The spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease that is contracted from the novel coronavirus, has drastically changed the way Americans live and work. People across the nation have moved to telework, taking their previous existence in an office setting and shifting it into their own houses. That kind of dramatic change has certainly taken its toll on workers, as they learn how to manage their working time effectively with being among all the distractions of their homes.
For company supervisors and managers, the sudden exodus of workers from the office presents its own unique challenge: keeping those workers positive and engaged from a distance. After all, it is the employees with a healthy sense of well-being who will tend to be the most productive even while working from home.
At Cawley Physical Therapy, we feel that one of the most important ways to keep remote workers happy is to encourage them to get up and move during the day. There is just about nothing worse for your body than sitting on the couch or slouched in a chair all day long.
In this article, we will discuss some tips for how to keep your remote workers’ well-being high, including some guidance on how to maintain bodily health while sitting in your house for eight hours or more at a time.
If you’re experiencing discomfort and need some assistance getting back to normal, know that you can schedule an appointment for physical therapy in Luzerne County or Lackawanna County.
Four Tips for Keeping Remote Workers Happy and Healthy
Working from home obviously cuts down significantly on the number of contact managers have with their employees. Here are some good ways to keep employee well-being high as you work away from the office.
1. Encourage Breaks
With everyone working from home, one of your concerns as a manager might be making sure that everyone is staying productive while not being supervised. But we say that it is a great idea to encourage your employees to take breaks throughout the day. As we stated above, it is never good to sit in one position all day, and the people who do may eventually find themselves being less productive or positive because they simply don’t feel well. Stiff neck syndrome, for instance, is one possible result of constant sitting.
Taking 15 minutes to get up, stretch, move around, or change workstations is good for your muscles. It will keep them limber throughout the day. Taking breaks might seem counterproductive, but when your employees feel good in their bodies and minds, they will tend to be able to produce a lot more.
2. Hold Regular Meetings
Employee engagement means more than just keeping productivity high. It also means ensuring that every individual employee still feels integrated within the company while everyone is separated. Admittedly, it can be challenging to do this while everyone is tucked away in their own homes.
Virtual meet-ups can solve this problem. The point of these may not always be to talk about work. You might hold them simply as company culture events, or just to see how everyone is doing. Some companies even get creative and have virtual happy hours or play games over video. Just like break times, these kinds of meetings where you are not necessarily working can be good for productivity and overall employee happiness.
3. Encourage Employees to Exercise
Similar to the first point, we also need to mention how important exercise should be to remote employees. Your muscles, tendons, nerves, and heart will all thank you for getting up and moving around several times a day. This is one of the most important pieces of advice we give to our patients who seek physical therapy in Lackawanna County. Your muscles work for you as long as you keep them flexible and strong, and you can do that only through regular exercise, not by sitting on the couch.
There are many exercises you can do at home with no equipment. Planks, running in place, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats are all great ways to get your body moving in your own home. Chances are good that employees who break up their days with these kinds of exercises will return to their desks feeling revitalized and ready to dig back in.
4. Avoid Employee Burnout
Nowhere will your employees blur the professional-personal line more than in their homes. They wake up, and work is there, and when they stop for the day, work is still present. Just as supervisors should encourage their employees to take breaks and exercise throughout the day, so, too, should they make sure employees are not burning out by working too much. Starting and stopping on time is a good way to limit stress during the workday. Just as there is a time for work, there is a time for living. Your body and mind will appreciate not being overworked.
Schedule Physical Therapy in Northeast PA
At Cawley Physical Therapy, we understand the toll that working from home might be taking on your body. Being stuck in basically one spot in your house for eight or more hours a day can make your neck, legs, thighs, and back incredibly sore. You may emerge from this period feeling somewhat in pain when you stand or sit.
If you are currently experiencing any troubles relating to muscle tension or soreness, call us today to schedule an appointment for when the current pandemic starts winding down. We can provide you with some of the best exercises for lower back herniated disc pain or offer our other Northeast PA physical therapy services for whatever is troubling you.
Call us today to discuss your situation and see when we can take you in for an appointment. Nothing should stop you–not a pandemic nor a change in routine–from treating your body in healthy ways. If you are having a problem, let Cawley Physical Therapy give you a hand.
