Are your remote employees burned out? Here’s how managers can step in and help

Remote work isn’t going anywhere – 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022, and this number will increase through 2023. Employees find it convenient not having to commute or deal with distractions in the office. In return, companies have seen an increase in productivity, performance, and profits. 

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we see that a lot of remote workers aren’t just working from home. They’re living at work. People are working through their lunches and finishing up tasks well into the evening. It’s a lot harder to create boundaries and hard stops at the end of a workday.

While more employers are letting their teams create flexible work schedules, it’s up to company leaders and managers to lead by example and create a healthy work culture. With Perfeqta being a fully-remote team, we outlined five tips to avoid burning out your remote employees. 

Encourage team members to track their time.

It’s easy to work longer hours when you never have to leave your office. When everyone tracks their time, you’re able to see:

• How many hours people are working
• Which projects take them the longest
• Where team members can use more support
• Where you can extend deadlines 

Team members can track their time in a software app, a spreadsheet, or a notebook. Assure them that your intentions aren’t to micromanage them. Your goal is to make sure they aren’t working more than they’re required to and identify how you can better support them.

Check in with your team on a regular basis. 

I’ve had hundreds of career coaching clients, and I can say many people avoid telling their managers they’re burned out because they don’t think their managers will do anything to help. I also know there are a lot of managers who aren’t aware their team is burned out. That’s why you have to have regular conversations with your team about their workload. 

During 1:1 meetings, get a sense of your team member’s well-being by asking these 5 questions:

• Do you feel like you have enough time to complete your work?
• Do you find yourself working longer hours, at night or on weekends?
• Do you have a clear understanding of your role and responsibilities?
• What is the most stressful part of your job?
• What can I do to help make sure you have a work-life balance? 

As you gather responses, be prepared to focus on solutions to these problems and create an action plan that works for the employee and the company.  

Encourage employees to use PTO and hold them accountable.

So many employees avoid using PTO because they feel like everything will crumble if they aren’t in the office. This is where you come in and assure them that your team will be able to carry the workload. 

As a manager, it’s important to make note of how long your team has gone without taking any PTO. If it’s been two months and they haven’t had a day off, bring this up during a 1:1 and encourage them to take off. Create an action plan that makes sure they aren’t working terribly long hours before they leave or once they return to play catch up. This doesn’t help them overcome burnout, it only puts it on pause.

Avoid sending messages during non-work hours.

Managers can lead by example by clearly communicating business hours and the hours you will be online. If you have a non-emergency message you’d like to relay to your team, don’t send it at 9 pm, schedule it for the next morning. 

Your team may feel obligated to read these messages, or even respond after hours, causing them to feel like they aren’t working enough or they’ll simply be distracted from their life outside of work. 

Encourage employees to share their goals outside of work. 

At Perfeqta, we start our team meeting every Monday chatting about our weekend and sharing what we’re looking forward to that coming week. During 1:1 meetings, I make sure to ask my team what their goals are outside of work. Some of their responses are building community in a new city, focusing on their fitness goals, or being more intentional about going to therapy. I also make sure to follow up with them every few weeks to ask about their progress if they feel comfortable sharing.

When you encourage your team to set goals outside of work, it reminds them to make their personal life a priority as well and that you’re invested in their emotional wellbeing.  

If you want to invest in your employees’ well-being and professional development, work with Perfeqta’s team of Career Coaches. 

Our Career Coaches work with employees at all levels to help them improve their leadership skills and prioritize a work-life balance to boost performance. Here’s what we cover during coaching sessions:

• Building and developing high-performing teams
• Improving time management
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Being better allies in the workplace
• Self-advocacy
• Career road mapping
• Managing and leading teams effectively
• And more! 

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about our Career Coaching services.