams, it doesn’t have to be difficult or indeed, costly. 
 
Money and time that we put into supporting our team is motivation and effort that they will put back into the organisation’s work. Helping them to create balance in their outlook and their life.

If you’d like to know more please reach out to tania@twcreativecoaching.com.

Posted on Tue, March 31, 2020 in Leadership Organisational Development
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