Wellbeing during lockdown

Among the words that are now commonplace in our lingo – like social distancing, herd immunity and furloughing – wellbeing is the one justifiably jostling for first place. The welfare of employees has arguably never been so important to businesses.

With many people now working from home, there are significant mental health implications. No more quick chats by the coffee machine, no more office banter and no more football catch-ups. This is compounded by people worrying about the virus, the economy, schooling and how the ‘new normal’ will look.

Stress and anxiety will be heightened, whether or not an individual has been furloughed. Employees may be living on their own, in relatively cramped conditions not necessarily suitable for working from home.

So communication is key. Keeping in touch with all staff, including those furloughed, is important. As well as managers and leadership teams having regular conversations with their people, there are endless creative ways to stay connected. A nice thing to do might be to have a weekly video conference with the whole organisation, assuming everyone’s home-working technology is up to it.

Other examples are: virtual cuppas booked into the diary to replicate chats by the coffee machine; Friday night drinks at kitchen tables; the social committee setting fun challenges for the whole family to tackle; real-time quizzes on mobile phones to keep the competitive spirit going; collective cookie-baking (being careful not to drop any earbuds into the mixing bowl).

Many businesses have a dedicated wellbeing section on their intranet, with useful information signposting in-house Mental Health First Aiders, external resources and employee assistance programmes. Others are providing weekly wellbeing advice bulletins on such topics as domestic abuse awareness, managing stress and anxiety, and living alone during lockdown.

Mental Health Awareness Week (18-24 May) is seeing many businesses run remote mindfulness sessions led by external experts. Generally embedding a positive culture of health and wellbeing throughout the business is becoming common practice.