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The world has come to a screeching halt in the most dramatic way that none of us could imagine. The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has turned the unexpected conditions to become the new normal for everyone. As practicing social distancing is the only way to safeguard human lives from this pandemic, organizations are also left with no other choice than to make work from home a compulsion for their employees.

Moreover, working from home is expected to be a long term practice even after the lockdown is removed, as the terror of the pandemic shows no sign of completely disappearing. In such a scenario, it is common that employees will have a significant impact on their personal and work lives, which simultaneously impacts employee productivity. According to the SHRM COVID-19 research report, 70% of employees are struggling to adapt to remote work. Moreover, 35% of employers are grappling with changes in employee productivity.

In terms of certain challenges of working from home, there cannot be a one size fits all approach to different business roles. There is also the aspect of social isolation and loss of team interaction that employees experience. Difficulties in communication is another challenge and require some amount of planning and strategy to use the right virtual communication tools.

As we all are in the middle of the chaos and trying to adopt a new way of living, here are some tips on how we can stay healthy and engaged. Working from home needs a new level of empathy and understanding from both employees as well as from the organization. The below tips are for the HR heads and managers to keep up their employees’ spirit during such tough times.

Acknowledge employee efforts – Recognizing and rewarding employees for their hard work is a key factor in boosting engagement among your telecommuting employees. Employee recognition can take many different forms, but the main goal is to incentivize continued productivity and dedication from your employees. For example, you could send out a teamwide or companywide e-mail detailing what an employee did and why it's exceptional. For example, a personal thank-you e-mail or message can go a long way in making employees feel valued and engaged while they work from home.

Stay connected with the team – Remote employees can often feel isolated or left out of the loop, so the managers need to communicate with them daily. Consider scheduling a daily check-in to see how employees are doing with this new working arrangement. Moreover, virtual town halls and meetings with leaders frequently can help to share updates, and also a support network is created for the employees.

Celebrate Happy hours/ festivals and birthdays remotely – When we can work remotely, they why not party hard remotely? HR persons can maintain the normalcy between the employees by celebrating team members’ birthdays virtually, organizing a weekly chilling/jamming session, online gaming contests, online tombola, digital chai breaks, work from home picture streams, bringing children to video conferences or even conduct virtual lunches together.

On the other side, while employees are working from home, physical boundaries between work and your personal life can feel virtually non-existent. Even if you're organized, it can still be difficult to successfully manage your career and household chores in the same space. While it may not be possible for home-based business owners and workers to completely draw the line between personal and professional, there are ways to better integrate the different facets of your life.

Plan your day efficiently – For instance, creating a separate workspace, establishing a daily routine, getting dressed formally for work, taking short breaks, can help in establishing a work-life balance. Remote employees should also follow a strict timing and not make themselves available for work 24/7, which can lead to unnecessary stress and, eventually, burnout. As a result, you should communicate to your employees the importance of creating boundaries. Suggest that they work their normal hours and then step away from the computer until it's time to start working the next day.

Take care of your health, hygiene, and fitness – While staying in your comfortable clothes is a benefit of working from home, being cooped up inside for too long isn’t good for anyone. Employees should be aware of the need to exercise and keep themselves fit, groomed, and eating healthily, especially over extended periods of remote working.

Engaging with employees has never become as crucial in the past as it is today. Organizations are continuously struggling to keep up their employees’ satisfaction and motivation, no matter where they are. They are extensively leveraging technology to improve employee experience and boost their morale for better productivity. Currently, no one knows when this period of working from home will come to an end, nevertheless it is a finite condition. During such a situation, employers and employees should maintain regular and honest communication to operate smoothly, as it’s a collaborative effort.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house