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For supervisors

Supervisors can enhance remote team management and promote mental well-being by fostering open communication, providing flexibility, and encouraging self-care while reducing mental health stigma.

Last updated 2 January 2025
Colleagues enjoying a conversation over coffee in an office space. NCSS resources to managing teams for supervisors.

Overview

Managing teams can be challenging, especially when various team members work remotely. We’ve collected some tips on how to manage teams and promote better mental well-being in your workplace settings.

Manage teams remotely

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommuting is gradually becoming more common. More organisations have adapted to remote or hybrid working conditions.

Here are some ideas on how you can maintain your team’s cohesion and collaboration even in remote working conditions:

  • Set agreed communications arrangements with the team (frequency and mode) such as having regular online meetings with video cameras turned on to maintain the “in-person” interaction element.

  • Structure regular check-ins with your team to address weekly issues, provide approvals and give recognition/feedback even if they are routine tasks to maintain team camaraderie and morale. Reviewing work regularly and showing appreciation can help prevent burnout and manage fatigue.

  • Reach out to your staff and be open to resolving matters with flexibility such as giving your staff a break to handle their family matters. Such flexibility can be extended if there are no urgent matters at hand, and this could allow your staff to have a good rest before being energised for work again.

Promote mental well-being

Leaders are crucial in helping to co-create a supportive environment, raise understanding of mental health issues, and reduce stigma in the workplace.

This can be done by:

  • Encouraging dialogues about mental health conditions to reduce the stigma and increase awareness of the various assistance programmes available (e.g. counselling hotlines)

  • Establishing open lines of communication so that people feel at ease discussing or even coming out with their mental health concerns. Encourage ways to achieve work-life balance among employees, such as attending workshops on wellbeing.

(Source: Public Service Division)

Encourage self-care

Employees are more likely to embrace self-care if leaders embody the message and their organisation caters time for self-care activities.

Check out the Encourage Self-Care guide by Tripartite Alliance Limited for more details.

Hi #JustCheckingIn

Want to show you care, but don’t know how? Don’t worry, the Health Hub’s #JustCheckingIn page shares some tips designed to help you navigate through conversations with empathy and care.