How to Support Remote Employees’ Wellbeing and Mental Health (in 6 Steps)

Supporting remote employees’ wellbeing comes down to keeping them connected, giving them room to recover, and building a work rhythm that protects mental health instead of eroding it. The 6 steps below cover how to do that in practice.

Remote work has clear upsides. People save time on the commute, get more control over their day, and often report higher engagement than their office-based colleagues. But working away from your team has a cost that shows up slowly. Burnout, dissatisfaction, fatigue from online communication, team collaboration problems, and a slump in productivity are all common for remote and hybrid workers.

The pattern is well documented. Gallup calls it the remote work paradox: fully remote workers are the most engaged, yet they’re also more likely to feel stressed, lonely, sad, and angry than people who work on-site or hybrid. Engagement and wellbeing don’t move together for this group, and that gap is exactly what managers need to close.

Company leaders and HR managers can take effective preventive actions to support the wellbeing of employees in the context of remote and other flexible models like hybrid work. Even if problems have already appeared, there are a number of proven methods that can help people feel connected to their teams and improve their mental health in the long run.

Here are our top tips for providing remote employees with the right conditions and techniques for workplace satisfaction and personal wellbeing.

#1. Stay in touch with remote workers

Remote employees can easily build a growing feeling of being disconnected from the team, the company, and the overall purpose of their work. The more they feel that way, the harder it is for them to take part in the team dynamic and to stay productive.

Gallup points to physical distance creating mental distance: for some employees, remote work can feel like “just work,” without the friendships, team lunches, and camaraderie that on-site and hybrid work provide. Regular contact is one of the few things that pushes back against that.

While one-on-one meetings with management are not a silver bullet, they’re an important step in keeping remote workers engaged and on the same page.

Regular meetings with team members shouldn’t be purely administrative. They can be an occasion to connect with people, listen to their stories and worries, and brainstorm solutions for personal and team obstacles together.

This is a good strategy for keeping hybrid employees engaged too.

#2. Introduce mental health days off

In most cases, people take days off to go on vacation or take care of administrative or health issues. Many employees are ashamed or consider mental health pauses inappropriate, even when they badly need them. There are many reasons for this, but shame and the stigma of “being mentally sick” have a lot to do with these attitudes.

Acknowledging the stress that comes with remote work is the first step to supporting employees who are struggling. Days off dedicated specifically to mental health are a good move in this direction. They give employees time to spend however they see fit, which helps them recover and shake off the stress.

This kind of policy signals to your team that your company values not only their professional contribution but also them as individuals with different needs. It’s a healthy way to make people feel safe and supported. If it’s not taboo to take a day off to clear your head, more people are likely to open up about their struggles and find solutions.

#3. Address social isolation and loneliness

Isolation is the single biggest wellbeing risk for remote teams, and the data backs that up. Gallup found that fully remote workers are more likely to report loneliness (27%) than hybrid (23%) or on-site workers (20% to 21%). Some people have a home full of family; others live alone, and if they don’t have an office to go to, online meetings with colleagues may be their only social contact all day. It’s easy to convince yourself that’s fine, then realize you’re painfully lonely.

Mental health sessions for your team are a good way to bring up loneliness and the effects of social isolation. Mentors can teach and support remote employees in building healthy routines that balance getting work done against leisure time and activities with the people they care about.

You can also encourage regular team-building activities, even if only online. Remote workers can occasionally meet up with their teams in person too. If your business locations allow it, organize team retreats and other get-togethers to keep the team chemistry going. Gallup notes that sharing meals with others is as strong an indicator of wellbeing as income, so even a shared lunch counts for more than it looks.

One practical detail that often gets missed: working remotely can affect taxes, so make sure your team knows where they stand.

#4. Help remote employees build a healthy daily routine

People are ultimately responsible for their own wellbeing, but companies can support remote employees in building a healthy daily routine, which matters more in a home-based work environment where the boundaries blur.

One good option is to offer free or discounted memberships for online or offline fitness or exercise programs. These perks show up on the list at bigger companies anyway, but they carry more weight when people are working from home. As most of us have to build new routines, a nudge in the right direction can be effective.

Training and advice on how to balance work tasks and personal time, limit device use, and prevent burnout can all help remote employees. That includes managing the so-called “Zoom fatigue” from back-to-back video calls. Gallup’s research suggests part of the strain is structural: too much autonomy without clear boundaries can create stress, because managing your time and coordinating with others gets harder. Clear expectations and defined working hours ease that load.

All of this can lead to better remote work productivity.

#5. Offer options for online professional development

For most employees, professional development is an important workplace perk. When teams went remote, many training options got cut.

That’s demotivating for workers who have set professional goals, which is why online training is worth offering. It can be broader than in-person options, since employees can join seminars and sessions held anywhere in the world.

When people see tangible career progress ahead of them, they cope better with the changes remote work brings. Keeping remote workers’ professional prospects open and optimistic is key to giving them a stimulating work environment, even a mostly digital one.

Whether employees come to the office or work in remote working spaces, you can always arrange training for them.

#6. Use the perks of hybrid work to the max

If there’s one lever that moves remote wellbeing the most, it’s giving people the option to come in. The hybrid workplace combines the best of remote work and a physical office. Workers typically choose when and how to work away from the office, and when to come in.

The evidence favors this middle ground. Gallup found that hybrid workers are more likely to be thriving in life overall (42%) than fully remote workers (36%). A 2025 study of employed US adults reached a similar conclusion, finding that hybrid work may be a healthful working style. The hybrid model offers the flexibility and adaptability that the modern workplace needs.

Team members aren’t forced to pick one option, remote or in the office. They can have both. There will be times when either is necessary, but the overall approach stays liberal.

With solid coordination and planning from management and HR, the hybrid model can solve many of the mental health struggles that remote workers face. Most of all, people can choose to be present in the office with at least part of their team whenever they need to.

If you want to try the hybrid model but aren’t sure where to start, look at OfficeRnD Workplace. It gives you the core features you need to run hybrid work, including interactive floor plans, desk and meeting room booking, and collaborative scheduling that shows who’s in the office so people can plan their days around the teammates they want to see. That last part matters for wellbeing: it turns a trip to the office into a chance to reconnect rather than a solo commute.

Frequently asked questions

Why do remote workers report higher loneliness and stress?

Physical distance creates mental distance. Without the everyday social support of colleagues, isolation can grow into loneliness, sadness, and anger. Gallup also points to two other factors: unreliable technology and the cognitive load of managing your own time without clear boundaries.

Is remote or hybrid work better for mental health?

For most people, hybrid comes out ahead. Hybrid workers are more likely to be thriving (42%) than fully remote workers (36%), and a 2025 study of US adults similarly found that hybrid work may be a healthful working style. Fully remote work can suit people who value autonomy, but it needs more deliberate support to protect wellbeing.

How can managers support remote employees’ mental health?

Stay in regular contact through one-on-ones that go beyond status updates, offer mental health days, and encourage real social connection through team meetups and shared time in the office. Give people healthy routines and clear boundaries, keep professional development going, and use hybrid flexibility so employees can come in when they want the company of their team.

Does wellbeing affect whether remote workers stay?

Yes, and the effect is large. Gallup found that 57% of fully remote workers are watching for new job opportunities, but that drops to 38% when they’re both engaged and thriving. Supporting wellbeing is one of the clearest ways to keep your remote team.