HR FOCUS


excessive amounts of time working remotely can become isolated and feel disconnected, disenfranchised, eventually leading to a stressed and discontent employee.


When implementing agile working practices, it is important to consider policies and procedures to protect staff from isolation. Communication is a key factor here. Line managers must receive the appropriate training to keep remote workers both connected and supported by their team.


“IN 2014 40% OF EMPLOYERS STATED THAT THEY ARE STILL


SEEING AN INCREASE IN REPORTED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS.”


workers believe that they are always expected to be available to for work. The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), also found that 61% of workers feel obliged to actually work on holiday, and that 18% come back from a break feeling more stressed than when they left.


It is critical that organisations culturally accept that the ‘always- on’ culture has a negative impact, and that ‘overworking’ is seen as a form of poor performance. Some organisations enforce this by banning emails after hours or during certain times, or by encouraging all staff to leave the office at a certain hour on a Friday. Small policies such as these can promote the message that it is healthier to rest, and that you will actually be more productive if you keep the lines between work and life clear.


REMOTE WORKING Agile or flexible working can be one


of the most efficient, productive and beneficial ways of working, and can aid people in achieving the right work/life balance. However if practised incorrectly, it can significantly contribute to the increase of stress. Employees that spend


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There are many tools available that encourage remote contact and interaction, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, team intranet pages and business- based social media applications. These tools can help fill the gaps that working remotely can cause, such as incidental conversation, light humour, collaborating on certain projects or even venting with colleagues when workplace issues arise.


STRESS FREE DESIGN Designing the office so that remote


worker’s needs are fully supported will encourage their presence, helping to avoid long spells of isolation. It is important to remember that implementing agile working is not simply about forcing people to hot-desk. Agile working needs to be considered holistically rather than simply implemented as a means of saving space. Introducing open desk policies, activity-based environments, spaces for collaboration and contemplative tasks, adding lockers (or portable boxes), café style hubs and break out zones will all encourage agile workers to easily enter the office, and utilise it according to the task at hand.


Try not to disregard the simple design issues that may also be contributing to stress levels. Consider temperature control, improve air quality, allow natural daylight to permeate the office, provide comfortable ergonomic furniture, and most importantly, try to ensure that there are areas that allow for focus or concentration. You could even consider the more unconventional design features such


as sleep or meditation pods, which encourage staff to take time to stop and refresh their minds.


TIME FOR A BREAK As technology has advanced,


so has our ability to efficiently perform tasks, however, with this progression, the need to move away from our desk has decreased. As a result more and more of us are missing breaks.


When certain staff members miss breaks, it doesn’t take long before the rest of the team, or even department follow suit, and eventually everyone feels guilty for stopping work. Researchers in the University of Copenhagen investigated the effects of coffee breaks and how they contribute to worker well-being and found that staff ‘managed stress’ by forming ‘coping communities’. The breaks gave workers a chance to vent frustrations, have a personal conversation and offer support to one another.


One way of enforcing break times is to ban hot drinks and meals at desks. This may sound draconian, but it will certainly ensure that staff move to coffee points and socialise, whilst understanding that taking a break is essential and not unprofessional. Improving the quality of coffee and comfort of furniture will also promote break taking.


MAINTAINING BALANCE In conclusion, achieving a healthy


and productive workplace is all about balance. Whilst modern working practices, such as agile working, have the potential to improve our lives, if not practiced correctly, a worker will experience stress. If levels of work and rest become unbalanced, stress caused by overworking will mean you underperform. Furthermore, if our office environments don’t provide a balance of spaces -providing zones for numerous tasks, activities and behaviours - the office itself will eventually be a significant cause of workplace stress.


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