20 Best Tips For Managers To De-stress Their Remote Team [2024]

Working from home seems to be exciting in the first place as it comes with many benefits. As per the State of Remote Work 2020, the remote workers wanted to continue as long term careers. Even 97% of surveyed employees said they would suggest remote working as a career to others.

Teleworking seems to be smooth and hassle-free, costing a penalty of personal and professional lives.

According to a report of the United Nations, remote work causes a higher rate of depressions and work burnouts. Hence emphasizing formal part-time teleworking to de-stress and improve well-being is essential.

Also read - 7 Effective Ways to Prevent Work From Home Burnout

As managers, it is hard to accept the fact that your team is no longer under your supervision, so is the fact that you also need to run your business. But how will this be possible to engage your team?

Cases like India's largest IT company, TCS proposing a new model called 25/25, are going viral in media. It says that working from home (WFH) will be a new normal for the long-term world full.

At this rate, the workload will significantly impact the psychological aspects of all the new virtual employees. So all the managers must check possible measures of de-stressing their valuable employees.

At this rate, the workload will be creating a significant impact on the psychological aspects of all the new virtual employees. So all the managers must check possible measures of de-stressing their valuable employees.

Here are 20 practical tips to unite your remote team. You can help them in reducing stress during their work-from-home schedules.

1. Be empathetic towards your employees

A sudden shift in the workforce is natural to overwhelm your employees. Thoughts of progress and results also concern the leaders to the core. Trust shakes between the employer/employee relationship as you take a heavy toll on productivity and engagement issues. The utmost essential quality for managers is to keep calm and emphasize the situation by building team spirit.

A quick way to overcome this is by encouraging transparency of all processes. Being generous to understand each other's situation can keep trust astir. Also, the usage of kind words and sharing positive quotes can help in a significant way.

2. Create a virtual Meditation/Yoga class

As technology advances at a colossal pace, work from home culture doesn't face the void of office vibes. There are various applications like Zoom, Cisco WebEx, etc., which can come in handy with one tap.

Managers can also create virtual rooms of Yoga/Meditation classes. Practicing breathing exercises before or between work hours will energize the spirit of the remote team. It will not only spread positivity but will also help them as stress relievers throughout office hours.

3. Play games before work

Usual work hours can seem tedious, so playing ice-breaking games or fun Q&A sessions before starting the course can revitalize the team and engage them.

As a presentation in front of the entire team, small group assignments will ensure some healthy competitions and foster them to be goal-oriented.

4. Introduction of various health and fitness apps

Gone are those days when people used to flock to gyms paying hefty membership fees. Technology has revolutionized by squeezing the fitness mantras in our tiny cell phones.

Hence, it is an excellent advantage for a manager to suggest your employees for some health and fitness apps.

Vantage Fit is a great app that measures daily activity and helps in checking the user's diet.

5. Personal space is a must

It's essential to learn that as the employees are working from home. So indulging in simple affairs is standard; it can often be stressful for the employee to work.

Understanding the situation well and excusing them for a while would encourage them to resume their work again.

It will help them feel understood and boost their morale to balance their work and personal life.

6. Don't let them feel lonely

According to the State of Remote Report 2020 by Buffer, a survey of 3,500 remote workers reported that 20% of them felt lonely while working. They miss the office culture hence leads to cases of depressions and anxiety to work alone.

Managers play a crucial role in checking the mental health of their employees, ensuring they don't feel lonely while doing work.

One way to check is by keeping communication free. Letting the employees go out if urged or suggesting them to work in some co-working spaces.

7. Set daily achievable goals

It is crucial to check the mission meeting targets. But over-pressurized work can hamper productivity and quality of the work.

The prime focus should be to set some achievable goals. They hence keep the work fun and satisfaction level up to the mark. As managers, defining the task boundaries will help create an organized and healthy routine life.

8. Keep dedicated helpline numbers

Even after ensuring all the possible measures to engage remote workers, managers should keep themself flexible and available 24/7 to reach out to their valuable employees.

Availing them some helpline platforms like call, email, or video conferencing. Attending any queries can ease them to connect better with the institutions.

9. Take the help of a virtual employee recognition platform

No best feeling can compare if the boss recognizes his employee for a good deed in front of everyone. This kind of enthusiasm can help the employee perform their task more often, be on the leaderboard, and get recognition.

Vantage Circle is one such example that is a trustworthy and dedicated employee engagement platform. They provide customized cloud-based recognition services.

10. Engage in one on one meetings

Being a remote worker can add to misunderstandings if face-to-face communication isn't addressed in the right way.

Dr. Albert Mehrabian's 7-38-55 Rule suggests nonverbal communication is its main reason.

Managers can keep one on one communication in the work environment. You should never miss any sessions and must try to reschedule if some inconvenience like a difference in time zones arises.

11. Motivate with perks

Gifts and rewards can play a significant impact on boosting the support of the employees. Great managers won't deny the fact that it is giving bonuses help the task to complete in time, also retaining the quality.

Hence perks and rewards in return for some achievement by his employees can benefit in both ways.

One way is by giving the employees subscriptions to some food joints or by sending them shopping coupons. Also, investing in swag for the entire family of the employees can help get a personal touch.

12. Foster Corporate Health checkup services

Various factors like anxiety and stress can release endorphins. Which in turn increases heart rate leading to the worst conditions of a heart attack.

So checking the well-being of the employees at regular intervals should be your priority.

You may engage with some corporate health checkup services to sort out the need.

13. Ask for their advice or decisions

Employees' work includes core values and technicalities. So at times, they tend to give better judgments. As managers, you should consist of employee consultations over the company's decisions.

Collaborations will provide upliftment of team management and make everyone feel like a family.

14. Team participation as a solution

It's pretty reasonable to feel stressed, especially when working. Everyone has issues of stress. Hence as a good manager, it is necessary to guide the team in the right direction.

Solutions come during discussions about the problem.

Team participation over psychological issues can give ease of time. Small gestures of care and love can benefit them in significant ways.

15. Uncompromised short breaks

Unlike office culture that offers a moment of enjoyable sneak peeks, work from home doesn't allow any.

It leaves your employees stressed over the thought of working long hours without breaks.

So encouraging breaks without any terms and conditions will give them room to unplug from work.

16. Follow their niche

Managers must take this advantage to search for their employees' interests and assign projects to add their value.

Giving freedom to execute the task as per their choice will ensure authority and confidence over the subject matter.

After completion of the task, manager should appreciate the employee's effort.

17. Have team encouragement sessions

Celebrating achievements because of teamwork can encourage them to be better team players in the future.

Also, managing remote teams should include some sessions where everyone feels valued for their efforts.

18. Micromanage is a big No!

Being a boss can test you in various aspects, mainly due to micromanaging. It depicts some stressful vibes among the teams. So immediate steps of addressing the situation become necessary.

One of your roles should be to stop excessive scrutinization of the work of your employees. You may help them out in figuring the solution. But should make sure of not getting too involved, hence giving them some workspace.

19. Provide references

As a virtual worker, completing a task seems to be an icebreaker. Employees often complain they lack basic understandings of the assigned project.

Various video and podcast hosting platforms like Vimeo help by providing reference materials for employees.

It helps as extra content to complete the task and will ensure the quality of the job too.

20. Encourage Honest Feedback Sessions

Reciprocations are beneficial. It helps to measure the progress of the entire team. Hence, openness about the virtual work with proper feedback can help the team develop better.

Managers can use feedback forms with various survey questionnaires, which will prove beneficial.