Leading a Mentally Healthy and Happy Remote/Hybrid Team: The Facts and Thought Starters

Get ready for a bunch of valuable workplace insights about the benefits of leading a mentally healthy and happy team. Plus, thought starters to get you thinking in the right direction.

To kick things off, here’s a big one.

63% of fast-growing organizations have enabled productivity anywhere workforce models.

Why? Because productivity anywhere models…

• Allow team members to live a balanced and happy life.
• Provide the freedom to work wherever and whenever people feel most productive and happy.
• Foster a lively and trusting workforce that boosts productivity and profits.

Accenture’s 2022 Future of Work research also found that employees enabled to be productive anywhere are 2.3x more likely to stay with their company. The study also found that team members who can’t be productive, healthy, or happy at work are 7.7x more likely to quit.

In other words, your business growth and stability greatly depend on your team’s health and happiness.

Let’s continue exploring research and strategies for leading a mentally healthy team.

Statistics on leading a mentally healthy and happy remote/hybrid team

Did you know that championing your team’s well-being, equality, and happiness makes them more likely to work better? In an Accenture report, 94% of the respondents put significantly more effort into their work because of this practice.

Remote work plays a huge role in employee satisfaction, too. Per Zippia’s Essential Hybrid Work Statistics research, 54% of employees are willing to leave their current job for one with more flexibility, especially in remote work.

However, these require drastic changes in the way businesses have worked for so long. And while the benefits of revamping their work models are impossible to ignore, several business leaders are understandably tiptoeing through the idea. Statistics from Accenture’s Future of Work research report show it:

• 66% of CEOs realize that a change in work models is needed but are hesitant.
• Only 26% of CEOs have a future-ready strategy focused on changing the way they work.

But don’t be discouraged. Changes may be tricky, but they’re often most difficult at the beginning. Don’t worry — here’s what you can do to overcome that initial hump.

Strategies for building a happier and healthier workforce

We’ve prepared statistically backed strategies to improve your team’s happiness and mental health. We’ll also go through thought starters to help you make positive changes that will benefit your team members and your business.

1. Be transparent and open all lines of communication

• Transparency — two-way, constant communication with employees — builds connection and healthy work culture. The idea of working for a transparent company boosts employee job satisfaction by 8.8x. (Future Forum)
• Employees who feel connected to their teammates are more productive. (Business Wire)
• Supporting remote connections between employees, like opportunities to discuss projects, share ideas, network, mentor, and coach, increases productivity and employee satisfaction. Small connections matter. (McKinsey)
• As a leader, your ability to be vulnerable and transparent sets the stage for real change in a business. (Forbes)

Thought starters on how to be a transparent leader

• Promote two-way conversations between leadership and employees.
• Encourage and allow everyone to provide feedback.
• Communicate the improvements you made from the feedback you received.
• Meet regularly with your team and company-wide in 1:1s and Daily Stand-ups.
• Involve your team in decision-making.

2. Be flexible and adopt a “productivity anywhere” model and mindset

• As a leader, you can build a strong organizational culture with flexibility. Flexible work policies are the number one factor in improving work culture. Flexibility also increases productivity, prevents burnout, and boosts morale. (Future Forum)
• Job seekers in the US are motivated more than ever to find more flexible employment arrangements that support their mental health. A flexible working arrangement like remote work is the third highest motivator to find a new job. (McKinsey)
• Job seekers are 59% more likely to accept a job that offers remote work opportunities. When businesses allow remote work, teams are happier, and they see a reduction in turnover. (Zippia)

Thought starters on how to be flexible with a productivity-anywhere mindset

• Let your team work whenever and wherever they want.
• Ask team members what type of coaching they prefer. Do they want you to share feedback on every project stage, or do they prefer check-ins spaced between several weeks?
• Don’t worry about where work is getting done. Focus on providing the right resources to unleash your team’s full potential.
• Give your team time with the people they love.
• Create a sense of belonging, no matter the physical location.
• Understand what is important to your team and reinvent how you work together.
• Create a work-from-anywhere policy.

3. Be trusting and provide omni-connected experiences

• Building trust will improve morale and enhance your team potential and leave everyone, including your business Net Better Off. (Accenture)
• Omni-connected experiences (workplaces with trust and technology that help teams connect) make team members 21% Net Better Off while driving 7.4% revenue growth. (Accenture)
• 66% of team members do not report issues to HR because they don’t believe they will be acknowledged or resolved. (Forbes)
• 59% of your team members’ intention to stay with the company depends on an omni-connected experience. (Accenture)
• Integrating individual and organizational resources into your remote team experience can make your remote workforce happy, healthy, and productive. (Accenture)
• Employee trust directly affects your bottom line. Trusted companies outperform their competitors by 400%. (Hubstaff)

Thought starters on creating a trusting omni-connected experience

• Trust your employees and hiring process.
• Lead by example to create trust. When you go on holiday, really switch off. Come back refreshed and show your team you trust them.
• Create psychological safety and security within your team. Ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Listen to the feedback you receive and follow up with action.
• Build purpose for each team member. Create a workplace where people feel connected, and business values align with theirs.
• Lead with intent and empower your employees to make their own business decisions.

4. Be data-driven and invest in HR technology to make everyone’s lives easier

• Companies that invest in HR technology show a higher employee experience score (2.8x more satisfied, 2x more focused, and 1.6 x more productive). Companies that do not are 31% more likely to burn out their team. (Future Forum)
• The entire leadership team should be involved in developing team and individual metrics. (Forbes)
• With the right resources, people can be happy and productive in any environment. (Built for Change Podcast)
• Almost half of HR leaders say technology is a top investment priority for the second year. Human-centric technology can also help maximize employee experience, retention, collaboration, and performance outcomes. (Gartner)
• When technology is used to enable flexible work arrangements, 98% of teams are more likely to feel fulfilled at work. (Accenture)

Thought starters on how to be data-driven 

• Organize an offsite where the entire leadership team collaborates to develop team and individual metrics.
• Invest in HR and People Ops tools to enable flexible work arrangements and more creative work for your team.
• Set and share people metrics. 
• Measure performance in the form of deliverables and accomplishments.
• Chart a different course by putting people at the heart of all you do.
• Monitor your team’s well-being and provide resources to help maintain a mentally healthy team, reduce turnover, increase engagement, and improve your bottom line.
• Support employee well-being by giving your team the tools to improve their health and happiness.

Lead with humility and unlock your full business potential

The data tells us that if you help your people grow and live their best lives, they will be mentally healthy and happy, and your business will thrive. Supporting a healthy workplace will also help you unlock your business’ full potential.

Solve the right problems and reimagine processes and policies together. Find ways to be data-driven while building trust through transparency. Create a culture of trust, flexibility, transparency, and progression through technology.

Always put your team first, and you’ll build a team that will last.