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What are some of the most common stress and mental health related challenges you have observed since Covid-19 arose ? Some of the most common challenges I ’ ve observed during my career are generally to do with work pressures , such as long working hours and an inability to work flexibly . Although Covid-19 has insisted the flexibility is available to work from home if you work in a role that allows , what we are now finding is that working hours have become longer rather than shorter , because people are starting work earlier , finishing later , and are not taking enough breaks .
We use Microsoft Teams internally as well as promoting its installation to our clients . We find that specific non-workrelated channels and regular drop-in rooms , such as the ‘ Bored Room ’, are working well within our team to encourage breaks . This , along with our focus on output rather than someone ’ s presence at their desk 9am-5pm , is important in reminding our staff that we don ’ t want them to burn themselves out and work longer hours just because they no longer have a commute .
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What challenges do you foresee employers facing when they begin to phase employees back into the office environment ? Although some individuals want to get back to the office , others have found relief through working from home and want to maintain this . A third group want a blended approach , having proved they can work efficiently from home , but with a desire for workplace interaction .
There are a lot of discussion points on what works best for both the employee and the employer , but ultimately it comes down to the approach to work / life balance of each business . I would really like to see a blended approach and that is something we have implemented here at Mintivo . We feel its important to give our employees the freedom to make that decision for themselves , whilst also encouraging some office time for its relationship building and collaboration benefits .
At this moment in time , with vaccinations being rolled out , some individuals are concerned about interacting with people in the office again . Of course with any interaction comes some form of risk , regardless of the measures taken to ensure social distancing and hygiene . Employers will need to be sensitive to individual concerns and situations and work with employees to come up with a solution that suits . It is unlikely to be a ‘ one size fits all ’ approach that will be successful .
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Do you have any tips for how employers could help mitigate some of these concerns to help their employees adjust ?
Tip 1 : Provide workplace shift patterns to ease staff back into the routine of going into an office . Tip 2 : Adjust working hours if possible , to provide increased flexibility allowing more breaks and maintaining the option for some remote working . Tip 3 : Encourage regular 1:1 ’ s with line managers and / or a mental health contact to check in on a personal level – Microsoft Teams is a great tool for facilitating this face-to-face time . A telephone call is fine , but sometimes it really shows on someone ’ s face just how they ’ re feeling . Tip 4 : Introduce wellness initiatives for example yoga , meditation and breathing techniques or walking meetings . Start simple and build up to business-wide ‘ Wellness Days ’. It is a good idea to find out what your people want and need and let that and the culture you ’ re trying to encourage steer your plans . Microsoft Forms is part of the Office 365 package and is an effective tool in gathering the thoughts and opinions of your people anonymously . Tip 5 : Consider introducing an Employee Assistance Programme ( EAP ) to your benefits package and encourage an opendoor culture for problem sharing . Tip 6 : Having a Mental Health First Aider as a point of contact is an invaluable resource .
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Being aware of mental health and trigger signs is crucial during any shift in working arrangements . Management may notice a change in behaviour / attitude of an individual which can often indicate a problem . We all deal with stresses in different ways , so whether that is working from home or not , feeling anxious about the pandemic in general – or not , there may be a variety of signs presented . They could be physical signs such as tiredness , headaches , complaints of joint pain or obvious tension ; or they could be psychological such as tearfulness , mood changes , loss of humour or an irrational or illogical thought process ; or they could be behavioural such as being very irritable or angry , frequently being late or absent , or taking risks that are out of character .
If your staff are struggling to maintain a connection with their colleagues or line management as a result of remote working , whether they have to or want to be working remotely , Microsoft has a suite of tools that can ease some of the barriers and isolation this causes . Get in touch with a member of the Mintivo team if you would like to discuss our offering further and explore how we can help you use technology to close the metaphorical gap that is created by the physical distance of remote working .
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