Remote Work -Mental Health Tips & Improve Productivity
November 25, 2022
3 Mental Health Tips for Remote Employees
When working remotely, the line between work and home can easily become blurred, which can negatively impact mental health. Workers may experience isolation, loneliness and difficulty getting away from work at the end of the day. Poor mental health can impact work performance and lead to chronic stress and lack of sleep. As such, prioritizing your mental health is essential to decreasing workplace stress and increasing your satisfaction at both work and home.
Remote work has affected how connected employees feel to their colleagues. A OnePoll study revealed:
- 7 in 10 remote workers feel more isolated than when they worked in the office.
- 63% of remote workers feel less engaged with their teams.
Also, nearly one-quarter of remote workers never leave their homes during a typical workday, based on findings from Upright Pose.
All of those points could negatively impact your mental health. To improve your overall happiness, try these three strategies to maintain your mental well-being when working remotely:
- Prioritize your physical health. Walking for at least 30 minutes daily can help boost your mood and improve your physical and mental health. For example, consider stretching, practicing yoga or using an at-home bike. Further, eating healthy and getting enough quality sleep are also key to maintaining good health. When your body is properly fueled and rested, your mental health also benefits.
- Maintain boundaries. Having a designated work space and changing into work clothes when you start the day can help to further separate your work and home lives. Create a routine for your workday and stick to it to help transition in and out of work.
- Connect with others. Intentionally interacting with friends and family is important to ensure you are receiving adequate emotional support. Make time to connect with others throughout the week, whether in person or virtually.
Although you may not work in a physical workplace, remember that you’re not alone. If you have concerns about your mental health, follow up with your manager for mental health resources and services.
How Deep Work Can Help Improve Your Productivity
“Deep work” is a trendy buzzword swirling around the productivity conversation. But what is it? Deep work is someone’s ability to work in a state of peak concentration and focus for an extended period of time without interruption. Fortunately, remote work is ideally positioned for deep work.
Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, coined the term and suggests that one could stop using all forms of communication for 60 to 90 minutes per day to achieve peak productivity.
Deep work differs from shallow work, which includes standard day-to-day tasks such as sending emails, planning meetings and using social media. While some shallow work is necessary, it often leads to people spending much of their day switching tasks and ultimately reduces their ability to perform as effectively as possible.
The advantages of deep work are numerous, but a major one is enhanced productivity. That’s because deep work can help decrease errors and increase your attention span and creativity—boosting your overall job performance.
Like many remote work strategies, deep work requires a conscious effort, and if you don’t create habits to reinforce it, you are unlikely to succeed. To be successful, you need to plan out deep working time, remove potential distractions from your working space and stay disciplined in adhering to your plan. Consider the following tips as you experiment with incorporating deep work into your remote routine:
- Eliminate distractions. If possible, close your email and other lines of communication to ensure you can focus on the task at hand. In order to succeed, try to find a place with minimal distractions. This may be tougher at home or in co-working spaces, but do your best to find a focus-friendly environment.
- Construct a plan. Create a prioritized list of things you need to do to help you stay on track. Rank the items you must complete from high to low priority and set aside time for each task so you are more likely to complete what you need to.
- Time block your sessions. Impose a time limit for each task you work on. Knowing you only have a set amount of time to complete a given task puts you under pressure to concentrate and you are likely to get more done. This can help you better understand how your work time is being spent.
- Measure your deep work. Explore leveraging automatic tools to track the time you spend doing deep work. This will allow you to compare your deep work to your shallow work and better track your productivity habits.
Our brains are drawn to instant gratification, so just get started. If you’re struggling to begin a challenging project or have been putting something off, just start it, and you may be surprised how much easier it is to get into your deep work flow.
Every organization and role are different, so consider how deep work could help you improve your remote productivity. You could also discuss with your manager how to best block time for deep work or incorporate other deep work practices.
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When school lets out, many working parents face a new set of challenges: piecing together childcare, coordinating summer camps, adjusting work schedules, and simply trying to maintain a sense of balance. For employers, this season presents a valuable opportunity to demonstrate empathy and build stronger connections with your workforce—especially your working parents. By offering the right policies, benefits, and workplace flexibility, your company can help parents manage the summer shuffle—while keeping productivity and morale strong. Here are a few impactful ways to make that happen. 1. Offer Flexible Scheduling Options Summer schedules are rarely predictable, especially for parents with younger children or teens involved in day camps, sports, or part-time jobs. Allowing employees to shift their working hours or compress their workweeks can be a game-changer. Early start and end times, four-day workweeks, or staggered hours give parents the flexibility to handle family logistics without sacrificing their jobs. What you can do: Encourage managers to have open conversations with team members about their summer availability. Promote cross-training so employees can support each other during flexible hours or time off. Formalize a “Summer Flex Hours” program to show company-wide support. This kind of trust-driven flexibility not only improves work-life balance but also boosts engagement and retention. 2. Revisit Your Remote or Hybrid Work Policy For companies that support remote work, summer is an ideal time to offer extra flexibility. Parents may need to be closer to home for child supervision or to avoid time-consuming commutes during camp drop-offs and pickups. Even one or two remote days per week can ease the mental load on parents—helping them stay focused and productive during working hours. And it signals a deeper commitment to employee wellbeing. Ways to implement: Offer a seasonal “summer remote work option” if your company is traditionally office-based. Empower department heads to tailor remote work flexibility to their team’s needs. Reinforce accountability and results-based performance to support this model. Tip: Simco is happy to help you review your remote work policy for both compliance and employee satisfaction! 3. Promote and Educate on Dependent Care Benefits Many organizations offer dependent care support, but employees often forget—or aren’t aware—of what’s available. Summer is a perfect time to highlight programs like: Dependent Care FSAs (tax-free childcare reimbursements) Childcare subsidies or stipends Backup care assistance Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) with parenting or caregiver resources Tip: Create a simple “Summer Benefits Guide” or a quick email campaign highlighting available benefits. If your team uses a digital portal or app, make sure this information is easily accessible and up to date. 4. Plan Ahead for PTO and Team Coverage Summer means vacations—and for working parents, this might be the only chance they get to spend extended time with their families. That’s why it’s crucial to encourage early vacation planning and transparent communication among teams. Strategies to support summer PTO: Ask employees to submit summer PTO requests as early as possible. Use shared calendars and collaborative tools to coordinate team coverage. Train back-up team members ahead of time to avoid last-minute stress. Consider adding a floating summer holiday or mental health day to give employees a breather. When employees feel supported in taking time off, they’re more likely to return refreshed and ready to re-engage. 5. Build a Family-Friendly Workplace Culture Supporting working parents isn’t just about policies—it’s about creating a culture of empathy and understanding. That starts with leadership modeling flexibility, and continues with teams who respect boundaries and accommodate personal obligations. Ideas to build culture: Create a parent resource group or Slack channel to exchange ideas and support. Share local summer camp or childcare resources in your company newsletter. Avoid scheduling late afternoon meetings that may interfere with family commitments. Celebrate family milestones or kid-friendly moments in a light-hearted way. These small cultural cues can go a long way in helping working parents feel seen, supported, and valued—especially during a season that’s often more stressful than relaxing. Final Thoughts Supporting working parents through summer break isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart business strategy. Offering flexibility, benefits education, and an understanding culture helps companies retain top talent, foster loyalty, and create a healthier workplace for all. Need Guidance? At Simco, we specialize in helping businesses implement people-first policies and scalable benefit solutions. If you’re looking to enhance your workplace support for parents (or all employees), our specialists are here to guide you! Let’s talk about how we can help your workforce thrive—this summer and beyond.
Let’s be honest—mid-year reviews often don’t get the attention they deserve. They sneak up between vacations, project deadlines, and Q3 planning. But when done right, these check-ins can be one of the most valuable tools you have for keeping employees engaged, aligned, and growing. They’re not just about checking a box or filling out a form. Mid-year reviews are a chance to reconnect, recalibrate, and reenergize your team—and they can have a big impact on retention and performance. So, how do you make these conversations count? Let’s break it down. Why Mid-Year Reviews Actually Matter Think of the mid-year review as a strategic pit stop. You’ve made it halfway through the year—now’s the time to assess what’s working, what needs adjusting, and where your people want to grow. And here’s why that matters: Companies that implement regular performance feedback see 14.9% lower turnover rates than those that don’t, according to Gallup Employees who receive consistent feedback perform better and are more engaged overall, according to studies conducted by the Harvard Business Review Employees are far more likely to stay when they know their growth is supported The takeaway? People want feedback. But more importantly, they want useful feedback—along with the tools to take the next step forward. What to Ask: High-Impact Questions Performance reviews should feel like conversations, not interrogations. Open-ended, thoughtful questions help create space for honest dialogue. Below are a few ideas to keep the conversation flowing—and meaningful. Goals & Achievements What’s been your proudest accomplishment this year? What challenges have you worked through—and what did you learn? Are we on track with the goals we set earlier this year? Strengths & Value What are you most confident about in your role? Where do you feel you're making the biggest impact? Growth Opportunities Are there any skills you’re itching to develop? Where could we offer more support or resources? Looking Ahead Where do you see yourself a year from now? What kind of training or experiences would help you get there? This isn’t just about reviewing the past—it’s about setting the tone for the future. Turning Feedback into Development: Exploring the Role of Learning Management Systems Identifying growth opportunities during a performance review is just the first step—real transformation happens when you take action on that feedback. One effective way to support employee development is by leveraging a Learning Management System (LMS) . An LMS provides a structured and scalable way to turn feedback into forward momentum—whether you're preparing someone for a promotion or helping them build confidence in new skills. Key LMS features that support performance development include: Personalized learning paths aligned with individual or team goals Access to broad training libraries, including compliance and skill-building content Tools to track progress and measure learning impact Engaging elements like AI assistance, gamification, and peer learning These tools transform performance feedback into growth, helping businesses create a continuous learning culture. Look No Further At Simco , we support our clients through every stage of the performance management journey — from crafting the right review questions to delivering personalized, scalable learning opportunities. Our integrated HCM technology includes the isolved Learn & Grow Module, which features: 89,000+ courses including SCORM and state-compliant training Custom curriculums for individuals and teams AI-driven search and chatbot support Dashboards, reporting, gamification, and more Final Thoughts: Mid-Year Reviews Are a Strategic Lever Mid-year reviews are more than a checkpoint — they’re a chance to re-engage your team, show appreciation, and chart a clear path forward. When you treat them as an opportunity for dialogue, reflection, and action, the benefits ripple across retention, morale, and performance. Want to make your next round of reviews truly impactful? Let’s talk about how Simco can help streamline your process and empower your people.
Each spring, New York State enforces a residential burn ban from March 16 through May 14 to help prevent wildfires. As of yesterday, the ban has officially been lifted , but fire safety should remain top of mind. While the Finger Lakes has seen steady rain this week, the risk of fire can still escalate quickly with a few dry, breezy days. If you’re planning to burn brush, enjoy a backyard fire pit, or take part in spring clean-up, it’s important to do so with caution. Why Does the Burn Ban Exist? The annual burn ban is in place to reduce the threat of wildfires during one of the most vulnerable times of the year. In early spring, before trees and vegetation fully green up, dead grass, leaves, and branches are dry and highly flammable. Combined with seasonal winds and low humidity, even small outdoor fires can spark large, fast-moving wildfires—especially in rural areas. This proactive ban has proven to significantly lower the number of wildfires across the state each year, protecting homes, farmland, and natural habitats. What Homeowners Should Do Now With the ban lifted, it’s a good time to: Review your homeowners insurance to ensure you're protected against fire-related damages. Practice safe outdoor burning , such as keeping fires a safe distance from structures and never leaving them unattended. Consider additional coverage for properties with wooded acreage or high-risk features. At Simco , we’re here to help you navigate risks like these—before they become problems. Whether you need a policy review or simply want to make sure your coverage keeps pace with your lifestyle, we’re just a call or click away .
