Preparing for Plan B: Supporting employee mental health when working from home

Bertrand Stern-Gillet – CEO, Health Assured

The uncertainty of Christmas seems to be hanging by a thread as the ever-looming Plan B poses many potential problems for employers. The return to the work from home set-up brings a plethora of complications. And employee mental health and wellbeing is undoubtedly one of them.

It’s a sudden, unprecedented change in the way many people work. And these drastic shifts have the potential to spark anxiety, isolation, and decreased engagement. That’s not to mention the additional pressures arising from the risk of the Omicron variant and concerns around how the festive period will unfold.

Christmas alone can be a difficult time of year for people and many struggle with mental health issues, including seasonal depression. So, it’s essential that employers do what they can to support employee mental health during this time. Here are our top tips to help keep employees healthy and motivated whilst working from home:

Check-in regularly: there’s a fine balance to be struck here, of course—you don’t want to be overbearing and invasive. But checking in via Teams or with a quick phone call to see how they’re doing can go a long way.

Set goals: not just for your employees, but for yourself as well. Lead by example and show people that you yourself are working hard—after all, the best leaders inspire confidence in others.

Provide the right equipment: not just in terms of hardware—although handing someone a new laptop shows a level of trust —but software, too. Having good messaging platforms, easy to use VPNs and remote working portals all show that you’re putting the effort in to make this time as easy as possible for your employees. And that’ll be rewarded with motivation.

Remind people of their work-life balance: it’s possible that you’ll get an employee who grinds themselves into dust working all the hours they can. It’s all too easy to check emails, take work calls or blur the lines between work and relaxation when the dining room table or spare bedroom becomes the office. To an extent, that’s great, but you want to avoid burnout. Remind employees to take breaks, stick to designated working hours and ensure they spend time looking after themselves.

Provide assistance: now more than ever, an employee assistance programme is vital for businesses of all sizes. When someone is stuck in their house for long periods every day, the walls can begin to close in, and it’s important to know that mental health support is available. The NHS is under immense strain with Covid and seasonal illness, so an EAP is the perfect way to give your employees access to counselling and other support any time they need it.