FM CAREERS - TRAINING
THE HOME TRAIN Richard Anderson, Head of Learning and Development at High Speed Training , on how to promote positive
mental health amongst their workforce by training them to adapt to their home working environment
NOVEMBER 2020 53
As a result of
COVID-19 and the
lockdown rulings
imposed in March
2020, a reported
86 per cent of Brits
have moved to working from home.
A er a turbulent summer it seemed
that we were on the cusp of some
sense of normality as the nation was
encouraged to return to o ice life in a
bid to reboot the economy. However,
with the Prime Minister recently
backtracking on his back-to-work
plea, it seems probable that working
from the home o ice will be the ‘new
normal’ for the majority of the UK’s
workforce until the new year.
As we settle back into this way of
working for the long haul, business
leaders are faced with the decision
on what role the ‘o ice’ might have
in the future and, in the meantime,
how they can ensure their employees’
working environment at home meets
the appropriate health and safety
standards – whether that be for setting
up a workstation ergonomically, or from
the perspective of preventing workplace
stress.
The shi in working practices has
brought with it many positives, however
we can’t ignore the negatives. Whilst
nearly half (49 per cent) of workers
revealed that their mental health has
actually improved whilst working from
home, with 22 per cent going so far as
to say their mental health had improved
‘a lot’, those aged 18 – 24 were actually
negatively a ected by home working
- with 45 per cent of people in this age
bracket observing a marked impact
on their mental health since lockdown
began.
TRAINING PEOPLE TO WORK
FROM HOME
From merely having a bad day to
experiencing serious and lasting mental
health issues brought on by the new
world of social distancing that we now
find ourselves in, employers need to
have a sympathetic approach towards
how they tackle mental health issues
amongst their workforce, no matter
how big or small they may seem. There
are a handful of practices to encourage,
which will hopefully make a di erence to
employee’s working lives, including:
Embrace routine: promote the
importance of maintaining a routine
amongst employees. Whether it’s
a pre-work run, or lunch time read,
keeping a structured working week
will help people maintain a more
positive mind frame.
Keep active: physical activity is
proven to reduce stress, elevate
moods, improve sleep and replenish
energy, so encouraging sta to take
time out of their day to get moving
is a basic essential. In most cases,
30 minutes a day is thought to be
enough to have a significant positive
impact on mood and you can fill
this time with any activity that
makes you feel good. There are an
abundance of home workout videos
available on social media and via
downloadable apps that o er both
paid for and free services.
Stay connected: social interactions
and workplace friendships are
thought to benefit levels of
productivity. Putting in regular
virtual catch-ups is a great and
simple way of upli ing spirits. There
are a number of ways to still conduct
your regular meetings, team catch
ups and 1-2-1s. Platforms such as
Zoom, 8×8, and Google Hangouts
are all reliable and secure. At work,
you’d usually be able to turn to
your colleagues to share jokes and
stories at intervals during the day.
In this situation, we encourage you
to do the same virtually. If you use
instant messaging services, such as
Slack, they have a handy video call
tool you can use if you need a brief
pick-me-up.
Be informative: whilst we find
ourselves in this constant state of
flux, it is imperative that business
leaders are transparent and
informative with their sta . This
should provide some form of
relief and reassurance for those
having doubts about the future.
Breathing is a very e ective tool
for managing stressful situations
and overwhelming emotions.
Many of the sta at High Speed
Training have been using apps such
as Headspace, Insight Timer and
Calm to try out anything from a five
minute breathing exercise to guided
meditations.
Remain educated: as the world
around us keeps changing, it’s
important to keep up to date with
the latest advice from experts. It’s
promising to see that here at High
Speed Training, we’ve seen an 86 per
cent rise in popularity for our Mental
Health Awareness course during the
first period of lockdown, as decision
makers across the country realise
the importance of keeping their
workforce happy. As well as having a
moral responsibility to care for their
sta ’s mental health, employers also
have a duty of care regarding their
sta ’s physical health. It is a legal
requirement to carry out a Display
Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment
as part of health and safety law.
BE FLEXIBLE
Returning back to the o ice is inevitable
for many British workers, albeit probably
in a di erent way to before. Flexible
working and the use of co-working
spaces will be more widely adopted as
we shi to a new style of working. When
this time comes, it’s important we get it
right from the outset. Business leaders
should already be reviewing their ‘back
to work’ strategies for the practicality
side of things, but should also consider
how to enable their sta to connect back
into o ice life seamlessly. Encouraging
sta to speak out about how they feel
and what their potential anxieties are
about returning to the o ice, o ering
support to those who may need it and
implementing a training schedule so
that managers are equipped to deal with
issues that may arise are just some steps
to take to get us harmoniously back into
the o ice.