DigiWorks

6 Tips to Mitigate Workplace Stress for Virtual Teams

Feb 10, 2023 • 7 min read

Working remotely should be beneficial to many employees as they are given the power to rule their own home office and spend their days however they want to. Even so, the world is filled with societal, environmental, economic, and political issues that add to the personal and work difficulties that every remote employee is facing. That is why stress and exhaustion are two of the main problems that many remote workers face. It is hard for people who work in the same place where they live to manage everything around them.

For the past few years, remote work has become more prominent in the business world. That is why now more than ever, companies need to level up their game when it comes to taking proper care of their employees’ well-being. Part of that is understanding the appropriate measures and practices that will help manage the stress of their remote teams. DigiWorks provided some helpful tips for managers to mitigate workplace stress among remote employees.

1. Acknowledge the struggles that remote employees face every day

In remote work, employers don’t have the resources and time to know what’s happening in the locations of their employees. You might be updated with the global matter, but not when there are natural phenomena, political issues, and other societal problems in different regions/countries. That is why knowing the circumstances they are facing, in and outside of work, is a must! Since their home also serves as their workplace, they expect that any personal and socio-economic matter will reflect their performances.

The best solution for this situation is to open a communication channel that allows them to give a short update if they have any problems every day. The greatest leaders are known to be good listeners, so understanding the situation of your employees will result in a better company reputation. Additionally, if they have problems complying with their work schedule for the day, allow them to have a make-up time for missed work hours to reduce any stress they might be feeling. DigiWorks uses Slack channels to help employees give updates on what is happening around them in case there are some problems in their location. We ensure that our employees’ safety is well-prioritised, so as much as possible, we allow them to take their time off from work and focus on the personal issues they are dealing with. We also allow them to send private messages to ensure they feel safe telling us some confidential matters.

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2. Maximising your employees’ potential by minimising workloads

Not because employees are working in the comfort of their homes doesn’t mean that they are available to work all day or outside their work hours. Since employers don’t have physical interaction with their teams, it is difficult for them to know who is filling in their entire work schedule or not. However, trusting that employees can provide what is expected from them will increase psychological safety.

Moreover, do not heavily rely on the work hours that employees have spent but rather on the quality of their output. Some employees tend to work more efficiently, so not because they spend fewer hours working than the others doesn’t mean that they are bad workers. Check their work, and if you have problems, then address them. It might be hard to check every employee’s work activities, but we at DigiWorks always try our best to make sure that our remote workers are not overworked. There are times that our workers are still up at midnight, so we discuss these matters with them and ensure that they get enough rest and don’t overburden themselves at work.

3. Avoid overworking your employees.

Just like the previous statement, employees should not be obligated to work all day or beyond their work hours just because they have easy access to their work station. Your team members will not be happy to receive additional tasks or an email 5 hrs after their work hours have ended. Some of them might feel stressed when they miss an important message, even though it was sent outside their work schedule. Remember that as much as they want to focus on their work, they also deal with personal issues.

Additionally, if time is not a huge factor in their work, allow your employees to function at times that are most convenient for them. Sometimes, their mornings can be chaotic, so they choose to spend working at night, so let them! Everyone has different working methods, so allow them to work in their most productive time asynchronously.

woman working remotely as a virtual assistant

4. Allow your employees to rest.

Companies might have PTO, which is a great perk and allow their employees to take a rest on their day-offs, but if they will also send tons of assignments after the break, then it is nonsense! In addition, some employees are only obliged to work in minimum working hours, perhaps 8 hours, but are also given tasks that require them to utilise their personal time. Companies and leaders should respect the rest time of their employees to allow them to fully clear off their minds and have a much-needed break. That will enable them to shake off the stress they might have felt from work and let them breathe without the pressure of finishing their tasks.

To ensure that your team takes genuine rest, do not call your employees if some problems occur during their breaks since it is a matter within the organisation. If employees are not complying with their PTO, check if their workload is too burdening and resolve the issue, even if it requires hiring another person. Remember that you are not just allowing them to relax and be away from stress but also motivating them to come back to work and provide better outputs.

5. Lead your team by setting an example

If employers work too hard and rarely take leaves, expect that employees will do it as well. If employers never let their teams know about their struggles, then the members will hesitate to share their problems too. Remember that your team members look up to you as their leader, so whatever you do will reflect your employees’ performance. If you want your team to rest, then show them that you also take occasional breaks as well. Perhaps, send a picture of your self-care day or any activities you did outside work. That will push your employees to freely send documentation of what they did during their day-offs as well. In that case, you can assure that they also take care of their well-being.

It also means that employers, managers, and supervisors should also take time to rest. They should also be transparent if they feel any kinds of stress and encourage the whole team to work collaboratively. Trust us! After doing this, your team will know how to address their struggles as they know that their leaders are willing to listen.

In DigiWorks, we created a specific Slack channel that employees can use to share posts and pictures of non-work related activities. It lets us know that they are also doing something fun during their free time and enjoying their breaks. It also helps our team get along quickly with new members and build friendships at work.

6. Recognise work struggles and provide solutions

Being conscious and understanding the stress that coincides with remote work is a massive step for businesses. These are the usual cause of other emotional and mental health problems among workers, resulting in poorer performances. Rather than holding back the struggles and feelings, the management should take this opportunity to address these issues and develop possible solutions. If this means changing the company’s rules and imposing practices, then so be it. Check your strategy and the organisation’s overall system, and ensure that it provides the needs of your employees to lessen work stress and improve their well-being. After all, your employees are your assets. Whatever their condition is will reflect your company’s image and performance. Knowing how to take care of your team members will give a positive result and help your business thrive even more.

Ready to build your remote team?

Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.

Conclusion

Are you interested in hiring the best remote teams globally? Check DigiWorks! You will find the most efficient and productive remote workers around the world who will help you accomplish your goals. Hopefully, this blog helped you mitigate the stress in the workplace and understand how to address the issues of your remote teams. May this allows your organisation to thrive and have successful virtual teams!

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About DigiWorks

DigiWorks is an easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and start ups hire amazing remote talent from around the world. DigiWorks offers a way for you to hire, manage and pay people from all countries. If you find an amazing virtual assistant from Philippines, a content writer from Nigeria, or operations manager from South Africa – manage and pay your entire team from one platform with no hassle.

If you’re looking for a more affordable and sustainable option you might consider making use of a hiring platform like DigiWorks. Virtual assistant companies or platforms like DigiWorks are amazing as they not only match you with pre-vetted and assessed remote workers that can take care of all your business needs but they will also handle all onboarding and payroll needs as well.