LONE WORKER PROTECTION
encouraged in all forms whether its emailing, texting, phoning, or instant messaging. However, it is most important to maintain face to face interactions.
This can be done by providing video chatroom links via the vast host of platforms available. Tools such as WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime and so on, have made visual interactions incredibly easy, allowing staff to replicate those moments when colleagues would just chat, let off steam, talk about their lives, and generally have positive informal interactions (all of which are incredibly useful for stress reduction and improve mental health).
Many organisations are currently creating regular social events, such as quizzes, team drinks or trivia nights which are easily hosted and keep staff well connected. Simply sending an end of week, (or better still, end of day) email summary of news, updates and activity, will also make staff feel connected and part of the wider team.
Managers should also regularly check in on staff to ensure that staff are coping well with this new method of working and that they are not overworking, or the lines of work and life are not becoming blurred.
STRUCTURE Maintaining a structure throughout a homeworking
day helps you to combat any stress experienced and helps workers to switch off. It is advisable to encourage staff to establish a start and finish time, even if they do work flexibly. Homeworkers can maintain structure by getting up, (as they would have done in the normal office), dressing for work, and eating breakfast.
Staying in your pyjamas, and occasionally tending to household duties are the first steps in losing track of time, and inevitably the boundaries between work and home become blurred. This will contribute to a loss of structure and the likelihood of stress. If jobs in the house need to be done, they should be taken care of outside of an agreed start/finish time, or perhaps in the time ordinarily spent on the daily commute. Once entering the designated space for homeworking, breaktimes and a finish time should be established and stuck to.
Finally, overworking is something that should be discouraged at all costs. It is a common misconception that overworking will increase your productivity. Not only will it reduce it, it will increase fatigue, be detrimental to your health and above all cause high levels of stress. Many workers in isolation will feel they need to make up for not being seen. This should be addressed by communicating your trust and assessing their performance by output and not hours worked.
Try enforcing stop times by introducing email and call curfews and having all staff (from the top down) adhere to these rules. If necessary, ask staff to place laptops and work-phones in another room, with sounds and notifications turned off when they are outside of working hours.
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