{"id":8515,"date":"2023-03-12T14:48:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-12T18:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=8515"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:19:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:19:37","slug":"productivity-tips-remote-employees-wellbeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/productivity-tips-remote-employees-wellbeing\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to drive remote productivity to support wellbeing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6 ways to drive remote productivity to support wellbeing\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Headshot\t\t\t\tCharlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

34% of employees<\/a> feel more productive working from home since the pandemic, with one study finding that output<\/a> increased by 13%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On average, that means an employee is getting over half a day\u2019s worth of extra work done, simply by working at home and not in an office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while productivity is clearly higher for remote workers on paper, many employees are also working longer hours from home, which can have the opposite effect on productivity and negatively impact work-life balance and wellbeing as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where employee experiences come in. In order to be productive, HR needs to design great remote employee experiences<\/a> \u2013 with wellbeing support as part of that – to really engage and drive their people to do their best work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we move to the \u2018new normal\u2019, HR and People teams have the opportunity to figure out how best to support remote workers on a permanent basis, to give the best remote experiences that drive productivity and support wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Transform your workforce with Sage<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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No matter the size of your team, Sage offers HR solutions to help you lead, manage, and engage your people.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ready to get started? Here are a six productivity tips and hacks that HR and People teams can use, while keeping wellbeing in mind.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Introduce flexible working<\/strong><\/h2>
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    Possibly one of the best-known productivity hacks \u2013 allow people to be more flexible about how and where they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s not only great for productivity but for wellbeing too, because it helps employees maintain a great work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A staggering 82% of organizations<\/a> say they\u2019ll implement flexible working at a greater scale post-pandemic. If you\u2019re one of them, don\u2019t just look at introducing remote working on a permanent basis \u2013 there are so many other options that drive up productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Think about how much flexibility you can realistically offer your people. Could your people work compressed hours? Flex hours? Annualized hours?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You could even look at niche alternatives such as moving to the four-day week. Microsoft, as an example, found their productivity increased by 40%<\/a> when they experimented with a four-day working week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To find out how much flexibility your people want, it could be a question you ask in your next pulse survey, so you can analyze the data to find out what flexible working opportunities they\u2019d want to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Equip employees to focus on what matters<\/strong><\/h2>
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       <\/strong>It\u2019s easy to get distracted by emails, instant messages and calls, especially at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In fact, the average employee spends 28% of the work day<\/a> either reading or answering emails. It means if your employees work 9-5, they\u2019re on emails for over two hours a day \u2013 and that\u2019s just inside working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A study also found that employees spend eight hours a week<\/a> reading and responding to company-related emails after hours. That equates to a whole extra day of work, just for emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If your employees are remote, it\u2019s quite likely they\u2019ll be even more attached to their emails because they\u2019ll want to be in the loop with what\u2019s happening in the business. Working from home also means employees can find it easier to remain logged in throughout the evening \u2013 and harder to switch off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If your employees check their messages and emails as soon as they come in, it\u2019s probably time to start shifting this way of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It may seem simple but it\u2019s important to make clear that communications are simply a tool to enable employees to do their work and that it\u2019s perfectly fine not to read and reply straight away. Senior leadership should set this tone and reflect this in how and when they communicate too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Some tips and tricks employees can adopt for emails are turning off notifications when doing important tasks, setting some time aside each day for checking emails, and creating rules and filters for when they come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You could also come up with a common approach to how you deal with urgent requests in the organization. Perhaps employees should pick up the phone should something urgent come in rather than communicating via email or instant messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      All of this will help employees to feel more productive and maintain their work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Remote working guide for HR<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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      As the world navigates towards a future where hybrid is the new way of working and living, Human Resources needs to keep up. Download our remote working guide for HR today.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Virtual\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Consider introducing a \u2018no agenda, no meeting\u2019 rule<\/strong><\/h2>
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        We\u2019ve all sat through a meeting where we\u2019ve questioned, why am I here? What did we get from this? Did we actually get any clear next steps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        If employees spend too much time in unproductive meetings, they can suffer from \u2018meeting recovery syndrome\u2019 \u2013 meaning that employees feel fatigued and unproductive after that meeting. As a result, remote employees might feel they need to work much longer hours than they would in the office to finish the work they didn\u2019t get done, ultimately effecting their wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        One way to start tackling the problem is by making agendas mandatory. It\u2019s a hard line approach but it does mean employees can decide if they\u2019re needed in a meeting and prepare accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        To help, set out some guidelines of the benefits as well as some pointers about how to prepare for a productive meeting, including how to write an effective agenda. It will lead to far less time wasted in the meeting and enables everyone to leave with an accurate idea of next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        If you feel that going for a straight \u2018no agenda, no meeting\u2019 rule is too strict, you can still share some tips around productive meetings that will help employees get more out of the time they have set aside for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Encourage reduced screen time<\/strong><\/h2>
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          As the saying goes, \u2018less is more.\u2019 This is certainly the case in the workplace; working less hours enhances productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          With employees working from home, it\u2019s likely some of your employees will spend most of their time at home alone in front of a screen. While this may seem like the essence of productivity, more screen time has actually been linked to lower productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to consider how much screen time your employees are getting. If your HR team are noticing emails out of hours are skyrocketing, or no one seems to take a lunch break, then employees might not be taking the time out they need to be productive, affecting their wellbeing in the process \u2013 potentially leading to burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It\u2019s something that requires HR to take the reins. Taking more breaks seems counterintuitive to drive productivity – you need to help shift that employee mindset, which is no mean feat. Explain to your people it\u2019s ok to take five minutes, a full lunch break and start and finish on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Do managers in your organization take breaks? If they don\u2019t, certainly try to encourage them to. Not only is it good for their own productivity, but they\u2019ll be also leading by example for other employees. The same goes for HR \u2013 if your team can switch off for five minutes between meetings, or finish on time, it\u2019ll show employees it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If your employees really are committed to working every minute of their working day, why not suggest other ways they can get away from their desks? Walking meetings can be a great way for employees to get away from their home office and enjoy being in a different setting, and being outside also supports wellbeing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          Take an interactive tour of Sage People<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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          Discover how Sage People can transform the way you hire, manage, engage, and retain your workforce in this self-guided interactive product tour.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBegin Tour<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          1. Suggest morning and evening routine ideas<\/strong><\/h2>
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            Have you heard of the fake commute<\/a>? It\u2019s exactly how it sounds; you leave your house, go for a walk or drive and then come back home all before starting your day \u2013 and doing that at the end too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            It\u2019s just one way to instill a routine from home which can make employees more productive. With commuting no longer being part of the working day, employees\u2019 morning and evening routines as we once knew them can fall apart, causing them to start and finish work later than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            However, as we\u2019ve discussed, working later isn\u2019t more productive. In fact, if an employee works 70 hours, they\u2019re actually unproductive for 15 of them<\/a>, so working longer hours certainly doesn\u2019t equate to increased productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            While the fake commute isn\u2019t something you can enforce, it\u2019s something you can mention as an idea to encourage employees to find a morning and evening routine that works for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Finding a good routine has real benefits on work-life balance, which contributes to improved wellbeing and overall productivity. Kristen Shockley, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia explained in an article<\/a> that, “People who segment do have better work-life balances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Another way to keep morning and evening routines is to create one internally that sticks. For example, 43% of employees<\/a> miss those informal \u2018watercooler\u2019 chats that often started and ended the day in the office. They\u2019re so important to the way we work and our productivity, so you could encourage managers to also \u2018bookend\u2019 the day with a catch up in the morning or afternoon tea breaks to maintain some of the informality we had by simply having conversations outside of the usual work talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            1. Share ways other teams are driving productivity remotely<\/strong><\/h2>
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              So many employees have got into their own rhythm and found what works for them when they\u2019re remote, and they\u2019ll have some great tips to share with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Find out from your people what\u2019s made them feel productive, the ways they\u2019ve managed to maintain their work-life balance, and any tips they have for others. You could set up a newsletter or a board, so that tips can be shared on a regular basis. These could be great things to host on an intranet or your HR and People portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Google has found that creating a culture of idea sharing is crucial when it comes to improving productivity \u2013 if it\u2019s worked for them, perhaps it can work for your organization too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Create experiences that drive success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Every business will have a secret sauce for remote employee productivity, whether you know yours yet or not \u2013 but it\u2019s important to find it through designing and testing out your employee experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Try implementing some of our tips above to see how they make a difference to your remote employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              However, it\u2019s important to remember that what works for them today, might not tomorrow. Experiences don\u2019t need to be fixed and forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              The best workforce experience initiatives are created, evolved and re-designed based on feedback, so you can really find out what your employees need to find to balance productivity and employee wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n

              <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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              Deliver engagement through experiences<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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              Download our eBook “Delivering engagement through experiences” to find out why it’s time to change focus and where HR leaders can turn to drive productivity in their workplace.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              34% of employees feel more productive working from home since the pandemic, with one study finding that output increased by 13%. On average, that means an employee is getting over half a day\u2019s worth of extra work done, simply by working at home and not in an office. However, while productivity is clearly higher for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1660,"featured_media":3149,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,47],"tags":[166],"business_type":[312,41],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[50,411],"persona":[99],"imagine_tag":[215,462],"coauthors":[616],"class_list":["post-8515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-free-guides-templates","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-software","business_type-accountants","business_type-growing-business","industry-construction-and-real-estate","industry-human-resources"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Charlotte Penny","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/12\/moneymanagement.jpg","imagine_tags":{"215":"HR and Payroll","462":"Payments"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1660"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34678,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8515\/revisions\/34678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/3149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8515"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}