Supervising employees who work remotely is a challenge.  How can you gauge how they are doing when you don’t see them face-to-face? We don’t have as many informal “touch points” as when we were in the office and saw colleagues in various settings through the day.  Yet, how they are doing is such a key piece of information during a pandemic.  Are they struggling? Would they tell you if they were? Is it okay to not be okay in your workplace? Are you setting an example by taking care of yourself and thereby sending the message that it’s okay to do so?

As the months tick by, keep checking in with your people and creating space for signals or statements to come to light about their well-being.  Go beyond the general “how are you doing?” before jumping into the work conversations.  Take time to dig deeper and create more connection.

Consider questions like:

• On a scale from 1 to 10, how’s your stress level right now?
• What makes work hardest for you right now?
• How do you feel about your work from home set up?
• What was your biggest win this week—with work or just in general?
• How can I help make your work day less stressful?

Are there other things you say and do to gauge employee well-being?  Please share in a comment below.