A lot of studies that focus on home-based employees highlight one interesting fact about sick days. Indeed, it appears that remote workers are less likely to use as many sick days as office-based employees. For business owners, the direct conclusion is that remote workers don’t need to take sick days because they are at home.
However, this would be a mistake. The real reason why your office co-workers tend to take longer sick leaves than remote colleagues is that stress affects them more profoundly. Indeed, working in a hectic environment can lead to chronic tension and anxiety, which, in the long term, weaken the immune system. As a consequence, someone who commutes to the office is more likely to catch a virus than someone who stays at home – not because the virus targets commuters, but because office stress takes its toll and makes them more vulnerable.
In no way should a business owner assume that remote workers don’t need sick days because they are based at home. On the contrary, remote workers can be the first to struggle with health issues without receiving the proper support.
Managing the health of your remote team
Remote working options let them go back to work sooner
One of the first mistakes that a business owner makes about remote workers is to misunderstand the need for rest on sick days. Remote workers are more likely to go back to work sooner than recommended by their doctor because they feel pressured to do so. It is, therefore, the role of the company to make it clear that they should take the recovery time they need. There is a clear distinction to make between working from home and resting at home. While the location might be the same, the effort involved in each activity is very different. You should make it an official policy to value sick days. Even though the technology to work from the bedroom is available, https://jerrymooneybooks.com/implementing-remote-working-in-your-business-here-is-the-tech-you-need/, it is vital to remind remote workers to focus on their recovery. Healing time should not be disrupted with work.
What is your role during a remote freak accident?
From a business perspective, your health and safety responsibilities are considerably diminished when you work with a remote team. However, while you have no direct responsibility for any accident that occurs outside of your site, it can be helpful for both your business and your team to maintain a direct support policy. Indeed, you can make it part of your business perk to offer partial financing for all legal fees if your employee is injured in an accident during their spare time. You can also provide a list of legal advisors for them to consult, such as https://www.braininjurylawofseattle.com/seattle-maritime-injury-lawyer/. Ultimately, when an individual is injured, their world stops. Most people may not know how to react or what to do; therefore partnering with a professional who can advise your employees and direct them to the right interlocutors can make a big difference in their recovery and your productivity.
Schedule regular check-ins
Lastly, home-based employees can feel isolated. It”s your role to make them feel connected to the team. Indeed, isolation creates depression and health issues.
Ultimately, the real question you want to ask yourself is, how well are your remote workers looked after? From allowing recovery time to providing guidance when their health is at risk, you can be the employer who creates a safe remote working environment for all.
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