With the majority of global employees now working from home for the foreseeable future, it has never been more vital for businesses to implement well-structured D&I messaging within their policies. One of the biggest challenges business leaders are currently facing is how to keep their staff motivated and productive at home, whilst providing a sufficient level of support.

And with companies wondering if the situation will ever go back to how it was before the global outbreak of COVID-19, it is imperative that leaders establish support networks for remote workers, in order to prepare for whatever work landscape emerges from the change. This includes ensuring an overall culture of belonging, so that employees feel supported and engaged even when they’re physically working in a team of one.

The importance of company culture
It’s fundamental to create a sense of belonging and community, and a key way of doing is this is to create a culture where colleagues feel that they are part of something bigger. Inclusive leadership is at the centre point of this policy.

Within organisations there are ‘in groups’ and ‘out groups’ – those who feel closer to the centre, and those who don’t feel they have a voice or much power and influence within a business. When taking that paradigm to a virtual world, the divide becomes significantly more exacerbated. The people in the ‘in group’ will be texting and calling each other and keeping up constant communication. However, unless colleagues are really mindful and purposeful about the extent of their communication, the people on the periphery may be forgotten – they are out of sight, so, essentially, out of mind. As a result, it won’t be long until the ‘out groups’ feel even less like they belong.

Those at risk of increased feelings of exclusion include individuals out on maternity leave, or preparing to go on leave; people who already work part-time; older workers; and workers with any form of disability that makes it harder to work remotely. Organisations must be conscious of who they support, and no one should be dropped off the list.

It’s down to the voices of leadership to think about how they set up communications and meetings in order to ensure that everyone feels like they are being included – and have a voice too.

Communication and connection are key
Communication and connection should be the number-one focus for any business leader. By keeping up conversation, leaders and managers can ensure that no individuals feel isolated while physically separated. And to help eradicate any feelings of disconnection that may arise, businesses should ensure all employees have access to video calling technology, so that a lack of face-to-face communication becomes irrelevant. Just being able to interact with colleagues in a more visual way can help create a feeling of community and support.

It is easy for people to feel lost and without direction when working remotely, so it is important that leaders help set clear deadlines, objectives and schedules – and keeping business as normal as possible will prove extremely beneficial for employee wellbeing. It is also the responsibility of the employers to ensure that workers do not feel pressured to compensate for working from home. Boundaries must be set, so that individuals do not feel the need to ‘prove’ their level of output – overworking and burnout can be detrimental to employee wellbeing and overall productivity.

It is important that leaders and managers are adept at spotting signs of stress – their own and others – at this time of unrest. Mental health is and should be viewed as just as important as physical health. Communication is a vital way of preventing this; feeling part of a broader community where support exists is absolutely vital, particularly for those living on their own.

The key to motivation and productivity
In order to successfully support their entire workforce, businesses must acknowledge the different personalities and life circumstances that make up their teams. For example, it is important to recognise that some introverts will thrive as remote workers, but there are also extroverts who are highly collaborative and will need to have multiple digital touch points – e.g. direct messaging, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp – throughout the working day and week. As well as having formal conference calls, these platforms allow colleagues to connect together to form a virtual community and embrace collective creativity.

At the end of the day, each employer should be aware of their staff’s individual workstyles – do they like to be heavily managed or autonomous? Do they like regular catch-ups, or will they find too many overwhelming? Or are they caring for children, or elderly dependents, which might require them to shift their working hours?

Whilst insights observed in office settings can and should be used as a guide, some must be re-considered for home working, as they won’t necessarily apply to remote situations – whilst remote working applies pressure in new areas, like juggling full-time work and child or family care. Business leaders cannot afford to make assumptions. Maintaining the fantasy that an employee is going to cope simply because they like autonomy might not hold in a completely autonomous world.

The silver lining
All crises offer up opportunity. COVID-19 has impacted the whole world, and the collective shockwave means it is unlikely that life will return to exactly the way it was before. As a result, there is a huge opportunity for all of us to take advantage of this – and huge benefits that can be realised. From communities actively coming together to help the most vulnerable and the reductions in pollution, this situation has been a wake-up call for all.

Businesses should use this global shockwave to drive positive change in a profound way by maintaining positive behaviours, agile work patterns, and new perspectives on what is possible. After all, this situation is showing us that people can work remotely – even for businesses who never thought it was possible – as long as the right tools and attitudes are in place to keep them supported, included and happy. This pandemic has shown us that we must make the best of our new habits – and lead the way with this new normal.