6 Ways Remote Work Enhances Employee Mental Health
World Mental Health Day: An Introduction
The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic slowed down a lot of businesses and activities. The isolation effects of the pandemic affected many people and their mental health. To tackle mental health, the World Health Organization set aside 10th October to create awareness for mental health worldwide.
World Mental Health was first celebrated in 1992 through the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization. As announced by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), the theme for World Mental Health Day 2022, is ‘Make mental health for all a global priority’.
According to several studies, work is good for mental health. However, bad work environments, not fulfilling one’s potential, and overworking lead to poor mental health. Organizations actively introduced several activities and sessions to boost employee mental health and make everyone feel like an important part of the company.
When a lot of workers started working from home, they found out that it was actually better health-wise. A study by FlexJobs in association with Mental Health America (MHA), revealed that over 80% of participants believed more work flexibility would help them take better care of their mental health. The same study showed that 66% of the respondents of the study would prefer a permanent remote role, while 33% would prefer a hybrid work arrangement even after the pandemic.
How does remote work improve employee mental health ?
Mental health and work are interwoven. Too much work can worsen mental health but the right kind of work can help improve mental health. Remote or hybrid work patterns offer a lot of support to the mental health of employees. Here are the top six ways:
- Mitigating work-related stress: Day-to-day work processes like commuting can take a toll on the workers’ mental health. An example of such a process is the process of going to and coming back from work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the average time Americans spend commuting to and from work is 54 minutes (27 minutes each way). In another survey of Mental Health, America saw 73% of the respondents confessed to round-trip commutes of an hour or more. And 71% indicated that working from home reduces commute-related stress.
- Remote work is employee health-centric: Remote work creates a healthy atmosphere by providing a greater work-life balance. Such a healthy environment reduces employees’ stress levels, improves mental health, and increases employees’ engagement. This in turn increases productivity across teams in the company.
- Improved job reaches for economically disadvantaged areas: Workers that live in rural or less-developed areas usually look for jobs near their homes or cities. Such jobs do not pay well and can take a toll on their mental health. Remote work solves the problem of limited access by creating a bridge that paves way for rural workers to engage in meaningful work that improves their self-esteem, financial stability, and mental health.
- Better routine: Working from home gives workers more control over micro-activities throughout the day. Micro-activities include preparing and eating homemade lunches, taking out time for medication, doing light exercises, and taking quick naps. Such micro-activities have an immense impact on the physical and mental health of employees.
- Personalized work environment: Office work environments do not always cater to the personal work environment needs of each individual. Not everyone can focus in a loud environment or can deal with frequent interruptions or small talk. Remote work allows workers to personalize the working space for maximum concentration, efficiency, and better mental health. Statistics from the Mental Health America survey indicated that 75% of respondents said that remote work helps reduce stress and improves productivity by reducing distractions during the work day.
- Time management: Some remote work setups give workers the freedom of choosing working times, especially for teams that are spread out globally. By exercising this option, remote workers can make better use of their time to suit the demands of each day. Also, knowing what the next day will be like, brings peace of mind and improves mental health.
Related Post: Its Official ! Remote Workers Are Happier!
Turing: Spearheading remote work in today’s digital world
Remote work is a necessity for companies that value employees’ mental health. A study by Owl Labs indicates that 16% of companies in the world are now fully remote. A good example of such a company is Turing.
Turing’s Intelligent Talent Cloud uses AI to connect the world’s best software developers to high-quality U.S. jobs. Turing’s developers can work with top U.S. companies as long as they have at least three years of experience and can speak and understand the English language, no matter where they are in the world.
The process for becoming a Turing developer is pretty easy. It includes:
Pass the tests:
- Tech skills
- Soft skills and communication
- Prior work experience
Related Post: Six Tips to Prepare for the Turing Developer Tests or Tech Stack MCQ Tests
Get matched:
- Confirm availability
- Confirm compensation
Start Working:
- Full-time engagement with one of the partner companies
- Get paid by Turing monthly
- You have access to continuous matching, so if you need to move jobs — Turing will match you with another company
- You will work directly with U.S. companies — no middleman
- You will have access to mentorship, upscaling, and a global community
More than 200+ companies, including Amazon, Coinbase, PayPal, Microsoft, Dell, Salesforce, and Disney, to mention a few, are looking for over 15 types of programmers that include full-stack developers, AI Engineer, DevOps, ML Engineer, data Scientists, AI scientists, mobile developer, in over 100 technologies.
Remote is here to stay
Remote work is the best answer for the growing global, diverse workforce that takes mental health seriously. Turing helps developers from anywhere to work with top companies without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Are you a software developer looking for a high-paying, high-growth US remote software job? Try Turing.
Turing helps developers land their dream jobs with top US companies.
Visit the Apply for Jobs page for more information.
