wellness


Keeping remote under control


Staff were sent home, the technology was put in place and kitchens and spare rooms doubled as workplaces. But how many considered the effect this separation was having on mental health?


Words Robert Field Illustration Asya / Adobe Stock T


here may well be a new enthusiasm for home working but there are downsides. While many


companies were agile enough to adapt quickly and effectively to accommodate a remote culture, others were not. And the results can be catastrophic in terms of the effect it can have on staff wellbeing and, more importantly, their mental health.


Not that this is anything new. As far back as 2016, we were reporting that more than half of HR executives were lamenting the fact that had to provide mental health and stress counselling to colleagues. A study by MetLife Employee Benefits


revealed that those providing wellness support numbered twice those involved in settling disputes. Two years later City of London


Corporation, Carnegie UK and the Wellcome Trust’s ‘Engaging Libraries’ programme launched a pilot to support the growing numbers in the Square Mile in nned of support. The resulting ‘Dragon Café in the


City’ offered Tai Chi, Yoga, mindfulness and talks on a wide variety of subjects to promote and support mental wellbeing. Roll on the years and mental health among the business community continued to dominate the headlines. And the remote working trend emerged as a new and impactful contributor. Only last month a ‘Working from


Home’ study by the remote team building company, Wildgoose, surveyed staff from 133 companies as Lockdown eased. They were asked how their working day


differs at home compared to the office, whether they would be happy to continue working from home and how companies


18 SME magazine


could improve home working practices. Nearly half of those working for SMEs said their mental health had been impacted, citing team communication, desk setup, or working hours. Of those who wanted to keep working


from home, an overwhelming 89 per cent of those in SMEs wanted to continue in working from home, compared to 69 per cent of those working at companies with 1,000 or more employees.


This suggests that small businesses in particular face the greatest pressure to create a structure to address the issues. When asked what they wanted from their companies to help while working from home, SME employees cited as the greatest issues, contact - be that face-to- face contact or socialising. Almost half said they would like


more social contact with workmates as part of the working day via integrated communications, like daily video catch- ups and even quizzes. Daily habits also proved an issue. Among the most common problems


“ ...the lack of social contact would be the key negative – as well as a kind of ‘four-walls’ syndrome of a lack of variety of environment. If you do work from home, compensating for both these things with your non-work


time is pretty crucial!” Paul Ansorge, The Reach Approach


highlighted were not taking regular breaks, uncomfortable or impractical desks and equipment and simply working too long working. Wildgoose managing director Jonny Edser said: “Remote working has presented challenges for companies of all sizes, and for SMEs morale is right up there with the biggest of them. “In smaller companies, that sense of connection and camaraderie is key to a healthy and productive working environment. When you take away the tea breaks and office chats, teams can struggle to stay motivated at a distance, which makes regular team building exercises more important than they’ve ever been.”


O


rganisational Psychologist Karen Kwong of Renoc Consulting said: “Water cooler


conversations in an office setting will certainly provide more frequent breaks than working from home, and will have a positive impact on wellbeing and productivity because humans at their basic level are social creatures, even the most introverted of us. “It actually gives us energy to socialise,


even in small doses. Through casual conversations, sharing stories, or chatting about a piece of work will enhance your thinking and give you some ideas on how to improve your current project. “This will bring about increased


motivation, engagement and build and enhance working relationships. These all contribute to wellbeing and productivity at work. “The social interaction and the work- place community of subtle but no less important relationship-building – they all help the organisation’s productivity, as


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