If one thing is clear from this past year, it’s that remote and hybrid working are here to stay. According to Enterprise Technology Research, the percentage of global workers permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021 as productivity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Our recent webinar, What a Difference a Year Makes: Employee Wellbeing and the Remote Workforce, explored the wellbeing challenges and opportunities that come with managing employees who spend at least some of their work time at home. 

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With a hot topic presented at just the right time, the webinar was very well attended and received a great amount of engagement from the audience. Attendees were invited to participate in a number of polling questions to compare and contrast their workplaces today, versus a year ago. They assessed their workforce productivity, how their workforces are adjusting to remote work, and how important wellness is to their workplaces now compared to before the pandemic.

How Can Employers Support Employees In These New Work Environments?

Our guest speaker, Dr. Ron Leopold, and Grokker’s VP of Business Solutions, Dan Graovac, separated the dimensions of wellbeing into four key categories: physical, mental, social, and financial. For each of these categories, they discussed how that area of wellbeing has changed, how employers can provide support, and provided specific examples for what has worked for employers during the past year. 

For example, with respect to social wellbeing, employees are feeling socially isolated, find themselves continuing to work from home, and are isolated from coworkers. To combat these challenges, employers can support remote work with technology tools, foster a greater connection among coworkers, and support the remote work community. Following these actionable steps and employer tips, the speakers provided an example of what one particular company did to increase their employee engagement and reduce feelings of isolation in their community.

What’s Next?

As participants were left with some key takeaways, it became clear that remote work truly offers exciting opportunities for employers to positively impact employee wellbeing. Watch the webinar recording to catch all of the insights!