Many employees today work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While a remote work setup has plenty of benefits, such as cost savings and less commute stress, it can also blur the boundaries between an employee’s personal and professional life. This can result in burnout and eventually take a toll on their productivity.
One way to prevent burnout is to encourage your employees to take their personal time off (PTO). Taking a break improves your employees’ physical and mental health and helps them become more productive and efficient at work.
Here are a few effective ways to encourage your remote workers to take time off from work:
1. Ensure clear PTO policies
Some of your staff may hesitate to take time off from work because they don’t understand your company’s PTO policies. Make sure that they are well-informed about all PTO-related procedures, such as filing leaves. This way, your employees will find it easier to take a break.
2. Set a deadline for PTO filing
If you set a deadline for filing PTOs, your employees will be more encouraged to use their leaves to rest and do something else other than work. Check in with them regularly to make sure their PTOs are booked off, and if necessary, remind them of the various benefits of taking time off.
3. Limit PTO rollovers
Some of your employees may want to save their PTOs for future use. Unfortunately, this will lead to them underusing their leave credits. This can cause them to overwork, making them less productive, more prone to committing mistakes, and more likely to get sick.
You can mitigate this risk by limiting the PTOs that your staff can roll over. This will compel them to take some time off from work and get the rest they need to stay healthy and productive.
4. Discuss the importance of taking PTOs with your team
Conduct a team discussion about the importance of taking time off from work. You can do this by conducting a virtual meeting through apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Encourage your employees to do the things that they love when they’re away. This could be spending time with their family, reading a book, trying new recipes, or playing a musical instrument, among other things. Discourage vacation shaming as well, because everyone deserves to be able to disconnect from work.
By discussing the benefits of taking PTOs, you create a positive work culture where employees feel comfortable taking time off when they need it.
5. Set a good example
If you take a few days off from work, your employees will be more likely to follow your lead. Make sure to set a good example by not answering emails or attending to any work-related matters while you’re away. Show that by disconnecting from work, your employees will feel more motivated when they return.
6. Provide support when employees are away
An employee may hesitate to take time off because they are worried about who will do their work while they are away. Ease their worries by identifying who will take over their tasks in the meantime. For example, if one of your IT staff will be out for a few days, assure them that another employee will oversee your IT infrastructure.
Time off from work is important, but you need a partner like Founders Technology Group who won't take a break from watching over your IT systems. We will provide day-to-day IT support and help protect your company from all known cyberthreats, all for a flat, monthly fee. Book a complimentary consultation with us today!