# NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS OVER 13 MILLION BRITS WERE INADEQUATELY MANAGED WHILE WORKING REMOTELY*
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2021-07-26
Category: BUSINESS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business
Meta Title: Expert Tips on Managing Remote Teams and Mental Health
Meta Description: Discover expert tips from Office Furniture Online for effectively managing your remote team and supporting their mental health. Learn how to navigate
URL: https://financedigest.com/new-research-suggests-over-13-million-brits-were-inadequately-managed-while-working-remotely-2html

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Over 4 million UK employees believe their mental health has also been ignored by their manager while working remotely during the pandemic

Lack of mental health support, poor leadership, communication issues, and micromanagement revealed as the top issues employees have faced over the past year

Office Furniture Online offer expert tips on how to look after your staff’s mental health

2020 saw the majority of UK office [workers working](https://www.financedigest.com/1-in-5-uk-workers-believe-there-is-a-gender-divide-with-work-uniforms.html " 1 in 5 UK workers believe there is a gender divide with work uniforms") from home full time. And now, 43 of the UK’s biggest employers1 have said that they have no plans to bring their staff back full time so it looks like [remote working](https://www.financedigest.com/7-tips-for-building-a-positive-remote-work-culture.html "7 tips for building a positive remote work culture"), at least in part, is here to stay.

However, remote [working brings new challenges many employers have not had to face before – one of the biggest being team management](https://www.financedigest.com/time-management-strategies-that-work.html "Time management strategies that work"). New research2 from [Office Furniture Online](https://www.officefurnitureonline.co.uk/) has found that three in four UK employees who have worked from home for the majority of the last 12 months (77%) experienced some sort of managerial problem.

The most common problems people faced with their managers while [working from home](https://www.financedigest.com/working-from-home-everyone-is-different.html "Working from home, everyone is different.") were:

1. Misunderstandings due to no face-to-face communication (54%)
2. Lack of leadership & Micromanagement (42%)
3. [Employees mental health](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-protect-your-employees-mental-health-while-remote-working.html "How to protect your employees’ mental health while remote working") not considered by their manager (26%)

**How can you manage effectively whilst** [working remotely?](https://www.financedigest.com/shoring-up-cyber-defences-in-the-remote-working-era.html "Shoring up cyber defences in the remote working era")

Over the last year, many [business owners and managers](https://www.financedigest.com/four-reasons-whycloud-based-inventory-management-is-important-for-your-ecommerce-business.html "Four reasons whycloud-based inventory management is important for your ecommerce business") were thrown into a world of new rules with no guidance on how to navigate them.

Mark Taylor, [Managing Director](https://www.financedigest.com/anya-libova-joins-apester-as-uk-managing-director.html "Anya Libova joins Apester as UK Managing Director") at Office Furniture Online, comments:

“It is clear that the pandemic has impacted how we [work and has resulted in long-term changes to how many businesses](https://www.financedigest.com/despite-return-to-work-virtual-meetings-will-continue-to-disrupt-business-as-usual-in-finance.html "Despite Return to Work, Virtual Meetings Will Continue to Disrupt Business as Usual in Finance") will function. As our research shows, many [workers have experienced some sort of managerial issues whilst working](https://www.financedigest.com/apples-australian-workers-go-on-christmas-strike-demanding-better-wages-work-terms.html "Apple’s Australian workers go on Christmas strike demanding better wages, work terms") from home.”

“Working remotely has its difficulties, but thankfully it is still possible to effectively [manage your employees and look after your staff’s mental health even when outside of the office](https://www.financedigest.com/managing-the-hidden-security-gap-in-financial-services-the-office-printer.html "MANAGING THE HIDDEN SECURITY GAP IN FINANCIAL SERVICES: THE OFFICE PRINTER") – with the right guidance.”

Based on our findings that over a quarter (26%) of people feel as though their mental health hasn’t been considered while working from home, we spoke to Career Coach from Leap and Leadership, Joanna Blazinska, for further insight into the importance of looking after employee wellbeing and mental health, and to get her top tips on how managers can improve on this.

1.       Offer praise

An [employee’s wellbeing](https://www.financedigest.com/workplace-planning-software-cuts-costs-and-improves-employee-wellbeing-and-productivity-a-win-win-for-all.html "Workplace planning software cuts costs and improves employee wellbeing and productivity – a win-win for all") predicts their performance – when people feel respected and appreciated, they work better, both as an individual and as part of the team. Working from home is a [big change](https://www.financedigest.com/from-boom-to-bottom-and-now-big-change-renault-and-nissan-reshape-alliance.html "From boom to bottom and now big change: Renault and Nissan reshape alliance") from the buzz of an office and people can often feel isolated from others; therefore, making sure to recognise good work is a great way to motivate your entire team.

2.       Be understanding and approachable

[Mental health](https://www.financedigest.com/supporting-your-employees-mental-health-wfh.html "Supporting Your Employees Mental Health WFH") is no longer a taboo subject and is a particularly important point of discussion during difficult times like the pandemic. Not only should managers educate themselves on the topic and have measures in place, but during check-ins with the team, managers should make sure to ask how the [team is doing outside of work](https://www.financedigest.com/finance-teams-have-been-left-in-the-dark-on-the-real-cost-of-working-from-home.html "Finance teams have been left in the dark on the real cost of working from home") too. Acknowledging [employees will build a deeper connection and sense of belonging which in turn supports positive wellbeing](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-manage-burnout-and-how-leaders-should-support-employee-wellbeing-tom-keya.html "How to manage burnout and how leaders should support employee wellbeing | Tom Keya").

3.       Establish a level of trust

Of course, managing remotely proposes some issues, as you aren’t able to see what your team is doing as clearly as when you’re in the office; however, in this new era, it’s all about the outcomes, not the hours spent generating them. Therefore, you need to trust that your [employees can work](https://www.financedigest.com/voice-quality-matters-quarter-of-employees-working-from-home-still-experiencing-regular-connectivity-issues.html "Voice Quality Matters: Quarter of Employees Working From Home Still Experiencing Regular Connectivity Issues") efficiently on their own and will come to you themselves should they need anything. Essentially, you [need to be able to maintain a good level of communication without micromanaging anyone](https://www.financedigest.com/anyone-can-write-assignment-need-people-able-apply-new-skills-workplace-says-top-investment-management-company.html "“Anyone can write an assignment, but we need people to be able to apply their new skills to the workplace,” says top investment management company").

From the initial [hiring process](https://www.financedigest.com/three-ways-that-female-entrepreneurs-can-supercharge-their-hiring-process.html "Three ways that female entrepreneurs can supercharge their hiring process"), be sure to gravitate towards employees who you can trust to get their work done, without constant supervision.

4. [Set goals](https://www.financedigest.com/norways-wealth-fund-tells-firms-to-set-net-zero-emission-goals.html "Norway’s wealth fund tells firms to set net zero emission goals") and expectations

Being clear about what you expect is one of the first things you need to be [telling your team](https://www.financedigest.com/are-your-it-team-telling-you-the-whole-truth.html "Are your IT team telling you the whole truth?"). As such, setting goals for each employee allows them to know exactly what you expect of them and gives them something to work towards. Clear priorities will also help remove noise and allow people the space and [time to focus on work](https://www.financedigest.com/working-from-home-in-times-of-crisis.html "Working from home in times of crisis") and their mental state. Managers should encourage self-management and self-leadership.

5.       Focus on good communication

As evidenced by the research from Office Furniture Online, [working remotely](https://www.financedigest.com/the-psychology-of-long-term-remote-working-productivity-vs-inclusivity.html "The psychology of long-term remote working: Productivity vs. Inclusivity") can often result in poor communication, ambiguity, and a lack of understanding.

As a leader, staying in frequent contact with your team is crucial in [ensuring](https://www.financedigest.com/ensuring-remote-teams-efficiency-with-digital-collaboration.html "Ensuring remote teams’ efficiency with digital collaboration") that the team is functioning at its best and that everyone knows what they are doing – from basic tasks, feedback, and deadlines, to updates, struggles, and celebrating wins.

6. [Offer them a comfortable working](https://www.financedigest.com/spain-offers-to-pay-companies-testing-a-4-day-work-week.html "Spain offers to pay companies testing a 4-day work week") environment

If your employees are working from home, it’s up to you as a [business leader](https://www.financedigest.com/how-leaders-can-develop-their-business-intuition.html "How Leaders Can Develop Their Business Intuition") to ensure they are as comfortable as possible. Not every staff member will have a ready-to-go home office, so it’s worth discovering what your staff members need to be comfortable when [working from home](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-make-working-from-home-work-for-you.html "How to make working from home work for you"). On top of that, a 9-5 schedule doesn’t always make sense when working from home, so allowing for [flexible working](https://www.financedigest.com/the-flexible-working-revolution-is-here-so-why-arent-you-tracking-expenses-on-the-go.html "‘The flexible working revolution is here – so why aren’t you tracking expenses on the go?’") hours can help your employees perform better.


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