How to Promote Digital Wellness for Remote Workers

Some people believe that working remotely is the easy option, and in some ways it can be; less travel, less time spent away from the home and often, the ability to be more flexible with the hours. However, it does come at a price. Unfortunately, digital wellness can be harder to achieve when you’re remote working. In fact, the ongoing pandemic is playing havoc with the mental health of many, and the effect of less face to face contact certainly plays its part.

What is digital wellness?

Digital wellness is defined as the state of a person’s mental and physical health in the digital age. This is the measures that can be put in place to improve and regulate a use of technology that is healthier.

What can we do to promote this?

Fortunately, there are a number of preventative measures that can be put in place to help improve use of technology and make it healthier. Here at Attic Recruitment, we offer a few tips for leaders, and their remote workers, to strike the right balance.

Ensure your staff take their breaks

When the job we do calls for the use of technology, for example computers, throughout the day it is important to ensure that time is factored in for breaks. Encourage your staff not to eat lunch at their desk but rather take a walk, and a break away from the computer. At the end of the day, encourage them to relax with a book rather than turning to technology. This is good for eye health and great for digital wellness.

Encourage a limit to screen time

In line with taking breaks it can be worth considering encouraging your staff to minimise their screen time as well. Being in front of a screen all day everyday can really take its toll on a person so limiting screen time is a good way to avoid this. It is also a great way to avoid too many of those headaches that can be associated with too much staring at a screen and of course the all too common dry eyes that are not comfortable. There are resources you could send to staff with the benefits of reducing screen time – perhaps you could even get them interested in a competition for a reduction in the time spent on their phones – this could be a great motivator for staff wellness.

Give your staff fewer distractions

During the working day it could be wise to streamline notifications that your staff receive from the company. This will avoid the continual bombardment of messages that can be really disruptive. Show your staff how to go about turning off notifications from any messages that are not really related to tasks that need taking care of urgently. This will allow them to keep them separate and can offer a greater sense of digital wellness.

One final thing to consider is that not all tech is bad. Out of work hours you could encourage using it for things like fitness apps or even meditation, both of which can promote a positive sense of wellbeing.

The way you look after your staff while they’re working remotely matters. Encouraging employee wellness doesn’t have to cost the earth and can reap rewards with a happier, healthier workforce.