Coronavirus

Covid-19 Impacts the Mental Health of Remote Workers and How Mentoring Can Help.

Keeping team mental health can be a challenge when working remotely. Here is how to protect your team.


Covid-19 has changed corporations forever. Companies are adapting to a remote workforce while struggling to uphold their bottom line. Government policy is being written to cope with the economic stresses small businesses are facing. The Coronavirus Stimulus Package has been rushed through government channels to provide relief to Americans and Tax Laws are being adjusted to curb the financial decline.

Amongst all the corporate struggle, what is often lost in the static is the mental health of employees, isolated across the world. Social Distancing and enforced remote work has taken a toll on mental health. New studies conducted by Thrive Global and Piplsay have brought to light some alarming social and mental trends connected to remote work and Covid-19. 

Thrive Global surveyed 5,000 American workers. 80% of them reported a feeling of helplessness and that their circumstances were totally out of their control. 85% reported wanting more help from their employers to adjust to remote work and 85% are concerned about their job security during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Piplsay surveyed 24,594 Americans. 67% of Americans report they fear more Covid-19 like outbreaks in the future.

Employees across the country are reporting feelings of loneliness, depression and insecurity about their personal and professional futures. Without the usual office and social support systems employees are used to having, many are reporting dropped levels in productivity.

So what can corporations coping with Covid-19 do help their employees during this time of crisis?

Using technology and software during this time to create human connection is more important than ever before. It is also easier than you might think.

Mentoring is about the human connection that is created by two or more people. It is a real relationship that predates social media and finds its roots in the beginnings of human history. Mentoring transcends “likes” and “shares” and “emojis,” requiring thoughtful conversation and insight. Can mentoring be successful online during this time of remote work?

The answer is yes and there are simple tools that corporations can use to combat feelings of isolation and loneliness within their workforce.

Having someone check-in on you can make a huge difference. The impact of a simple check-in can be lost in the hustle and bustle of the workday, but when an employee is at home with only the glow of a computer monitor for hours a check-in can be a huge moral boost. Updates can be provided or questions can be answered with a quick touch base.

Formal mentoring platforms (Like Wisdom Share provided by Mentor Resources), provide messaging within its software. Mentoring platforms provide a one-stop-shop for communication between mentors and mentees. This facilitates communication so employees don’t have to remember what communication channel they were using (i.e. Did my mentor send me an e-mail, Facebook message, text or Whatsapp message?). The mentoring platform can remain a single source of information on the mentoring connection.

Implementing a formal mentoring program also gives HR the tools they need to take care of company people from a distance.

An HR Admin can monitor, supervise, encourage and see real-time data on employee interaction with mentors remotely. With the click of a few buttons, mentors can be altered or nudged to set up meetings with employees who might need a check-in or video conference to keep morale high.

Mentoring software doesn’t just enable corporations to use mentoring as a crutch for mental health during this time either. Employees can use their time from home to immerse themselves more than ever before in a mentor program boosting their skills and learning from home so they not only stay active, but grow.

If a corporation has access to a formal mentoring program during this time of crisis, their employees can be cared for and they can come back to work more engaged and productive than before this all started.

Mentor Resources can help your organization quickly connect remote workers to stay ahead of the curve. Our mentoring software - Wisdom Share - is a cloud-based program that is simple to use and quickly launch. Reach out to us today for Free Demonstration of our software.

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