With hybrid working becoming the norm for many UK employees, this gives these workers far more control over their working environments.
While this can be generally positive, there are risks involved. For example, home working setups with poor ergonomics have seen a rise in musculoskeletal complaints,[1] compounded by reduced physical activity during lockdowns.[2]
However, it is not just physical health that’s at risk. Mental health remains a major cause of sickness absence, accounting for 11.6% of sickness absences in the UK in 2020.[3] It’s therefore vital to have a workplace health and wellbeing policy in place that ensures you treat both physical and mental health in the workplace with parity, especially as we move towards a hybrid working future.
Unum can offer guidance for employers on providing a healthy work environment, as well as supporting managers and employees on dealing with illness or injury.
For example, Unum’s guide on supporting employees working from home details some of the pitfalls of remote working and how to avoid them. With remote working likely to continue,[4] the importance of a good working environment, both at home and in the office, will become essential.
Natalie Rogers, Chief People Officer at Unum, shares these tips to ensure your hybrid working pattern promotes good mental health:
Let natural light in
Ensure offices benefit from as much natural light as possible; equally, when at home, encourage employees to place workspaces in areas of their homes with as much daylight as possible. Benefits of natural light include a boost of Vitamin D, warding off seasonal depression and improved sleep.[5]
Encourage regular breaks and getting moving
Working from home can make it easier to forget to take breaks, especially when there’s lots to do. However, taking breaks is important to maintain motivation, energy and creativity, while also improving work-life balance.[6]
Meanwhile, using those breaks to get moving — even if it’s just a walk around the block — can boost mental health and wellbeing.[7] With all this in mind, it’s important to encourage not just breaks from the workspace but also time spent in physical activity.
Set boundaries to maintain good work/life balance
While hybrid working allows more flexibility, there’s a risk of becoming overburdened with a combination of domestic tasks and work deadlines, causing stress and even burnout.[8]
Having clear boundaries around core working hours and not expecting staff to pick up tasks outside these hours can help reduce workplace stress and other work-related mental health concerns.[9]
Provide workplace wellbeing support
Clearly, while hybrid working can have its benefits, there are some risks involved to employees’ mental wellbeing.
To mitigate these, offering a suite of wellbeing support services can make a huge difference to employees’ mental health.
These include services such as Help@hand*, the health and wellbeing app from Unum. The five key services the app provides access to includes mental health support from qualified mental health professionals.
Unum also offers a Wellbeing Check to employees of Group Income Protection customers for those struggling with their wellbeing, which can help in areas such as workload, hybrid working, work/life balance and self care.
Consult professionals
With mental health accounting for more than a tenth of sickness absence, employers must ensure they can properly assist employees who are either struggling at work due to mental ill health or signed off because of it.
It’s here Unum’s vocational rehabilitation consultants can play a huge part in supporting workplace wellbeing by stepping in to help employees struggling with their mental wellbeing at work but also provide support for employees already off work sick. This includes liaising between employers and employees to work out reasonable adjustments employers can make to ease an employee back to work as and when they are ready.
Overall, while the hybrid model seems to be a natural evolution for the workplace, the basics must be in place to protect the mental health and wellbeing of your employees.
Sources:
[1] Personnel Today, Home working linked to rise in musculoskeletal disorders, January 2021
[2] BBC News, COVID-19: Five ways to avoid lockdown back pain, January 2021
[3] Office for National Statistics (ONS), Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2020, March 2021
[4] Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), COVID-19: returning to the workplace, October 2021
[5] Health Line, The health benefits of natural light (and 7 ways to get more of it)
[6] Indeed, Taking breaks while doing remote work during COVID-19, March 2021
[7] Mental Health Foundation, How to look after your mental health using exercise
[8] The Adecco Group, Hybrid working, the burnout pandemic and the new week in demand, September 2021
[9] HR Inform, The right to disconnect
*Help@hand is a virtual, value-added benefit service which connects the employees of Unum customers to third party specialists who can help manage their health and wellbeing, and that of their family. Access to the service is facilitated by Unum at no cost to the Unum customer. Unum is not the provider of the service but can withdraw or change the service at any time. The service is entirely separate from any insurance policy provided by Unum and is subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant third-party specialists. There is no additional cost or increase in premium as a result of Unum making this benefit available.