Building Community in Remote Work: Supporting Mental Health in the Digital Workplace

The world never knew about Work From Home (WFH) until the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Schools shifted to Online classes, higher education programs shifted to Distance learning programs, and most importantly, daily office visits turned into work from home. The shift was rapid, spontaneous and drastic because the society had to adapt to the new challenge. Workplace meetings became online, and employees were given home systems to work, due to which employees having to work extra hours. Nonetheless, people quickly adapted.

Amidst this, a new type of workplace was introduced: Remote. It has both pros and cons. One of the pros is working in your favourite Payjama’s, and one of the cons is working late hours. One of the beauties of working remotely is building a community online. An individual has never met their HR or manager, yet they both trust each other, and the work proceeds smoothly. You have never met your colleagues, but now the only way to talk to them is Google Chat, WhatsApp Business, Gmail Mail Chat, etc.  

Read More: The Shift to Work from Home: Impact on Mental Health and Productivity in India

Remote Work

According to Buonomo et al. (2023), remote working, also known as teleworking and telecommuting, means that individuals work from home outside the traditional workplace environment. With the help of advanced technology, i.e., ICT, employees can work flexibly and also with complete efficiency. Research shows that remote work and job satisfaction are curvilinear. Curvilinear relationship means that it changes according to direction, meaning it is not linear or not always the same. A sense of community and belongingness makes remote jobs doable. Recent estimates show that 70% professionals work one day remotely and almost 53% work half a week in remote mode(Shalow et al.,2020). Along with employees, the organisations are also becoming adaptable to this mode of work. 

Read More: 10 Tips for Maintaining a Positive Workplace Environment

Digital shift: Changes in workplace relationships

A study done on Leader-Member exchange by Varma et al. (2022) demonstrated that the workplace relationship dynamic has changed to a greater extent. This research study reported that leaders who actively engaged with the employee or those who had had quality relationships with their employee had a better team outcome. Employees in remote work heavily relied on active feedback, guidance, and emotional support. This type of communication exchange showed a rise in employee motivation, strong trust and improved job satisfaction.

This study demonstrates that active communication is more important in remote jobs than in traditional workplace jobs. On the other hand, a research study done by Aguillon et al. (2024) demonstrated that communication was one of the essential barriers for remote workers. It showed that employees who were not timely in attendance were stressed. It was also found that during crisis times, communication was the major barrier. Further trust is seen as an essential component while working remotely. Researchers believed that if an individual has trustworthy relationships, then effective communication is more accessible.

The Role of Trust and Communication in Remote Work

Not having face – to – face interactions can negatively affect work relationships by testing trust. According to Olson (1983), one of the essential characteristics of an employee working from home was self-motivation and self-discipline. The above research study provides evidence that due to the digital shift, workplace relationships require active communication; a lack of communication cannot build trust. Trust between an employee and a manager is very important.     

The Psychological Impact on employees due to remote work

Though remote work brings comfort, there are psychological problems related to it. According to Aristotle, Man is a social animal. Human beings cannot live in isolation for a long time; individuals need social connections and friends for their overall well-being. Here are some major psychological impacts of working remotely: 

Isolation and distress

According to Zoonen et al. (2021), isolation is one of the major consequences for remote workers. The impact of isolation on employees is severe because it could lead to loneliness, distress, low motivation and poor performance. In the traditional workplace environment, employees have daily social interaction and exchange with their peers and mentors, but this is not the case in remote working; rather, there are reduced opportunities for social interaction. Psychological distress in a remote work arrangement can be attributed to feelings of unhappiness and a negative effect. This study concluded that remote work increases the frequency of perceptions of isolation and distress. It was found that 63% of remote workers felt isolated and forgotten(Harris,2003).

Lack of social interaction

According to Wang et al. (2020), it was found that a lack of social support was positively correlated with lower levels of remote working. In a study done by Lal et al. (2021), the study emphasised that a lack of social interaction leads to social isolation. The study further emphasised that despite heavy reliance on ICTs, remote workers faced several challenges as there was no face-to-face interaction, leading to job dissatisfaction, low commitment and identification.

Further consequences of no in – person interaction were the reduction in the speed of problem-solving. It was also reported that there were no informal meetings, which made employees feel invisible, and it was estimated that 67% of remote workers felt lonely and went to shops to seek social interaction. It was also demonstrated that employees spent more time with family in order to compensate for social interaction in the workplace.  This research study provided an important insight that social interaction did take place, but 52% was for work-related matters. 

Read More: Remote Work and Mental Health: Navigating Isolation, Role Confusion, and Digital Fatigue 

Importance of belongingness and community

With the research conclusions, it becomes apparent that remote employees’ need for belongingness is unmet. The feelings of being a part of the community are also unmet. The feelings of belongingness create a sense of ‘We’ feeling among workers, and it also leads to productivity. Popular Psychologist, whose work on motivation and the needs, Abraham Maslow, advocated the need hierarchy theory, where one of the essential needs was the need for belonging.

Another theoretical support for remote workers and their unmet need of belonging can be supported by the theory proposed by Baumeister and Leary  – Theory of belongingness advocates that according to Baumeister and Leary, all “human beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and significant interpersonal relationships” (p. 497).

The explanation lies in the evolutionary perspective. Humans developed the need to belong because of the survival instinct. Staying together, hunting, gathering and celebrating back then. Humans have evolved in a way where they desire belongingness(Margit,2019). Community simply means a group of people living in a particular place or area. A traditional workplace is also a community. Remote employees need to have a remote community or online community so that their need for belonging is satisfied. Today, large organisations, leaders, and entrepreneurs have taken the initiative for remote employees. 

Read More: Hierarchy of needs: Human Love and Belongingness explained by Abraham Maslow

Strategies to build community

• Virtual Meetings: According to Kreamer et al. (2020), work meetings are essential aspects for organizational life. According to estimates, an employee spends on average 6 hours per week. Researchers came up with these tactics to make the experience of virtual meetings better: Thoughtful preparation, assigning roles, leveraging technological tools and ending the meeting with clarity. 
• Team activities: Team activities can foster a sense of togetherness and closeness among employees working remotely. Through the incentive of tea activities, they can actually get to interact, virtually reducing the feelings of loneliness. 
• Support System: For organisations, it is important to provide a support system for all employees, and especially for the remote ones. Having weekly/monthly open discussion sessions with the Manager, HR and an Industrial / organisational psychologist. This will encourage timely and adequate support for the employee.  
• Success stories: GitLab is one of the best examples of a fully remote company. Employees work from many countries with complete coordination and sync. HubSpot is another example of a flexible, remote-friendly culture. Others include: Slack, Automation, Dropbox, etc. 

Conclusion

Remote work, though, brings convenience to work from home without the hassle of going out. There are certain severe psychological impacts on the employees, such as feelings of loneliness, isolation, lack of social connection. A good rapport between the leader and an employee can lead to job satisfaction, large-scale productivity and overall good connections. Teams can bridge communication gaps and resolve real-time issues by using effective techniques and strategies. This article aims to draw attention to the mental health of the workforce working from home. An organisation is built by the collective effort of the entire workplace community; everyone’s well-being should be prioritised.   

References +

1. Buonomo, I., Ferrara, B., Pansini, M., & Benevene, P. (2023). Job Satisfaction and Perceived Structural Support in Remote Working Conditions—The Role of a Sense of Community at Work. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(13), 6205. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136205
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3. Varma, A., Jaiswal, A., Pereira, V., & Kumar, Y. L. N. (2022). Leader-member exchange in the age of remote work. Human Resource Development International, 25(2), 219–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2047873
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