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While there are numerous benefits to remote work—schedule flexibility, zero commute time and a more relaxed workspace, just to name a few—isolation is still one of the downsides of being a remote worker that many employees regularly report. However, these feelings can be mitigated with a few key changes to their routine and the support of their leadership.
If you or one of your remote employees is feeling isolated during the workday, consider the following advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they discuss solutions that have worked for them and their teams and what they recommend you do to help your own employees feel more connected during the day.
1. Create Spaces For Nonwork Self-Expression
I recommend you create some spaces for healthy nonwork expression. For example, a “general” channel on your Slack devoted to idle chat, movie and TV show reviews and silly memes can be healthy for a workplace even if what happens there isn’t strictly work. Bonding on these channels can improve relationships and communication overall. I think it can also be helpful to let team members freely customize their non-customer-facing profiles and accounts (for example, accounts on tools we have to use for internal purposes). It lets team members showcase what sports teams, shows or hobbies they’re into, and builds connections and camaraderie. – Matt Doyle, Excel Builders
2. Organize Virtual Social Events
Feeling isolated while working remotely is a common problem that many employees face during the workday. This can have a negative impact on productivity, job satisfaction and mental health. One recommended solution is virtual social events such as happy hours, game nights or coffee breaks. These virtual social events can provide an opportunity for casual conversation and bonding among remote team members. – Eddie Lou, CodaPet
3. Recommend Getting Together With Other Remote Workers
I recommend trying to work at least one day outside your home, preferably at a co-working space or a coffee shop. If there is a friend or an acquaintance who works remotely, invite them to your place or schedule to work from someplace outside your home. You can even create a meetup where other remote workers in your city or community can assemble one day every week outside their homes to work together or socialize. This has worked for me on several occasions. Earlier, while working from home, I could not create a dividing line between work and life, which led to loneliness and burnout. Working in the company of others and giving yourself a change of surroundings definitely helps. – Brian David Crane, Spread Great Ideas
4. Ensure Plenty Of Verbal Communication
Remote work can be isolating and it can certainly be a huge adjustment. As someone who has been working from home for over 13 years, I’ve learned various strategies that can help with feelings of isolation. As a leader, I encourage my team to communicate not only over Slack and email but also by picking up the phone or video chatting with one another as much as possible. Voice conversations cut down on misunderstandings, and team members often feel more understood. Daily or weekly meetings can also help each employee feel more connected and remind everyone on the team that they are not alone. – Rachel Lipson, Blue Balloon Songwriting for Small People
5. Encourage Participation In Business Networking Groups
A great solution to combat isolation for remote employees is to encourage them to join different business networking groups where they can connect with other entrepreneurs or professionals. For example, Business Network International or their chamber of commerce can be excellent options that provide opportunities to meet new people, explore and learn new things and enjoy the company of others. This can help remote employees feel more connected and engaged with their work, and provide them with a supportive community to turn to when they need advice or assistance. Encouraging team members to take breaks throughout the day to connect with one another over virtual coffee or lunch breaks can also help build a sense of community and prevent isolation. – Kazi Mamun, CANSOFT
6. Promote Cross-Department Collaboration
Workplace loneliness is definitely real, especially in this remote work culture that we have today. But remember: Frequent Google Meet or Zoom calls are not the answer to workplace loneliness. If anything, employees tend to dread frequent online meetings (many of which could honestly just be an email). If your employees are starting to feel isolated, then it’s a strong indicator of a dwindling spirit of accountability, collaboration and teamwork. What you have to do is find a way to inspire a sense of community. Let different departments interact with each other and learn more about what they do. This way, the team will eventually gain a better understanding of how everybody fits into the puzzle. As a result, they know who they can reach out to when they encounter issues or roadblocks at work. – Bryce Welker, Big 4 Accounting Firms
7. Balance Team Work And Personal Work
We’ve built our agency to be remote-first, so creating a comfortable remote working environment has been our priority from the outset. Every day we try to balance team work and personal work, with a few hours of each per day. That way, we can create a schedule that will bring enough movement and variety to our team’s day while keeping everyone productive. In our case though, this may be a more straightforward plan because we are a service business with relatively short cycles that organically keep the team engaged, focused and motivated by keeping the feedback loop short and ensuring variety. In terms of practical personal advice, a walk in the fresh air or a short workout always help clear one’s head, banish fatigue and get you out of the house. – Daria Gonzalez, Wunderdogs
8. Implement A Buddy System
If one of my remote employees started to feel isolated during the workday, I would recommend implementing a buddy system. This has worked well for us in the past and can help foster a sense of accountability, support and connection. By pairing up remote workers with another team member, they have someone to turn to when they need help, advice or just a friendly chat. This can also help prevent feelings of isolation and create a stronger sense of community among the team. Additionally, it’s important to regularly check in with remote workers and make sure they feel supported and connected to the team. – Adam Preiser, WPCrafter
9. Host Daily Team Huddles
We strive to prevent isolation by being communicative with others and creating a fun work environment. Every day, we host a daily huddle that lasts about 20 minutes and all team members join. We offer praise for one another, provide business area updates, review our core values and play different games. It’s a great way for everyone to see and talk to one another every day. Additionally, we utilize Microsoft Teams chat. Each business area has its own group chat and they can update the team on their projects, ask quick questions and send fun GIFs. At the beginning of team meetings, we also include an icebreaker question that allows us to chat about things outside of work so we can get to know each other better. The key to mitigating isolation is creating multiple channels for collaboration. – Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving
10. Embrace Remote Work Benefits
As someone who has been running a remote team for years, I can personally relate to feelings of isolation and managing employees who have mixed feelings about remote work. One trick that works well for me is embracing the remote environment. While I may not have as many face-to-face interactions throughout the workday, I feel like I’m more focused and can get more accomplished. Remote work gives me the freedom to spend more time with my family and friends, which immediately eliminates any feelings of isolation. Talking about how we spend our free time in the first few minutes of a call helps my employees realize the benefits of being remote and that their entire day doesn’t have to be dedicated to working. – Ian Blair, BuildFire
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