It is no secret that the world of work is undergoing a significant shift. Research by the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, remote jobs will increase by 25 percent to a total of over 90 million roles.
In parallel, we are living through a mental health pandemic, with approximately one in four adults experiencing a mental health problem each year in England.
There is a delicate debate as to whether working remotely improves overall mental health due to employees having more time to tend to their personal lives, or if it has the opposite effect and increases feelings of loneliness and isolation. We must not ignore that every individual is different, and for some people, a lack of face-to-face contact can lead to people feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
As an employer with a duty of care towards employees, it is vital that staff have enough wellbeing support from their company, including when they are working remotely. Therefore, how do businesses ensure mental health and wellbeing is at the forefront, even when away from an office environment and relying only on a laptop screen for a connection? Here are my top four tips for employers who may be searching for some advice.
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Consider appointing mental health first aiders
Identifying the signs that somebody is struggling can be a lot more challenging away from the office, where there are no in-person meetings or regular face-to-face catch ups. Mental health first aiders are therefore trained employees who provide non-judgmental support to colleagues experiencing a mental health problem or crisis, guiding them towards professional help. They do not diagnose or treat, but instead learn to listen, signpost to support, and recognise the warning signs which can be a lot more nuanced when working remotely.
These signs could include certain body language over Zoom and Teams, the way employees are dressed, the way their voice sounds or even the lighting in the room. Having dedicated mental health first aiders not only ensures that employees have the confidence to recognise and respond to signs of mental ill-health in others, but they also foster a workplace culture of openness around wellbeing as a whole.
Ensure all mental health policies and procedures are up to date
It is imperative that basic mental health policies and procedures are kept up to date, regardless of whether your team works remotely or not. This is so that you can deliver safe and effective employee wellbeing support, comply with evolving legislation and regulatory standards, and reflect best practices. To ensure that your employees feel supported, provide policies that can have an impact on improving mental health, even after a crisis or emotional event has occurred.
For example, what kind of bereavement or extended parental leave are you offering? What if an employee is living in an area that is experiencing a natural disaster? All of these situations can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and their ability to work. At Peak, we offer free counselling sessions and even free, reasonable accommodation to anyone who is living through a natural disaster and needs to be evacuated from a particular area so that they feel safe and supported.
Schedule time for socalising
Socialising improves mental health by reducing loneliness, increasing feelings of belonging and purpose, and providing essential emotional support. It is therefore important to schedule time for socalising together, ideally in person when possible. If you work remotely, this could include meeting up for a quiz night every month, volunteering together or even hosting an awards night at the end of each year. Do keep these events optional as you need to respect employees’ individual needs, and many may prefer not to attend as they could cause stress or social anxiety.
If businesses, especially those that operate across different countries, are unable to provide these types of in-person events due to being too expensive or not logistically possible with flights or other methods of transport, they should still be offered remotely to support wellbeing and connectedness. At Peak, we offer a regular online session called ‘Peak Connect’ which is a Zoom meeting with staff to socialise, discuss things other than work, and connect with one another remotely. During these sessions, we have also trialed virtual escape rooms and a virtual Christmas party which were both huge successes.
It is also vital that managers schedule regular 1:1s, where staff can unload, either related to work or in their personal lives, and raise any issues. Often, managers feel check-in meetings are HR’s responsibility, but this could not be further from the truth – it is a shared responsibility.
Commit to action by signing a pledge
Finally, demonstrating a public pledge or commitment to employee wellbeing can help provide support for staff and highlight that you are serious about mental health. This in turn can help with recruitment and retention as employees are much more likely (86 percent) to leave a job if an employer does not support their wellbeing.
To illustrate, we have recently signed up to The Burnout Awareness Charter in response to burnout becoming more prevalent across all levels of business. The partnership enables Peak to show that it is a company taking proactive steps to support employees and their wellbeing, as well as give us access to a resource library that our team can use 24/7.
Remember, a positive and proactive culture around mental health can always be achieved, even if you are a remote company. Prioritising mental health support needs to be more than just words – actions speak much louder. If you fail to look after your employees’ mental health, you risk losing not just productivity, but your people too. Play it safe – positive mental health helps attract and retain talent, fulfills a duty of care, and ultimately, leads to a more resilient, healthy and happy workforce.
Amy is a progressive HR professional with a focus on employee advocacy. She brings 10 years’ experience spanning the US and the UK, working with both large scale employers as well as SMEs.
